Le Jianghu de Feng Qingcheng et Mo Xibei

Chapitre 4

As expected, the emperor and the imperial physician immediately averted their gazes from Leng Jie. This was exactly the effect Leng Jie wanted. She had learned of the power of these ancient people from the incident with Physician Hu, and to save her life, she had to be extremely cautious. Until she fully understood the situation, she tried to avoid direct eye contact with them.

Upon seeing the terrified expression on the foolish empress's face, the emperor turned and angrily addressed the bowing eunuch behind him:

"Xiao Qingzi, remove the food and help the Empress wash her hands and face."

"Your servant obeys!" Before Xiao Qingzi could finish speaking, the bowl and chopsticks in the silly queen's hands had already been snatched away. Immediately afterwards, Xiao Mingzi's towel was brought to the silly queen's mouth, neatly wiping away the remaining rice grains from the corners of her mouth.

Qingfeng suppressed the urge to vomit, turned his face away to avoid direct confrontation with the foolish queen. He hastily grabbed the queen's hand and took her pulse.

The emperor dared not look at the stunned empress any longer, his gaze fixed on Qingfeng, eager to know the answer and leave as soon as possible.

Leng Jie dared not meet Physician Hu's gaze again; the afternoon's events had left her with a psychological trauma related to him. She shifted her gaze to the Emperor's face. She thought, no matter how despicable this Emperor was, he was still the powerful figure who held the power of life and death over her, controlling her food, clothing, and shelter. If she didn't even know what he looked like, she wouldn't know how to avoid him if they encountered each other in the future, which would be troublesome. But once she looked, she didn't need to pretend to be oblivious; Leng Jie was completely mesmerized, her eyes fixed, drool dripping from her mouth.

Leng Jie admired beautiful women, but she was by no means a lecher. Moreover, her self-control was always exceptional; even when she accidentally encountered her idol of many years, she never showed the slightest infatuation. Yet, even someone as composed as her was stunned by the appearance and aura of the person before her. At this moment, she could only use one word to describe this emperor who wanted her dead: a demon. Yes, absolutely a demon.

The person before him had his hair bound with a golden crown, and possessed almond-shaped eyes, long and mesmerizing, with a pair of dark, jade-like pupils as clear and cold as the moon. His eyebrows were exquisitely drawn, slanting upwards towards his temples, adding a touch of brilliance to his cool eyes. His nose was straight and handsome, his breath light and agile. His slightly parted, thin lips, a pale pink, were incredibly alluring. Coupled with an arrogance and a cold, regal air completely opposite to his appearance, he was an absolutely contradictory figure! Yet, these contradictory elements, adorned his tall and handsome physique, appeared so perfectly harmonious and fitting, like a god descended to earth!

In an instant, Leng Jie regained her senses. The handsome man before her was no ordinary male model from the 21st century, but a veritable male demon who could control the life and death of others.

Leng Jie realized she was drooling, and she wanted to wipe it away. But then she remembered that she was acting like a fool, so drooling and looking infatuated was perfectly normal! So, she began to openly and directly stare at the emperor, who was completely ignoring her.

After taking her pulse, Qingfeng discovered that the poison was still inside the Silly Queen's body. This meant that his newly developed antidote had failed again, and he showed a disappointed expression. Then he wondered, how could she still be alive with such a severe poison in her body? He was astonished. To investigate further, he channeled his inner energy into her body and suddenly discovered a powerful surge of true qi within her, suppressing all the poison in her dantian. He was overjoyed, because he felt that if the Silly Queen knew martial arts, she must be feigning stupidity, which would explain the incident with the eunuch that afternoon. However, he then discovered that the true qi was only present in her dantian. He tried to guide the true qi elsewhere, but her meridians were all blocked, and the true qi couldn't circulate within her body. He was certain she couldn't possibly have martial arts skills. But what was the deal with the powerful true qi in her dantian? Qingfeng's face showed confusion.

The emperor finally felt the shrewish empress's intense gaze, and he glanced at her with disgust. He continued to stare at Qingfeng, who was taking his pulse, noticing the constantly changing expression on Qingfeng's face, and a look of confusion he had never seen before. He hurriedly asked:

"How is it? Is it your poison that's causing the problem? Or is there something wrong with her body?"

