Eternal Peace Palace
By day, the palace seemed a little more vibrant than it did at night, with plenty of palace servants coming and going. Since the emperor and empress had reconciled, not only did the mistress of Eternal Peace Palace receive the finest things in the palace, but even its servants, down to the humblest sweepers, had received a small increase in their monthly wages. There were no deductions, either; the full amount reached their hands.
Thus, some of the younger palace maids had changed into spring clothes early and put a little thought into their earrings and the one or two hairpins their rank permitted them to wear. They decorated their buns with tiny fluffy flowers to match their clothes. Though they were all lowly servants, they, too, carried a little of the joy of welcoming spring.
The empress, however, remained as she always had, little different from how she had been in winter. She neither liked leaving Eternal Peace Palace without good reason nor liked having the other consorts come to pay their respects.
When she had nothing else to do, she would sometimes recite scriptures for her deceased son.
Today, too, the empress was in a side hall, quietly reciting scriptures and praying for blessings.
All makeup had been removed from her face, yet she embodied the verse, "A lotus rises from clear water, naturally free of ornament." Her hair had not been arranged in a bun; instead, a ribbon simply bound her smooth tresses together. A few white strands could be glimpsed among the black. Usually hidden in her bun, they now showed through her casually tied hair.
Her skin was no longer youthful, but neither was it loose. The few fine lines at the corners of her eyes did nothing to diminish her beauty.