Die Schönheiten des kalten Palastes Eine subtile und verführerische Frau

Kapitel 3

Chapter Six: The Mystery of the Handsome Guy's Diary

"On February 17th, the weather was very cold."

Today was my shift. I went to Yanhui Pavilion and Duixiu Mountain, but nothing happened, except I saw an old, dry well with water. I got lost and was out in the middle of the night. My watch stopped when I handed over my shift.

I stopped, sensing an imperceptible mystery hidden within this short duty log. First, if it was a dry well, why was there water? How could an excellent security guard who had patrolled the Forbidden City for a year get lost? Furthermore, why did his watch stop? Qi Silong's lack of detail suggested that something mysterious had happened that day. I went back to carefully examining his duty log from the night before his disappearance, August 20th, 2005. Coincidentally, it was still about Yanhui Pavilion and Duixiu Mountain. I knew about Yanhui Pavilion; it was where concubines were selected for the palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the surrounding area was rather desolate. Could there be some secret there?

"August 20th,

It was a sweltering day. I went alone to Yanhui Pavilion and Qin'an Hall in the morning. My walkie-talkie was out of battery, so I checked some open areas nearby. Everything was normal, and all the groups had returned to their units. A female reporter was interviewing; there were many people, so I chatted with her for a while. I felt a little worried, thinking that this kind of development was not only harming national treasures, but also, given the upcoming exhibition of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," if it wasn't properly preserved, it would truly be damaging cultural relics and irresponsible to society and the people. She understood my concerns, and perhaps the Palace Museum should consider it. I was glad and stopped being cold to her. I did everything I could to help her; I got some exercise and learned a lot.

The "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll needed to be transported out of the Palace Museum's underground cultural relics warehouse. In the afternoon, I went to Xihuamen with two armed police officers. There is a secret place there, the First Historical Archives, which is located under a secret passage on the opposite football field. The dragon-shaped passage leads into the underground warehouse, which left a very deep impression on me.

This was my first time entering that place. It was huge and very heavily guarded, like a U-shaped underground palace. It must have been the most secure place. The box containing the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll was secretly placed on a shelf not far from the security door. With the help of me and other security guards, I ended up doing some heavy work for the organizing committee before leaving and going alone to the Wuying Hall, Juanqinzhai, and Qin'an Hall.

I pondered for a long time. From the surface of the duty log, I couldn't find any clues to his disappearance. Lost in thought, I leaned against Xiao Qi's bed, gazing out the window. Just as the sun was about to set, a beam of bright red sunlight streamed through the small dormitory window, illuminating the duty log entry of August 20th, which I had unintentionally turned upside down. The log seemed like a row of fireflies waiting to take flight, flickering before my eyes. Suddenly, I discovered the secret—not the secret of the log itself. I picked up the log and separated the first character of each punctuation mark. Sure enough, it was slightly larger than the others. And indeed, if all the initials were connected, a clear signal appeared before my eyes:

"On August 20th, I went out early in the morning and encountered a woman. I felt scared. If it really was her, I might not survive!"

I got excited and continued reading:

"There are two dragon seals under the 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' scroll, which seems to be a secret. The secret lies in the end."

What does "应而" mean? "竟只"... I couldn't understand. What was Xiao Qi implying? Suddenly, memories of my cousin's disappearance and my own experiences flooded my mind: the mysterious baby coffin dining car on the train, with a bloodied baby lying inside! Wait, does "应而" mean "baby"? And "竟只" should be "mirror," right?

It must be right! I was overjoyed at my quick thinking. Since Xiao Qi mentioned the baby and the mirror before he disappeared, it means that at least the ghostly mirror incident that I experienced with Pang Zhen was not an isolated case. The "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll in the mirror was definitely not a random supernatural event. Perhaps he had a similar experience to mine before he disappeared.

I perked up, my sharp eyes scanning the room, trying to find any clues related to mirrors. Suddenly, my gaze met that of an antique bronze-framed mirror next to his bedside table. Due to my particular sensitivity to mirrors, I carefully examined this ominous object. I felt it was not only ancient but also strange. The mirror wasn't facing the room normally, but rather towards the wall, indicating that its owner intentionally avoided looking at it, or dared not look at it. Why let the mirror face the wall in such an odd way? Subconsciously, I felt there must be something hidden in the mirror, so I picked it up and examined it from all angles.

