The wind began to rise.

Wen Chang slowly opened her eyes.

Another lonely night. Since that person’s death, her loneliness in the palace had only deepened. She lived her days like identical pages in a thread-bound book, muddled and confused, never knowing what day or night it was.

Her old friend had long since turned to ashes, and surely their soul had already been reborn. What use was there in longing?

Tonight’s wind curled eerily around the palace corners…

Before the hall, layers of gauze curtains were lifted by the wind, stirring up moonlight everywhere. Sandalwood smoke curled from the bronze incense burner, creating ethereal wisps of light that sometimes scattered, sometimes condensed, floating like crystal veils.

Wind brought dark fragrance to the water pavilion as embroidered curtains opened, but it wasn’t the bright moon that peered through.

A pair of hands slowly and gently brushed aside the gauze curtains.

Wen Chang’s eyes widened. She wanted to cry out in alarm, but somehow her voice remained frozen in the night.

Those hands lifting the curtains had slender jade fingers with skin fairer than snow, naturally forming graceful gestures. As the curtains parted, they revealed a tall, elegant silhouette walking up the steps, parting curtains and entering the hall.

The wind stepped in gently, lifting her sleeves to guide her forward tenderly. Her spiral hair bun bore pale ribbons, silk garments light as gauze. Though her figure seemed too delicate to bear clothing, her movements were composed and measured. She appeared to walk slowly, yet in an instant stood close by.

A thread of pale, dim moonlight in light blue tones illuminated her exquisite brows—the precise angle of those arched brows was breathtakingly beautiful.

For some unknown reason, she kept her face turned aside, gazing toward the distant Longzhang Palace. Wen Chang’s heart clenched tightly as a thought fought to emerge—a thought that struck her internal organs like cold snow pearls, causing her deeply buried memories to ache from its assault. She waited for her to turn around, yet feared her turning around.

Night mist rose and dew condensed like ice crystals on the ground, while night-blooming cereus flowers opened outside the hall.

She finally ended her contemplative pose and gently turned her head.

Indescribable beauty that could topple kingdoms, yet below her eye was a single crimson beauty mark, vivid as life, like a fallen tear.

Chang Ge!!!

Have you, heroic soul, not traveled far? On this desolate night, did you ride the wind to come, wearing that dimple makeup from Changshou Palace years ago, hinting that you cannot forget old matters and have once again set foot in this dark imperial court that buried your brilliance, to relive past glory and devastation???

Chang Ge!!!

Wen Chang suddenly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was jade hooks on the bed curtains gently swaying and striking the bed frame with clear, melodious sounds.

Wen Chang exhaled in relief, facing the canopy adorned with luminous pearls, gently and weakly wiping away perspiration.

So it was just a dream.

Surely tonight’s wind blowing the curtains created continuous subtle sounds that, in her drowsy confusion, reminded her of the old friend who had once wholeheartedly helped her, stirring her emotions and thus entering her dreams.

Wen Chang sat up, intending to close the window that a careless palace maid had forgotten to secure properly.

Her body suddenly froze rigid.

Behind the gauze curtains, before the window, tree shadows swayed. In the mottled gray shadows, a faint human silhouette was vaguely cast upon the ground.

Not a dream!

There really was someone there.

Everything from the dream seemed to replay. Wen Chang’s terror burst through her chest as she opened her mouth to call out.

That shadow stepped forward, revealing its outline.

Moonlight concealed behind her created a faint halo around her figure, yet didn’t prevent Wen Chang from clearly seeing the spiral hair bun, gauze garments, plain clothes, and vivid beauty mark.

It seemed like a dream.

Tears suddenly welled up in Wen Chang’s eyes.

She murmured: “Your Majesty, have you returned?”

That person didn’t answer, only silently watched her, sleeves dancing in the wind as if ready to ride the wind away at any moment.

“Your Majesty…” Wen Chang whispered dreamlike, gently turning to get out of bed and walk toward that figure. As she approached, the shadow suddenly retreated two steps.

“Your Majesty… do you no longer trust even me? Do you hate the treacherous hearts and fickle nature of people in this palace? Do you hate these jade towers and halls built from piles of flesh and blood and white bones, these golden palaces and jade towers? Since you hate it so much, why return today? Could it be that your grievances remain unresolved and you want to seek answers…”

As if she had asked the right question, that figure stopped retreating.

“I don’t know, I don’t know…” Wen Chang covered her face and sobbed. “That year, when I rushed to Changle Palace, I saw your palace had become a sea of flames, while the deposed empress was somehow in front of that palace, laughing and jumping, repeatedly saying she wanted to be reborn from ashes… Seventy-two palace servants of Changle Palace, plus the Empress and Crown Prince… a total of seventy-four corpses… Later somehow rumors spread saying you had faked your death and actually eloped with… another man… But I don’t believe it… I know you’re gone, I know… They killed you and still want to slander you…”

Enough.