Qingfeng looked at the emperor with a bewildered expression, shook his head, and said dejectedly:

"I don't know? I've never encountered a situation like hers before. The poison is still in her body, but it's possible that a powerful internal energy is suppressing it and protecting her heart, which is why she's still alive. But I've tried, and she doesn't know any kung fu at all. What's going on? Where did that internal energy come from?"

Qingfeng didn't understand, and neither did Lengjie. But the other four people in the room understood. They were now convinced that the Foolish Queen was indeed a phoenix with an immortal body. In their view, the true energy within the Foolish Queen's body must be immortal energy.

The two eunuchs who usually bullied the foolish empress, upon realizing this, turned pale and trembled once more at the thought of all the disrespect they had shown to the deity. They were filled with remorse and could only pray in their hearts that their goddess would be merciful and not hold it against them. Xiao Qingzi, in particular, felt a cold sweat soaking her clothes as she thought about how she had just added water to the empress's food.

Having grasped this understanding, Eunuch Fu was genuinely happy for his Emperor. He knew that the Emperor had always harbored resentment over the late Emperor's will and harbored deep hatred for the Leng family. Now that he knew the Empress was indeed a phoenix spirit, the late Emperor's will and the Leng family's attitude all made perfect sense. He thought the Emperor's inner turmoil should finally be resolved!

After confirming this fact, the Emperor felt conflicted. On one hand, he understood his father's intentions. On the other hand, he couldn't help but hate her, because no matter what, his wife and children had died because of her. If she weren't a phoenix spirit? If she weren't mentally challenged? Would his father have refrained from imposing a three-year rule against taking concubines for fear of deposing him? Without that rule, he wouldn't have broken his promise to Yin'er. And Yin'er wouldn't have left him forever, taking her unborn child with her.

The most rational one was Leng Jie; she didn't believe that what was inside her was some kind of magical energy. She recognized the word "true energy" from Doctor Hu's words—the kind of true energy she'd only ever heard of in period martial arts dramas. During her special agent training, she'd undergone rigorous physical and combat training, and even sought out a master to learn traditional martial arts. However, she'd never actually seen anyone cultivate true energy capable of suppressing toxins. The most powerful were those who practiced qigong, able to control their internal energy, condensing and unleashing it.

Now that this body possesses such immense power, if she could truly harness it for her own use, she would undoubtedly have struck gold. Leng Jie was beginning to grow fond of her current body.

[Main Text: Chapter Thirteen: Collateral Effects]

The next day was another beautiful autumn day with a clear sky and a gentle breeze. However, the festive atmosphere of the previous day was absent from Jinghe Palace. Apart from the usually gloomy and deathly East Palace, which was unusually breezy today, the other palaces seemed to be shrouded in dark clouds, filled with a foul atmosphere and a sense of unease.

Among them, the most eye-catching are the West Palace of the new Consort and the Cining Palace of the Empress Dowager.

Inside the West Palace, after the Emperor's excited arrival the previous night, followed by his angry departure and pronouncement that Consort Shui would be banished to the Cold Palace, the palace servants, who had been marveling at having chosen the right master and dreaming of a bright future, immediately wilted like frost-bitten eggplants.

After hearing the account from the eunuch who had witnessed the Imperial Concubine's disrespectful behavior before the Emperor, they all looked at the Imperial Concubine with disdain and anger. One of the young eunuchs transferred from the Eastern Palace even sighed:

"Alas! I thought I had found the right master after leaving that fool. But then I encountered another madman! I don't know if it's my bad luck or the Emperor's bad fortune? Why are all the masters he marries either fools or madmen?"

"Xiao Chunzi, I think you're tired of living! How dare you speak ill of the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine?" An older palace maid spoke up to stop her.

The young eunuch named Xiaochunzi quickly covered his mouth with both hands, making a gesture to be quiet. Beside him, a baby-faced palace maid innocently laughed:

"Sister Qiu'er, please don't scare Xiao Chunzi. How will the Emperor know if we're just talking nonsense here?"

"Qing'er, you're new to the palace and don't know the rules. Don't say I didn't warn you. Disrespecting your master is a capital offense. Who is the Emperor? He's a dragon incarnate. Not to mention the harem right before your eyes, what in the world can escape his divine gaze? If you want to live to see your parents and family again, you'd better watch your mouths. Otherwise, you won't even know how you died before you report to the King of Hell." The palace maid named Qiu'er sternly lectured her ignorant juniors.