It was a very feminine yet exquisitely crafted mirror. The surface wasn't glass, but polished red copper, which was extremely bright, just like the antique bronze mirrors in "Flowers in the Mirror" that I remembered. During my meticulous examination, I discovered something unusual: the casting marks on the mirror suggested it could have been opened. Perhaps this was the flaw. I held it in my hand; it felt quite heavy, so I continued to observe. Finally, I found a crevices and managed to pry open the layers. Inside, I discovered a yellowed diary and a piece of yellow silk.

Qi Silong's diary! I've finally found the place where Xiao Qi must have written his secrets. Maybe I can uncover the mystery of his disappearance! It's a very small diary. Judging from the dates, it's been recorded for a long time. Boys don't usually keep diaries. The earliest entry dates back to his middle school days, and the last entry is dated August 20, 2005, written the night before he disappeared. Unfortunately, it only has the date and time; the pages below are completely blank, with no trace of writing.

Did he foresee the impending danger and thus refrain from writing, or did he deliberately choose not to? If he had a habit of recording important events, why did he only write the date without any content? I simply cannot imagine what happened that night, as he sat in his lonely dormitory, holding his diary but not writing anything.

I flipped through the pages haphazardly. A large portion consisted of expressions of longing for home and friends, while others were comments on women. Single, handsome men often have rich emotional lives, and so do I. Gradually, I was drawn to a diary entry written before the Spring Festival. Because it matched the date on my diary, it explained the mystery I had discovered. It was a story of an extraordinary encounter, and I couldn't tell whether he was creating a fictional story or writing about a real experience.

"On February 17th, I went to Yanhui Pavilion and Duixiu Mountain."

My teammates told me they heard music playing last night and saw a line of palace maids and eunuchs walking by. I didn't believe them, but I still felt uneasy. He likes ghost stories; maybe he was just trying to scare me.

As dusk fell, I went on patrol and somehow got lost. Although I haven't been at the Forbidden City for long, this had never happened before. I tried to contact my teammates with my walkie-talkie, but all I heard was static. Night fell, and the rising moonlight still illuminated the red walls of the courtyards, making them appear very white. I grew anxious and wandered around the deep courtyards of the Forbidden City. Suddenly, I heard a woman's voice crying for help on the walkie-talkie: "I've fallen into a well! Help me!"

I was so scared that I quickly threw away the walkie-talkie, grabbed the DV monitor, and ran away. How could this strange woman be talking to me with my teammate's walkie-talkie? Who is she? How could she call for help after falling into a well? ... I remembered the ghost stories my teammate had told me, so I hurriedly left the place where I was standing there. I didn't want to cause trouble, so I ran as fast as I could, determined to get out of there before dark.

But I couldn't find my way back to the squadron. In the darkness, I wandered into the main hall, which was overgrown with withered weeds. There, in front of me, was a well platform that had been abandoned for many years.

"Help!"

I heard shouts again, muffled cries coming from the well. I recognized that old, dry well; it was said to have dried up decades ago. Could a woman have really fallen in? That dry well was full of rocks and debris; falling in would be almost certain death. The situation was extremely urgent, leaving me no time to think. My duty as a security guard wouldn't allow me to be careless. I immediately ran to the dark well opening and peered down… I was stunned. I saw water! Strange, where would water come from in a dry well in winter? But it was real. The well water was as still as a mirror, turning into a plate-sized silver hue under the moonlight. I clung to the well opening, placed the DV camera on the well platform, and then mustered my courage to look down, but there was nothing there—not even my reflection.

Chapter Seven: Embracing the Female Ghost

As I searched, puzzled, fine ripples appeared on the water's surface. Slowly, a white object floated clearly to the surface, swirled a few times, and then came to a stop. I saw a woman's deathly pale face! She was facing me. She wasn't frightening; she was truly beautiful. The pale moonlight shone on the bottom of the well, and the woman looked up at me. Why wasn't she speaking? Was she too badly injured and unconscious? No, her eyes were wide open, staring directly at me! ...Although I was terrified, I finally knew that a woman's cries for help were real, so I shouted down into the well:

"Hey!...Miss, are you still alive?"

"Hey! Say something! How can I save you?!"

The face stared up at me, motionless. I could see her beautiful features, except for her large, dark, bottomless eyes. She had no expression, no sign of struggling in the water, as if there was nothing beneath, like duckweed floating on the surface—just that face! Gradually, my body began to tremble. She didn't exist; it was just a face! The woman's silence confirmed my suspicions, and goosebumps rose all over my body. The chilling feeling was like falling into an abyss—I must have encountered a ghost! She was a ghost! I wanted to run, but just as I was about to leave the well, I heard a woman's beautiful voice from below:

"Brother, don't go. It's cold at the bottom of the well. Can you hug me?"

