Inside the shop, although the thunderstorm had stopped, Xiang Yi, the Emperor of Great Yong, remained wrapped in a quilt. In the past, thunder might have reminded him of how Chu Hang had looked when he died, but this time he had seen Chu Hang with his own eyes.
Many of those around him said they had seen nothing, that it had only been a flash of lightning. Even those who had seen him dared not admit it. But the emperor was certain of what he had seen, so the silence of the thunder did nothing to ease his terror.
Yet the emperor seemed to have sensed something as well. When the gods departed, he seemed to notice.
"Zhao Chaolin, Zhao Chaolin..."
"Your Majesty, your old servant is here!"
"Has the rain stopped?"
The old eunuch hurried forward.
"Your Majesty, the rain has stopped! Are you feeling any better?"
On the bed made from four large tables pushed together inside the shop, the emperor cautiously poked his head out of the quilt. The sound of rain was gone, and so was the thunder. His face was somewhat pale as he looked at the old eunuch outside his covers.
"My beloved consort... has she returned?"
Zhao Chaolin merely shook his head.
"Your Majesty, the noble consort has not returned..."
By now, the old eunuch knew perfectly well that something was terribly wrong with the noble consort. Today, he could finally breathe a little easier. That woman would not be coming back.
"Your Majesty, how are you feeling?" "Your Majesty, are you all right?"
Several officials who had sheltered from the rain in the same shop came forward to express their concern. But the emperor's eyes were clearly vacant, and he did not look at the ministers beside him. He struggled to