The innocent Qing'er's cherry-like lips moved, as if she was about to say something, when a head maid who had been guarding the entrance to the Imperial Concubine's palace, with a gloomy face, coldly shouted at the palace servants in the courtyard:

"All of you shut up! Didn't you hear the Emperor say that the Imperial Concubine has suddenly fallen seriously ill? If anything happens to her, none of you will escape!" Before she finished speaking, the courtyard, which had been in an uproar, fell completely silent. The head maid glanced contemptuously at the silent crowd, then turned to Qiu'er and the others, and whispered, "Qiu'er, go to Cining Palace and inform the Empress Dowager of the Imperial Concubine's general condition. If the Empress Dowager asks about the illness, say that the Emperor has already instructed Imperial Physician Hu to examine the Imperial Concubine and said that she is just overworked and will be fine after a good night's sleep, so she doesn't need to worry."

"Yes, I'll go right away!" Qiu'er replied briskly, then turned and ran towards Cining Palace.

"Everyone else, just do what you're supposed to do. I don't want to hear another word about the Lord's affairs tonight, understand?" the head maid said sternly to the palace servants who were waiting blankly for her instructions.

"Yes," "I understand,"... The palace servants returned to their posts, silently doing their work. Although they dared not utter a sound, they had lost the initial enthusiasm. They were all dejected, expressionless, and mechanically performing their tasks.

After the head maid finished speaking, she led another maid of similar age into the Consort's bedchamber. She glanced at the two women lying on the bed, then turned to the maid behind her and said:

“Min’er dragged this lowly maid off the Consort’s bed and threw her outside to be left to cool off. When she wakes up, let her go to the Imperial Household Department to receive her punishment according to palace rules. She dared to climb onto the Emperor’s bed and sleep with the Consort just because she was the Consort’s maid. Her crime is unforgivable.”

“Yes, Min’er will pull her down right away. But, Sister Ruhua, shouldn’t we wait until the Imperial Concubine wakes up before discussing the punishment? After all, she was brought from the Water Palace by the Imperial Concubine!” Min’er asked cautiously, looking at Ruhua’s sullen face.

“Min’er, I don’t even know what to say to you! You’ve wasted all these years in this ruthless palace. Can’t you see that Shui Rong’er, like the foolish Empress, has been banished to the Cold Palace by the Emperor? Although we dare not presume to guess the Emperor’s thoughts, if you can’t even read between the lines, how can you survive in this deep palace?” Ru Hua said with a look of utter disappointment. Seeing that Min’er seemed to understand her words, she then added:

"However, Shui Rong'er is protected by the Empress Dowager. We absolutely cannot offend her. As for the little maidservant beside her, we could have simply left her alone, but this afternoon she actually dared to give me the cold shoulder and order me around to fetch something for her. Who do you think I am, Ru Hua? In this harem, besides the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, even the Grand Eunuch Fu of the Imperial Household Department has to give me some face. And this little maidservant who just entered the palace today dares to speak harshly to me and order me around. I won't let this go until I get my revenge!" Ru Hua felt furious just thinking about the fawning expression she had shown to the little maidservant that afternoon.

Upon hearing Ru Hua's explanation, Min'er's lips twitched slightly, and she silently replied:

"That's right, our Sister Ruhua is someone who serves the Emperor. How dare a little maid like her order her around? Look, retribution is coming soon! Sister Ruhua, don't be angry! Min'er will avenge her right now." With that, she pushed the unconscious and disbelieving maid off the bed, then dragged her by the legs and pulled her out of the palace.

After sleeping for four hours, Shui Rong'er finally woke up. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself in the large bed in the West Palace. She was still wearing her formal attire, even her phoenix crown was still on her head, and the sun was shining brightly outside the window. She shook her still slightly dizzy head, trying to figure out what had happened. She clearly remembered sitting in the outer room with Xiao Lian, waiting for her cousin, the Emperor, to come and perform the conjugal ceremony. How did she end up in the bed? Had her cousin, Li, carried her to bed? The thought of finally becoming Li's bride brought a happy smile to Shui Rong'er's face. Immersed in her beautiful daydreams of a happy life, Shui Rong'er overlooked a very real issue: why wouldn't the Emperor allow her to undress?