"Who are you?"

"Your woman, can you hug me just once?"

"You want me to jump into the well with you? I won't fall for it, girl..."

I don't know what to call a female ghost.

"I won't hurt you, as long as you can turn around, look behind you, and then hug me."

What if I don't?

"You definitely will."

The woman's voice was very plaintive. She didn't mean to harm me, which lessened my fear a bit. It was just a painted-skin ghost, wasn't it? I'm never afraid when I read "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," so I bravely turned around, my eyes wide open, alertly searching for any unexpected events that might suddenly occur.

There was nothing behind me except an old tree. I left the well, trying to run out of the yard, when suddenly my foot stepped on ice, and I tilted and fell forward, crashing into a locust tree. I instinctively grabbed the tree with both hands, but at that moment, something incredible happened: the tree felt so soft, like a girl's body, and it had a floral fragrance. I was at a loss, trying to pull my arms away, but that desire was immediately conquered by a gentle passion; its curvaceous body intoxicated me.

A delicate woman's face appeared hazily beside me, gazing at me forlornly in the moonlight. It was an exceptionally beautiful face; apart from her long hair obscuring her dark eyes, her nose was almost invisible, only her slightly upturned red lips were facing me, beautiful yet wild!

Who exactly are you?

I felt her pulling my hand around her slender waist. I wanted to stop, but her alluring, wistful charm captivated me. Slowly, she lowered her head, pressing her red lips to my chest. I almost suffocated, unsure of her intentions, and stepped back. Suddenly, a beam of red light startled her. Perhaps she had seen the DV infrared camera filming from the well platform. I had inadvertently pointed the camera directly at the tree. Panicked, she released her grip on me and vanished like a wisp of smoke. Only then did I realize that a mirror on the tree trunk was swaying in the wind.

A mirror reflected the moonlight like water. Under the moonlight, I looked down into the well again, but there was nothing there. Only a sobbing sound came from the depths...

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"

I muttered to myself by the well, then wearily picked up my DV camera and ran towards the vermilion gate at the front of the courtyard, finally finding the right way back. Many of the long corridors in the Forbidden City were deserted; the winter north wind howled, rustling the withered grass, sounding like someone sobbing under the cold moonlight. I ran forward desperately, when suddenly, another beautiful ancient palace maid walked backwards towards me. I knew from experience that women who moved at night were ghosts; I didn't speak to her. I only saw that this woman had long hair, but no face.

"Hey bro, I like you, let me have your baby!"

"Don't come any closer!"

The familiar voice—it was that female ghost from before. I held up the DV camera, knowing that female ghosts are terrified of video cameras.

"Give me a hug... I'm leaving, I won't be coming back."

Why are you bothering me?

She stopped talking and pounced on me. She was wearing a black dress that accentuated her petite figure, and her long hair cascaded down her back. She circled me once, always with her hair facing me.

"Why won't you let me see your face?" I stood there and questioned.

"She...is terrifying."

"I'm not afraid of you. Turn around, maybe you've mistaken me for someone else!"

"No, how could you forget? I am your Luoyi."

The woman slowly turned around, but her hair obscured her face.

"Who is Luo Yi? I'm only twenty-one years old, I've never been in a relationship, you've got it wrong, but I still want to see your face, maybe I'd like to keep it as a memento!"

"I have no face! My face has been peeled off..."

"Are you a vengeful spirit?"

"I'll give you this mirror because it reflects my beautiful face. When you miss me, just look at it and you'll know how pretty I used to be."

"A mirror? The one that hangs by the well? I don't understand why you're using it to scare me."

"You'll understand eventually..."

She asked me to hug her again, and before I could agree, she nestled into my arms, her long hair falling to my knees, still carrying that wonderful scent of locust blossoms.

"You'll miss my body for the rest of your life, so hug her often!"

"I……"

"Don't be afraid. No matter what you do, I won't regret it. I need this opportunity. Ghosts have feelings too."

Her body was so cold, only the fragrance of locust blossoms made me feel that she was a woman who evoked deep longing. For some reason, I always felt I could almost picture her face; it was a very strange feeling, as if we had once been in love. Her hair and body were as harmonious as the notes and curves of a musical score. I tentatively began to embrace her, and she yielded to my greedy impetuosity, falling into my arms. I wanted to see her true face, but sadly, she never showed it again; perhaps she truly never did.

