Fuzhu's Ballad

35

CHAPTER 35 Side Consort

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Lan Dan walked aimlessly. The cold wind blowing against her body jolted her back to reality.

With a bitter smile, she found herself in her home… It seemed to be an instinct. Without realizing it, she had returned to her original residence, the Yuehua Palace. After all this time, the palace appeared particularly narrow and desolate, perhaps because there were no lights or perhaps because it had become deserted. Outside the spacious palace gate was a narrow palace road. When she was dragged out by the Imperial Guards, she felt that the brick road she had walked for more than ten years was particularly long. She raised her hand and pushed the familiar vermilion gate, hearing the sound of the lock echoing lightly in the deserted palace and long alley. The door was locked, and she could never return. Looking up, she saw the faded plaque under the dim light of the palace path, the character ‘Yue’ in the name ‘Yueha Palace’ was barely visible. Her unloved status was scattered in every crevice of her living space. But even in such a place, it was still her home. Countless times when she was sad and lost, as long as she came back here, her body and mind would relax. She knew deeply that when looking up from this dilapidated courtyard, the sky was still blue, the moon was still bright, and the wind and rain were still outside the courtyard walls.

“Who’s there!” a palace maid called out in fear. “Who’s there?”

This voice was so familiar that she almost couldn’t stop herself from blurting out, “It’s me.”

The palace maid, holding a lantern, became even more afraid. Her hands shook badly, and the lantern shook along with her, but she didn’t run away. She asked in a trembling voice, “Princess? Princess Danyang? Is it you who has returned?”

Just then, a gust of wind blew by, giving Lan Dan a chill. She almost answered “yes,” but fortunately she held back.

The palace maid fell to her knees with a thud, and the lantern fell to the ground, spilling oil and extinguishing instantly. She clasped her hands together, repeatedly kowtowed, and cried, “Jiang’er was forced to do hard labor and couldn’t even offer you a single coin, but I heard that those who died with grievances become vengeful spirits wearing red clothes. Are you really not willing to move on?”

Tears welled up in Lan Dan’s eyes. For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether she was really the vengeful ghost with unresolved grievances.

“Princess, Jiang’er has served you for many years and knows your temperament well. You are not a ruthless person, and after death…you cannot become a malevolent ghost. You are just holding onto a grudge and unable to enter the cycle of rebirth. It is you who are suffering in this situation! Now that the Emperor of Da Min has passed away, you…”

“Jiang’er! What nonsense are you talking about!” Another palace maid with a lantern appeared from the corner and anxiously scolded her, “Be careful not to let anyone overhear, or you will lose your life!”

Lan Dan also regained some sanity, realizing that if Jiang’er continued to speak, she might bring disaster upon her and herself. Lan Dan quickly wiped away her tears with her sleeve and composed herself, saying calmly, “I got lost while admiring the flowers and unintentionally ended up here. I was just asking for directions to the Chunhui Terrace. It seems that this girl has misunderstood.”

The palace maid was startled when she suddenly saw Lan Dan, but upon hearing her speak, she naturally knew she was not a ghost, and her fear dissipated. She kicked Jiang’er and asked her to come and greet Lan Dan. Being able to enter the palace and attend the Chunhui Terrace night banquet, this lady’s identity must be high.