Shui Rong'er suddenly remembered that today was the second day of her marriage, and she should go to pay her respects to her aunt, the Empress Dowager. She quickly called out:

"Xiao Lian, quickly help me wash and dress. I need to go to Cining Palace to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager, so don't be late."

"Your Highness, you don't need to pay your respects to the Empress Dowager today. The Empress Dowager sent word that Your Highness should rest well and take care of your health." Ruhua walked in unhurriedly upon hearing Consort Shui's call and replied lazily.

Shui Rong'er saw that the person summoned was not Xiao Lian, but the female steward specially assigned to the West Palace by her cousin, the Emperor. The attitude of this palace maid towards her was completely different from yesterday. Shui Rong'er, well-versed in human relationships, immediately sensed the change. She quickly suppressed her smile, revealing a stern and arrogant expression, and said sternly:

"How dare you! Who are you? Have I offended you? Who gave you the audacity to be so insolent in front of me!"

"Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for the Emperor's favor and have been given the name Ruhua. I currently serve as the steward of the West Palace. I had no intention of offending Your Majesty; I merely wished to inform you that Xiaolian, whom you are looking for, is currently being punished in the Imperial Household Department. I had assumed Your Majesty would require my assistance with dressing and grooming. Since Your Majesty does not require my service, I will take my leave immediately." After Ruhua finished speaking, she gave Shui Rong'er a courtly salute and turned to leave.

Completely unprepared, Shui Rong'er was speechless at Ru Hua's words, only reacting after a long while. Seeing that Ru Hua had retreated to the door, she hurriedly stopped her, saying, "Stop! Explain yourself to me clearly. What has Xiao Lian done wrong? She is my dowry maid. Who dares to punish her without my permission?"

“No one wanted to punish her; she went to the Imperial Household Department to receive her punishment voluntarily. As for what she did wrong? You should wait until she returns and let her tell you herself! I really can't bring myself to say it! Oh, and I think there's something else that Your Highness should know. His Majesty left an imperial edict last night: ‘Consort Shui has suddenly fallen seriously ill and is unfit to serve His Majesty. From now on, she should rest and recuperate in the West Palace. Without my decree, she is not to step out of the West Palace.’” After Ru Hua finished speaking, she glanced disdainfully at the completely bewildered Consort Shui, turned around, and left the palace.

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Inside the Cining Palace.

After returning from Xinhe Palace, the Empress Dowager felt uneasy. She had a feeling that something would happen that night. To calm her restless heart, she knelt in the Buddhist hall and silently recited Buddhist scriptures for peace of mind.

As midnight approached, a eunuch serving the Emperor reported that he had gone to the West Palace. The Empress Dowager exhaled a soft breath, and her chaotic heart calmed down slightly.

The palace servants around the Empress Dowager also breathed a sigh of relief. They all knew that the Empress Dowager was worried about the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine. The Emperor had been on the throne for three years, but due to the late Emperor's edict and the Empress Dowager's mental instability, he still had no heir. This had always been a major worry for the Empress Dowager. The relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor had always been tense. Although the Emperor had now married the Imperial Concubine, whether he would actually sleep with her was uncertain, not only to them but even to the Empress Dowager herself. Now that they heard the Emperor had entered the West Palace with great enthusiasm, how could the Empress Dowager not be happy? With their mistress happy, they, the servants, were naturally in a better position.

But before they could recover from their joy, Qiu'er from the West Palace brought even more shocking news. Upon hearing it, the Empress Dowager was so enraged that she threw Fei Zhu out of the Buddhist hall.

None of the palace servants dared to utter a sound, only Qiu'er, unafraid of death, spoke up:

"Your Majesty, Qiu'er takes her leave. Do you have any instructions?"

"Go back and take good care of the Imperial Concubine. If I find out she has suffered any injustice, none of you in the West Palace will get away with it!" the Empress Dowager warned angrily.

"We wouldn't dare! We will certainly serve the Imperial Concubine well!" Qiu'er replied humbly, kneeling on the ground.

[Main Text: Chapter Fourteen - A Small Touch of Warmth]

The Eastern Palace was peaceful and serene in the early morning. Several palace servants were busily sweeping away the thick layer of fallen leaves in the garden.