She was content, wriggling in my arms and pressing tightly against my body. I began to kiss her hair. Perhaps her front was against me; I couldn't tell if that beauty was a soul or real flesh. The wild, seductive scent of acacia blossoms captivated me. Soon, she let out soft moans, like the most alluring music in the world, making me almost unable to control my desire. For the first time in my life, I embraced a woman so truly. I held her tighter, kissing her more deeply, unable to control myself, violently shaking her soft, willow-like waist until I finally had the courage to touch her erect breasts—the last glimmer of hope. She hesitated, but still satisfied me. The rounded stimulation brought my wild passion to a climax... I began to kiss the only feature of her face that was exposed above her thick hair—her red lips.

"No, don't touch it..."

Her cold body suddenly convulsed, breaking free from my warmth, and vanished in an instant. I stared blankly at the empty road, feeling an unusual chill, and stood there shivering. Then I snapped out of it and realized who I had been embracing.

"Can't I kiss a ghost's lips?"

Chapter Eight: Letters from the Republic of China

My wildness kept me tireless. It was an adventure, a battle between life and death. I didn't care about the cold atmosphere. Since she needed my body, an upright and strong man shouldn't be stingy.

For some reason, I no longer felt fear, but rather pity for her. She was no longer in my arms, only the lingering scent of locust blossoms remained. Perhaps she truly would never look for me again; she had gone far away.

………

Qi Silong's diary entry for that day ends here. It's a touching and strange story that I've pondered for a long time, feeling an unprecedented shock and poignant beauty. The bond between humans and ghosts has existed since ancient times, and I have no doubt about his true experiences. But could this story be the reason for his tragic disappearance? Was that woman the one he hinted at in his duty diary entry of August 20, 2005? If it was the same person, if she loved him, why did Qi Silong's duty diary record information about death? Was this encounter and embrace a romantic encounter with the devil?

My once confused thoughts gradually cleared. Since Xiao Qi's adventures shared many similarities with mine—both involving a mysterious female ghost and receiving an embrace from a faceless woman—and then there was the time the fake Pang Zhen, also on the train, impersonated a female passenger in the lower berth, and I unintentionally hugged her too. That woman had alluring lips, and my cousin's red lips were equally seductive. Furthermore, they both shared a mystery connected to a mirror. This made me suspect that the fake Pang Zhen I hugged on the train was indeed this woman in the black dress. If the mirror is a vessel for ghostly encounters, then if the ghost named Luo Yi could haunt Qi Silong, why couldn't it haunt me? However, even such a deeply affectionate female ghost was involved in a love triangle…

No, maybe they weren't the same person. I tried to recall the face of Pang Zhen I saw outside the train window that night. Why did Pang Zhen's face disappear when I moved to a different berth, leaving only a face with red lips? I thought at the time that both faces belonged to my cousin, but I might have been wrong. The face outside actually belonged to this woman; her thick, long hair looked so much like the woman Xiao Qi had met. Therefore, the passenger I was under had reason to believe that the girl in the lower berth who spoke to me was actually the imposter Pang Zhen from outside the window, possessing her body, which is why she disappeared later.

But what supernatural connection does the fake cousin Pang Zhen have with this woman? We're still far from that point in the deduction. Now, I need to know exactly what happened on August 20th. Why did Xiao Qi, who also loved the female ghost, suddenly become afraid and disappear the next day? What happened between him and the woman, and what is the meaning behind the recurring "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll in the mirror…?

I took out the yellow silk that had wrapped the diary again, hoping to find clues. It was completely blank, only showing brocade patterns, no writing. Who left it? Clearly, it belonged to the owner of the mirror. And judging from the texture of the silk, it was very old; it wasn't modern silk. The quality indicated it was definitely from the past, somewhat resembling the curtains of the Cining Palace. I couldn't decipher the meaning of the yellow silk, but I could make one assumption: perhaps the black-clad ghost woman wrapped the mirror in silk when she gave it to Xiao Qi.

A mysterious mirror, a bizarre life-and-death mystery—I paced back and forth in the room, hoping to find the right clue, my hand instinctively reaching into my pocket. Suddenly, a surge of joy welled up inside me. How could I have forgotten? Didn't I also have a mirror? Although it was made of glass, it also possessed supernatural abilities. Comparing their similarities might just reveal some answers.

I quickly took out the cracked mirror and placed the two mirrors parallel to each other to determine their supernatural properties. But just then, an incredible phenomenon occurred: I saw that the yellow silk was covered with writing. I was extremely excited and picked up the silk, but my excitement immediately vanished; there was nothing on it. Why was that? Oh, I realized then that the writing was only reflected in the bronze mirror.

