Yang Ruoning followed Qingye through the imperial garden, filled with exotic flowers and plants and waterside pavilions, and then arrived at the imperial ancestral temple. In the long ancestral hall adorned with portraits of the ancestors of Da Song, Yang Ruoning looked at Qingye's forebears and once again lamented her inability to understand Chinese portraiture.
"Why do I feel like all the people in these paintings look alike? How do you tell who is who?" Yang Ruoning couldn't help but ask Qingye.
"I couldn't tell before either, but I've been punished to copy books here so many times that I eventually remembered them," Qingye replied, turning back.
"Which one is your father?" Yang Ruoning asked again.
Qingye pointed to a painting at the end of the corridor and said, "Over there."
The two of them approached the painting and looked up at the portrait of the late emperor. Yang Ruoning tried to find similarities between him and Qingye in the portrait, but after a long time, she found none. Perhaps their eyebrows were somewhat alike? Both had that dark, heroic brow shape.
On the small square table placed in front of the portrait, there was an incredibly exquisite small box. Yang Ruoning asked, "What's inside?"
"The late emperor's relics, hair, fingernails. The eunuchs would collect them after his passing and keep them in this box for worship," Qingye answered.
Hair and fingernails? While it sounded a bit disgusting, Yang Ruoning thought of that very melodramatic variety show on television that dealt with household affairs and conducted paternity tests. She mused that if all the hair here were used for DNA testing, many interesting things could be discovered.
Thinking of this, Yang Ruoning couldn't help but chuckle.
"What are you thinking about?" Qingye, seeing her smile, raised his eyebrows and asked curiously.
"I was thinking... if this were in our world, your ancestors would never dare to enshrine this hair here."
"Oh? How so?"
"Heh heh, in our world, anthropologists and archaeologists can use a technology called DNA to uncover many secrets of the human body, using this very hair," Yang Ruoning said, pointing to the small boxes.
"Like what secrets?"
"Well, for example, whether he is his biological son, heh heh heh." Yang Ruoning casually pointed to two portraits.
Upon hearing this, Qingye's expression darkened for a moment, but it was fleeting, and Yang Ruoning naturally didn't notice. The few seconds of silence made Yang Ruoning feel as if she had said something wrong. She quickly changed the subject. "However, I think you resemble your mother more," Yang Ruoning told Qingye.
Qingye said, "Actually, I never met him either. He died shortly after I was born. All my memories of him are just this painting."
"Do you miss him?"
"I don't really know," Qingye turned to her. "Let's go, if we walk a bit further, we'll reach Jingfu Palace."
Ha, the emperor's harem, Yang Ruoning became excited.
Seeing her eyes suddenly light up, Qingye mockingly said, "Have you been reading too many of those boring street novels? The harem has always been full of pitiful women. Besides, my harem... is empty."
"Empty? Is no one home today?"
"..." Qingye rolled his eyes, somewhat speechless. "It means I haven't taken any concubines yet. Let's go, I'll take you to my sleeping quarters."
As Yang Ruoning and Qingye passed through a courtyard, a few young eunuchs were carrying a wooden plank covered with white cloth out of the courtyard. They were in a hurry and almost bumped into Yang Ruoning.
The old eunuch leading them shouted, "How dare you! This is a forbidden area of the harem, how dare you intrude!"
Yang Ruoning quickly apologized, while Qingye behind her strode forward.
Upon seeing the emperor, the old eunuch immediately knelt down, "This old servant did not know Your Majesty was here, I deserve death."
Qingye cleared his throat and said, "Get up."
Yang Ruoning saw a greasy, messy strand of hair fall out from under the white cloth, and the shape beneath the cloth... was it a frail corpse? Yang Ruoning was so startled by this discovery that she covered her mouth, retreating several steps.
Seeing Yang Ruoning's reaction, the old eunuch noticed the strand of hair that had fallen out. Immediately, he frantically tucked the strand of hair back under the white cloth.
Qingye said sternly, with a blank expression, "Hurry up and carry it away!"
The eunuchs quickly carried the corpse away at a brisk pace.
Yang Ruoning looked back at Qingye. "What was that?"
"Probably just another maidservant who took her own life," Qingye said calmly, as if discussing the weather.
Yang Ruoning looked at Qingye, not knowing what to say.
Qingye looked at her. "Do you think I'm cold-hearted? If you had lived in this palace for over a decade..."
Before Qingye could finish speaking, a small eunuch hurried over, saying that the Empress Dowager invited His Majesty and Miss Yang to sit with her.
So, they two crossed the imperial garden again and went to the Empress Dowager's sleeping quarters.