Qin Chang Ge slowly smiled, a bright flash in her eyes within the darkness.

Tonight’s performance in old attire, borrowing backlighting and hazy moonlight for this ghostly apparition act, was precisely to test whether old friends’ hearts remained unchanged.

It wasn’t that she was overly suspicious, but this ghostly palace filled with demonic shadows, saturated with the ambiguous, sticky atmosphere of conspiracy, struggle, and temptations of power—anyone immersed in it long enough would inevitably be tainted and transform into demons. After three years, she truly had no confidence whether Wen Chang could still maintain her integrity.

At this moment, upon seeing this otherworldly visitor, with her mind shaken and consciousness confused, the words that escaped her lips were naturally the truest reflection of her heart’s secrets.

Wen Chang had passed the test.

Chuckling softly, Qin Chang Ge walked forward leisurely.

Wen Chang stared at her blankly, then blankly at the shadow on the ground. After a long moment, she murmured: “I’m confused again—how can ghosts have shadows?”

She sat up, staring at Qin Chang Ge and asking: “Who are you?”

Her slender brows furrowed into a line as she said: “Which palace’s maid are you? How dare you dress like this and run to my palace? Aren’t you afraid of palace rules?”

“Wen Chang, this is your best quality,” Qin Chang Ge leisurely sat down on a brocade stool, raising her hand to smooth her hair and smiling. “Startled but not panicked, with the bearing of a great general. Moreover, you’re kind-hearted—seeing a palace maid who ran to your sleeping quarters in the middle of the night, you won’t shriek about assassins like others would and beat them to death without question.”

Drawing in a sharp breath, Wen Chang’s eyes widened with horror. “You… you…”

“I what?” Qin Chang Ge blinked. “My expression, posture, and way of speaking are exactly the same as hers?”

“She… you…” Wen Chang’s fingers twisted tightly together. “How do you know about her…”

Qin Chang Ge smiled slightly—sincerely, though this sincerity seemed somewhat discounted. “You just said so yourself. Your Majesty—in this palace, the empress who died unnaturally was none other than Qin Chang Ge, right?”

“How dare you call her by name directly?” Wen Chang suddenly became angry, her usually gentle brows showing stern severity. “How are you worthy to call her name directly? Who are you? Coming here in the deep of night, what are your intentions?”

She sat rigidly on the bed, her hand slowly reaching beneath the bedding.

Qin Chang Ge caught sight of this and sighed: “No need to reach into the hidden compartment under your bed for your dagger—I bear you no ill will.”

Wen Chang’s hand trembled, her fingers freezing within the bedding.

The hidden compartment under the bed containing a dagger was a secret known only to her and Chang Ge. Back then, when she was trapped in the ghostly depths of the palace, sleeping poorly with frequent nightmares and constant restless tossing, Chang Ge had given her a dagger and created a hidden compartment under her bed with an extremely ingenious spring mechanism, comforting her by saying: “Divine weapons have always been effective at suppressing evil and subduing demons. Keep it under your pillow to ensure peaceful sleep. If you encounter any unfavorable circumstances, this mechanism can also provide some protection. Just never reveal it to anyone, or the mechanism won’t be a mechanism anymore.”

She had firmly remembered these words and never mentioned them to a second person over the years. How could this strange palace maid, dressed to resemble Chang Ge from those days, possibly know?

A thought flashed through her mind, shocking her entire body as she suddenly covered her mouth.

Qin Chang Ge was already smiling as she watched her, saying: “Wen Chang, an old friend comes to visit—have you been well?”

Before she finished speaking, Wen Chang suddenly rolled off the bed.

Qin Chang Ge was momentarily stunned, then watched as Wen Chang hurriedly went to close doors and windows, running around barefoot to check the surroundings. She couldn’t help but laugh: “Don’t worry, I passed through the imperial garden and picked some purple grass and thyme, sprinkling them by the lamps in your outer hall. The people in your palace will have a good night’s sleep thanks to you.”

Wen Chang stopped, leaning back against the window with her hands pressed behind her, gazing at Qin Chang Ge with a mixture of surprise and joy in her eyes. She said softly: “Tonight, are you manifesting by possessing this palace maid… The palace is extremely taboo about such ghostly matters. If discovered, this maid’s life would be forfeit, so I must be careful.”

Qin Chang Ge stepped forward, took her hand, and smiled slightly.

“No, it’s me. I’ve returned.”