The delicate, tiny characters were written with great care, and my strong curiosity compelled me to read on immediately. But the date on it startled me. This nearly century-old diary was dated the winter of the thirteenth year of the Republic of China, after the abdication of Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty! The characters were traditional, dignified and understated.

"In the autumn of the thirteenth year of the Republic of China,

My name is Luoyi.

I was a palace maid of Empress Dowager Longyu. In October of the thirteenth year of the Republic of China, Feng Yuxiang launched the Beijing Coup, imprisoned the provisional president Cao Kun, and formed a regency cabinet. At the end of October, President Huang Fu issued an order that Feng Yuxiang should expel his master Puyi from the palace. Yesterday, the garrison commander-in-chief Lu Zhonglin announced to the Qing royal family the regency cabinet's resolution that the Qing royal family's private property would be entirely enjoyed by the Qing royal family, while all public property would belong to the National Government.

I fell ill these past few days and was the last to know. The eunuchs and palace maids all wept; they didn't know how they would live from now on. They wouldn't be allowed to stay in the Forbidden City anymore; we were the most miserable people in the world. Last night, the Emperor summoned me to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and asked me to prepare several treasured ancient paintings for him to take with him when he left the palace. Among the paintings on the decree were Li Gonglin's "Elegant Gathering at the Western Garden" and Zhang Zeduan's "Along the River During the Qingming Festival."

I left the Hall of Mental Cultivation, feeling unwell. Due to the chaos of war, the imperial physicians had all gone out to make a living. I felt that this time was very serious, and I was doomed. Perhaps I would die before even leaving the Forbidden City. I lay alone on the bed all night, often hearing the cries of the living after the palace maids and eunuchs committed suicide. My head was very hot, and I didn't know what strange illness I had contracted. Perhaps I wouldn't last more than a few days.

But I still had to go to the Wuying Hall in the dead of night to retrieve the painting. I dared not go during the day, for fear of being seen. If the secret of the Emperor taking the national treasure were to be revealed, the Republic of China soldiers would behead him. But I also knew that once he took it, it might be given to the Japanese. Although I was a lowly palace maid and shouldn't interfere in my masters' affairs, if he were to take the national treasure to Japan, it would be a loss of sovereignty and national humiliation. In the more than two hundred years of the Qing Dynasty, there had never been such a wasteful emperor.

I didn't want to go, but I was also afraid. Just then, my good friend Qin Wu came to see me. I showed him the imperial edict, and he was also in a dilemma. Everyone knew that the Wuying Hall was haunted at night. But we were leaving the Forbidden City tomorrow, so what was there to be afraid of? Perhaps we would die tragically soon after we left. Let us do one last thing for the Emperor.

He was nominally a eunuch, but not in reality. He was a distant relative of the Grand Eunuch Xiao De Zhang. He sneaked in without being castrated, a secret only I knew. He was very handsome, and we were very close. I truly loved him. He was also saddened by his future and wanted to leave the palace with me so we could be together forever. I promised him we would leave tomorrow, but only after we went to the Wuying Hall to retrieve the famous painting before packing our luggage.

The famous paintings were all in the Wuying Hall, and I really didn't dare to go alone. I heard that the palace maids there used to disappear mysteriously. They were all guards of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival". I thought Qin Wu would protect me, so I lit the brightest palace lantern and went there with trepidation.

The Wuying Hall was pitch black and terrifying at midnight. Under the corridor of the Tihe Hall, I suddenly heard a child's heart-wrenching cries. I thought it was a princess or prince being beaten by their masters, but how could there be so many princesses and princes in the palace now? Puyi's small court was already small. The palace had more than 9,000 rooms in the backyard. How could it be such a coincidence that a princess's child was near the Wuying Hall? I was very scared, so I lowered my head and went over, but the crying continued and I could still hear it clearly when I got to the Wuying Hall.

We were all terrified, but we dared not disobey. The Emperor's decree could not be disobeyed; even though he was no longer in power, servants should still be loyal to the Emperor. Qin Wuying pulled me along, holding the palace lantern, and bravely entered the dark palace.

The weeping grew clearer, seemingly emanating from within the palace. Familiar with the treasures and antiques stored there, I trembled as I knelt before the box containing the genuine "Along the River During the Qingming Festival." I knew that taking it meant it would never return to the Forbidden City, but not taking it would disobey the Emperor's decree. Torn between these two dilemmas, I prayed to my ancestors. Suddenly, I was stunned.