In the reception hall, Jiang Yuefeng and a middle-aged man were sitting on one side, drinking tea.
The hall was heated, filled with warmth. Jiang Yuefeng had shed her plain blue robe, returning to her dignified and majestic persona as Empress Dowager. The man sitting opposite her was also dressed in luxurious silk, his jade belt inlaid with gems and pearls. Although he appeared to be past middle age, his demeanor was extraordinary, suggesting he must have been a handsome and dashing man in his youth.
After Qingye entered, he first paid his respects to Jiang Yuefeng, and then the man bowed to Qingye, "Your Majesty."
"Uncle," Qingye replied.
So, he was Qingye's maternal uncle, Jiang Yuefeng's elder brother, and the actual power holder of Da Song, Jiang Qi. Under his management, Da Song's economy had developed reasonably well, but it was also riddled with problems such as oppressive governance, heavy taxation, and factionalism, leading to considerable public discontent.
After paying her respects, Yang Ruoning was pulled by Jiang Yuefeng to sit beside her. Qingye sat next to Jiang Yuefeng, while Jiang Qi sat in a lower position.
Jiang Qi said to Yang Ruoning, "This old minister heard the Empress Dowager mention your matter, and was very surprised. In fact, Ruoxuan and I have met a few times."
"Oh? So, Lord Jiang has met my brother as well?"
"Yes, at that time, Yuefeng was young and ignorant, always giving my father a headache. I met Ruoxuan a few times because of Yuefeng."
Yang Ruoning said, "Yuefeng has told me stories of her life before entering the palace."
After a few more pleasantries, Jiang Yuefeng suddenly put down her teacup and said to Qingye, "The ladies from various families are all here today. Later, you can see if there is any girl you fancy."
Yang Ruoning was taken aback and looked up at Qingye. She thought to herself, no wonder they specifically asked everyone to bring their female family members; it wasn't an invitation to appreciate books, but a genuine matchmaking event!
Qingye was somewhat displeased. As if throwing a tantrum, he threw the half-eaten pastry back onto the plate. "I said, the matter of the Empress can wait!"
"Your Majesty, this cannot wait any longer." Jiang Yuefeng thought of something and asked again, "Does His Majesty have a maiden in mind?"
Qingye was silent for a moment and then said, "I want to marry a woman as interesting as Yang Ruoning."
Hearing her name, Yang Ruoning choked on her tea and coughed violently. "Qing... Ah, no, Your Majesty..."
Jiang Yuefeng became serious. "Your Majesty, this is not a matter for joking!"
"I said, someone as interesting as her, I didn't say I wanted to marry her," Qingye said impatiently.
Jiang Qi, who had been listening to their conversation, suddenly spoke up, "Your Majesty, you must consider the realm. The selection of an Empress cannot be based on personal affection! The matter of enthroning an Empress must be decided quickly, no more delays!"
Jiang Qi's words seemed to finalize the matter. Jiang Yuefeng and Qingye fell silent for a moment. Although Yang Ruoning knew Qingye was a puppet emperor, seeing him fall silent after being reprimanded by Jiang Qi's single sentence made her feel a pang of sympathy for Qingye. It was one thing not to have a say in state affairs (and he didn't seem to care about politics anyway), but to not even have the freedom to fall in love, that puppet emperor life was truly stifling.
The oppressive atmosphere in the room made Yang Ruoning feel very awkward. Fortunately, a small eunuch arrived to remind them that the banquet was about to begin and they should proceed to the main hall. To avoid suspicion, Yang Ruoning bid them farewell and went to the main hall alone.
By the time she finally found the banquet hall after asking for directions, everyone was already several rounds into their drinks, and the banquet was in full swing. Yang Ruoning saw Jiang Yuefeng and Qingye seated at the main table in the center of the hall, with various ministers seated on either side. In the center of the hall, courtesans and musicians were performing.
Luo Yuan was seated on the right, four tables away from Qingye. Today, he was dressed in white, exuding an extraordinary aura, truly outshining everyone. Even in a room full of people, Yang Ruoning spotted him at once.
She quietly slipped in and sat in an empty seat behind Luo Yuan. Luo Yuan saw her and turned around, asking where she had been and why she was so late. Yang Ruoning apologized and explained that she had gotten lost in the imperial garden and it had taken a little longer.
Yes, she was late, and getting lost was partly to blame, but the main reason was that letter. She had read that letter in the imperial garden. Jason's letter. It was a letter written to her in English by Jason.
At the beginning of the letter, Jason apologized to her and explained how he had entered this world through a black hole, and how the flow of time here was different.
