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墨書 Inktalez
This shocking event startled Mei Shuang, causing her to sit down on the floor, her heart pounding. What was it about Dazhao Temple that felt so eerie? Ever since she entered, strange occurrences had not ceased.
Before coming into this room, she had carefully examined the terrain. She clearly remembered that the house stood isolated on the edge of a cliff, guarded by heavy illness in front. What was that shadow just now?
It was clear that it was definitely not a bird; no bird could be that large.
Mei Shuang was drenched in cold sweat. Thinking about the poisonous soup from today, could it be that someone truly intended to leave her with no way out?
After dazing for a moment, she suddenly noticed that the long window was left ajar.
Damn! She had carelessly opened the window for ventilation and forgotten to close it.
She hurriedly got up from the floor. As her hand touched the long window, she noticed a crumpled piece of paper on the windowsill in the dim moonlight.
First, she cautiously looked around the long window. Aside from the howling sounds of dense forests all around, there was no other movement. After quickly closing the long window, she picked up the paper and anxiously unfolded it. To her surprise, it depicted a Buddha.
This Buddha was exactly like the one that had terrified her earlier. Now, under the moonlight, it appeared peaceful, completely devoid of the horrifying image she had seen before.
Aside from this Buddha, the paper was clean and blank on both sides.
How strange! Who would send this note in the middle of the night and coincidentally draw this particular Buddha that appeared during her fright?
Gazing at this note, the vividly colored Buddha seemed lifelike. Suddenly, Mei Shuang's attention fixed on the fingers of the statue. The Buddha was seated, holding a mudra; oddly enough, while its thumb and index finger were originally gently pressed together, now they were apart, with the index finger clearly pointing downward.
Mei Shuang examined the statue closely, puzzled. What did this mean?
The bizarre appearance of the Buddha she had seen earlier was not reflected here; instead, there was a change in its gesture. Was this a warning or an indication of something?
Mei Shuang stared at the enigmatic note, her brow furrowed tightly.
Fingers, hands, feet? Hands and feet?
Suddenly, Mei Shuang felt as if she had been enlightened, and the answer to the troubling question that had plagued her since entering Dazhao Temple was about to emerge.
In a daze, Mei Shuang felt a chill rising from her feet, spreading throughout her body, leaving her limbs and bones filled with an icy coldness.
In the end, she still wouldn't let it go.
It seemed that ever since she entered Dazhao Temple, the attacks had begun—one after another, each more insidious and malicious than the last.
Her gaze shifted back to the statue. It appeared that the person who used the statue to warn her not only knew she had seen its oddities but also understood the mysteries behind it.
But who could be so kind-hearted? Moreover, this person must possess exceptional martial skills to slip past the window on the edge of a cliff. To be honest, she truly didn't know how she had come by such luck.
Mei Shuang sat back down in her chair with the note in hand, resting her chin on her hand in deep thought...
Suddenly, there was a gentle push at the door, and a beam of light illuminated the small space.
Mei Shuang discreetly hid the note in her sleeve and turned to see that it was none other than Emperor Xiao Luo.
Xiao Luo had changed out of his daytime Dragon Robe; dressed in dark robes and black boots, he appeared less imposing than before. He looked more handsome now, with softer facial features that gave him an air of cultured elegance.
Mei Shuang was not surprised by his presence here.
During lunch, someone had clearly attempted to poison her, yet he accused her of disrespect and imprisoned her here while stationing heavy guards outside. The only reason for this was that he did not want her to suffer further harm; this act was likely also meant to show that person who had harmed her.
However, as the light gradually filled the room, Mei Shuang realized that it was not the Empress following Xiao Luo but rather Consort Yi—the beautiful concubine who had allowed her to ride along and even spoke foreign languages.
She had changed out of her light purple attire into a deep purple dress that made her look even more exquisite and enigmatic. At this moment, she followed behind Xiao Luo, gazing at Mei Shuang with surprise mirrored in her own eyes.
Mei Shuang suddenly realized she had made a big mistake. She quickly turned around, grabbed the mask from the table, and clumsily tried to put it on her head, cursing herself inwardly for forgetting to wear it after taking it off.
A calm voice came from behind her, "There's no need to go through all that trouble. To treat your face, just a basin of water will suffice..."
Mei Shuang's hand froze in mid-air. Oh no! Could he have seen through her?
She turned around, forcing herself to remain calm, and managed to curve her lips into a perfectly appropriate smile. "Your Majesty, you have arrived? Hi, Consort Yi..."
Xiao Luo remained silent but glanced at Li Gonggong, who then turned and went out. Moments later, he returned with a basin of clear water and a handkerchief for wiping the face.
Upon seeing the large basin of water, Mei Shuang's expression changed dramatically. No way!
She feigned confusion as she looked at Xiao Luo, while Consort Yi also appeared puzzled.