Jason wrote that, according to their time, he had only been here for ten days, but time here had flowed for ten years. He said he had met many people and experienced many things during this time. He wanted to tell Yang Ruoning all about it, but he didn't know if he could finish. He said his addiction had never relapsed here, and he felt more and more that this was where he belonged.
However, this was clearly an unfinished letter. The last sentence read, "Sis, do you remember what Mom said when we first moved into our new house in Los Angeles County?"
Yang Ruoning certainly remembered.
The year they moved in, Yang Ruoning was only twelve, and Jason was seven. She still remembered the real estate agent showing them the house, pointing to a large lawn behind the house and saying that this hectare of land came with the house. Then she pointed to Jason and said, "If you live here, the little fellow will have plenty of space to play!"
Dad had said that perhaps after he retired, he could build a playground in the yard.
Yang Ruoning said, "Dad, by the time you retire, we'll be long past the age for a playground."
Mom had said, "I actually think it's a good idea, for Grandpa to build a playground for his grandchildren. I'm already looking forward to my retirement."
Those days of growing up, mundane and ordinary, filled with arguments and laughter, Yang Ruoning had never imagined that one day she would lose everyone. Those days of huffing and puffing into the garage, complaining about the ear-splitting heavy metal music played by Jason and his friends, seemed to have happened just a short while ago. In junior high school, Jason became obsessed with the bass guitar, and the garage at home became the base for him and his school bandmates. They would always practice in the garage after school.
But everything came to an abrupt end when she was eighteen. She resented herself for sneaking out to attend that party at midnight. If she hadn't attended that party, she wouldn't have been taken away by the police searching for marijuana, and her parents wouldn't have rushed to the police station that rainy night... and that car accident wouldn't have happened...
Those things that were once taken for granted become your most cruel nightmares after you lose the ones you love the most. The chair where her mother often sat at the kitchen table remained empty, the mug for their daily morning coffee gathered dust, and the sound of her father's car pulling into the garage, which she could no longer hear, was gone...
After the funeral, she fled to New York to attend university, leaving Jason to be cared for by their grandmother alone, and making excuses to avoid going home during all family holidays.
She was a sinner. She had to atone for her sins, the sins committed against Jason. Thinking this, Yang Ruoning drained her wine.
When she looked up, she saw Qingye looking at her with confusion. As Yang Ruoning's gaze met his, Qingye lightly raised his right eyebrow and raised his wine glass to her.
This small gesture from Qingye, however, reminded Yang Ruoning of Jason, a habitual gesture of his as well.
The sound of silk and bamboo music and the noisy voices inside were bothersome. She excused herself to go to the privy and quickly left.
Yang Ruoning quickly walked to a secluded courtyard. The courtyard had a pond, a few rockeries, and a flower garden. Although the night air after the snow was a bit cold, it helped to clear her mind and sharpen her senses.
A moment later, she heard someone approaching from behind. She thought it was Luo Yuan coming to find her, but when she turned around, she saw it was Qingye.
Qingye, Yang Ruoning thought.
She suddenly realized something and asked Qingye, "Your name is Qingye, Zhao Qingye?"
Qingye stood with his hands behind his back, cleared his throat, and said sternly as if pretending to be angry, "How dare you, a mere commoner, address me, the Emperor, by my given name."
"Come on, I'm not joking. Is your name really Qingye?"
"Of course not. My imperial name is Yun. Qingye is just my childhood nickname."
"Childhood nickname? Your mother gave you that nickname? Did your mother tell you why she named you Qingye?"
"It probably means green fields, hoping I would have the vigorous vitality of wild grass."
Greenfield. That was Jason's band name. The band that was born in their garage and whose incessant noise had been complained about by neighbors countless times, was once Jason's most cherished dream in his youth.
That house, which carried the aspirations of his father and mother for the future, the band called Greenfield in the garage, Jason, are you trying to tell me in that unfinished letter that you found love and had a child here?
There was only one way to know the truth, even though this truth could shake the royal lineage, a secret that Jiang Yuefeng would take to her grave.
But Yang Ruoning was different. She had to confirm the truth because she had seen their fate, she carried Jason's entrustment, and she had to protect her last family.
She had to leave immediately and return to modern times.
On the carriage back to the mansion, Yang Ruoning said, "Luo Yuan, I need to go back, back to my world."
"Why so suddenly?"
"I can't wait."
"Can't wait for what?"
She frantically searched for an excuse, and heard herself say, "Marriage... Since it's in our style, I need to go back and get a wedding dress, the dress I want to wear during the ceremony. It's my dream..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yang Ruoning regretted it. This was probably the worst excuse Yang Ruoning could come up with.