"What? Do I need to do it myself?" Xiao Luo's voice grew colder as he noticed Mei Shuang's hesitation.
It seemed that hiding her true self was no longer an option.
Reluctantly, Mei Shuang complied and took off the mask. She walked over to the basin and splashed some water on her face.
After a moment, she turned back around.
The red spots on her face had vanished, replaced by a clean and radiant visage—fair skin and sparkling eyes that were truly enchanting.
Consort Yi had always been curious about what Mei Shuang looked like beneath the mask, but upon seeing her true face, she was taken aback. "Miss Mei Shuang?"
Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly realized she had spoken out of turn. This Miss Mei Shuang had long been cast into the Cold Palace by the Emperor and had become the Deposed Empress Mei Shuang. How dare she still refer to her by name in front of the Emperor? Even more astonishing was how she had come out of the Cold Palace and was even granted permission by the Empress Dowager to pray for blessings?!
Mei Shuang took a look and chuckled softly; it seemed that no one in the palace did not recognize her, yet she was blind to everyone in front of her.
"You've mistaken me; my surname is Lin," Mei Shuang said lightly.
Consort Yi clearly showed a hint of confusion in her beautiful eyes. This was obviously Mei Shuang, the legitimate daughter of Mei Manor! They were clearly acquainted, yet the way she looked at her was utterly unfamiliar.
Fortunately, Xiao Luo did not mind Consort Yi's surprise and simply instructed her to hand a piece of paper to Mei Shuang.
Only then did Consort Yi realize that this was the important person the Emperor wanted to meet tonight. However, she was puzzled; how had this Deposed Empress Mei Shuang suddenly become a guest of the Emperor from prison? And why had she changed her name?
Mei Shuang took the paper and glanced at it. Her eyelids twitched violently for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure, returned the note to Consort Yi, and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't recognize these characters."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Luo cast a cold glance at Mei Shuang.
It was Consort Yi, who had snapped out of her earlier shock, who gracefully approached Mei Shuang, smiled slightly, and took out the book they had both looked at in the carriage. "Miss Lin, do you remember this book?"
Mei Shuang remained expressionless and nodded. "Thank you for sharing."
Consort Yi flipped to the last page and pointed to a character that Mei Shuang had previously asked about. She said gently, "This character, I remember you asked about it before, Miss Lin. I thought that if you didn't understand the other content, you wouldn't have singled out this character to inquire about. This character is quite rare; you must have read through its context several times while trying to guess its meaning. You probably couldn't figure it out later and decided to ask me instead. So I thought this clearly shows that you are well-versed in these characters..."
After hearing Consort Yi's words, Mei Shuang could only admire her inwardly; indeed, this Consort Yi observed things very carefully. She truly only did not recognize this one character throughout the entire text. It seemed that there were indeed capable individuals in the harem besides the Empress. One should not underestimate them. No wonder Xiao Luo brought her here in the middle of the night.
Seeing that Mei Shuang remained silent, Consort Yi walked to the window and casually pushed it open. A cold wind blew through the gap, causing the candlelight in the lantern to flicker wildly and casting shadows that danced erratically.
When Consort Yi turned back around, her expression had grown somewhat serious. "Miss Lin, if it weren't for His Majesty secretly placing you here today, do you think you would still be alive? In fact, some matters are far more complicated than you think; they likely exceed your imagination..." At this point, Consort Yi raised an eyebrow slightly and said meaningfully, "As long as His Majesty leaves here tonight, next year on this day will be your death anniversary..."
A chill ran down Mei Shuang's spine. Although this Consort Yi was as beautiful as a flower with a gentle voice, the lethal power behind her words was absolutely top-notch.
Mei Shuang's gaze fell upon the expressionless face of Xiao Luo, feeling her throat dry and uncomfortable. Her legs felt weak as she sank down to sit on the ground, hugging her knees tightly and burying her head deeply into them.
Xiao Luo's gaze lowered slightly, her deep eyes reflecting the thin figure before her. She sat there quietly, as if in a daze.
Suddenly, a wave of pity surged from the depths of her heart. Surely, no one could accept such a truth, right?
After a long silence, Mei Shuang stood up from the ground, pressed her cracked lips together, and fixed her gaze on Xiao Luo. "Your Majesty, can you promise me one condition?"
"Oh?" Xiao Luo replied with some surprise, a smile that was neither fully a smile nor a frown appearing at the corners of her mouth. "I saved you, and yet you want to negotiate terms with me?"
Mei Shuang spoke earnestly, "Of course. As long as Your Majesty agrees, I can also offer you a surprise."
Xiao Luo looked at Mei Shuang with interest. "Tell me your condition."
"After tonight, please allow me to live in a place where no one knows me, as far away as possible. I want to lead a peaceful life..."
Xiao Luo did not respond directly but instead said, "With just your own strength, how far do you think you can go?"
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