In the Empress's palace, a young palace maid anxiously watched the Empress lying on the phoenix bed, her forehead covered in sweat, her face flushed, and her mouth constantly muttering incoherent words. However, knowing that the Empress was mentally challenged, the young maid didn't bother to pay attention to what the Empress was muttering or whether she could understand it.

The young palace maid carefully wiped the sweat from the Empress's forehead. She couldn't understand why, as the Empress, the Emperor hadn't summoned the imperial physician to treat her illness. This young palace maid was none other than Qing'er, who had just been transferred from the West Palace.

At this moment, another palace maid entered. Seeing Qing'er gazing with heartache at the feverish, foolish empress, a disdainful expression curled at the corner of her lips, and she coldly said:

"Qing'er, put away your pitiful sympathy! You must know that this imperial harem is a place where the strong survive. She used to rely on her powerful father to live a comfortable life in the harem for three years. Now that her father is a commoner struggling to survive, how long do you think she can endure in the palace?"

"Sister Qiu'er, didn't you say last night that we shouldn't talk about the Emperor and Empress? Besides, didn't the late Emperor leave a decree that the Emperor cannot depose the Empress?" Qing'er pouted and retorted.

Qiu'er was taken aback by what the little girl said, then glared at Qing'er and said:

"You brat, this is the East Palace, and that's the West Palace. How can you compare them? Even if Consort Gui is out of favor now, she still has the Empress Dowager and the Shui family protecting her. Besides, Consort Gui was only banished to the Cold Palace because she suddenly contracted a serious illness. Once she recovers, who knows, maybe one day the Emperor will remember her and spoil her rotten again! But this fool is different; she was born a fool. Do you think she can suddenly become a normal person? Unless the Emperor also becomes a fool, how could he possibly like a fool who is both stupid and ugly, and utterly useless? Furthermore, what right does a fool have to be the wife of the most handsome and greatest Emperor in the land, and what right does she have to sit in the most prestigious position of Empress? Even if the Emperor doesn't depose her because of the late Emperor's decree, do you think the other concubines who will enter the palace in the future will tolerate her?"

The two, engrossed in their argument, were completely unaware that the fool in the bed had been awakened by their noise. Leng Jie, who had been dreaming of carrying out an important mission, was startled awake by the sudden woman's voice. Upon waking, she found her entire body aching as if it were about to fall apart. From their conversation, Leng Jie realized she was still inside the body of this unfortunate fool. She figured it was because she had thoroughly exhausted this body, which had never been used before, the previous day. That was why she felt so much pain.

Leng Jie stared at the two palace-dressed girls before her with the blank look typical of a foolish empress. The girl who felt sympathy for the empress had big eyes, a baby face, and was pure and lovely; she looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old. The other woman, with cold eyebrows, a flat nose, and a large mouth, looked like a traitor who would change sides at any moment.

Qing'er wrung out another towel to change the one for the silly queen, when she suddenly met the queen's silly grinning gaze. She exclaimed excitedly:

"Your Majesty, you're finally awake! That's wonderful! It's good that you're awake. My mother always said that people with fevers are fine once they regain consciousness. Otherwise, they might even become mentally impaired." After saying this, Qing'er suddenly realized she had misspoke and quickly covered her mouth, kneeling to pay her respects.

"This servant, Qing'er, greets Your Majesty the Empress! Long live Your Majesty! I spoke carelessly just now, please forgive me!" After saying this, she continued to giggle foolishly, showing no sign of anger. She then pointed to Qiu'er beside her and said:

"Your Majesty, this is Sister Qiu'er. Outside are Xiao Chunzi, Xiao Yuanzi, and Xiao Wuzi. This morning, Eunuch Fu sent the five of us to the East Palace to serve Your Majesty. From now on, if Your Majesty needs anything, just tell us to do it."

Qiu'er snorted and glanced at the silly woman. She turned and left the palace. Qing'er stuck out her tongue and made a face at Qiu'er's retreating figure. She was incredibly cute. Leng Jie almost burst out laughing at the sight.

After hearing Qing'er's explanation, Leng Jie was very grateful to the seemingly smiling eunuch, Fu Gonggong. Last night, after the cunning imperial physician finished taking her pulse, he left with the emperor after uttering those puzzling words. The speed at which he fled made Leng Jie quite proud of her acting skills. To portray a fool so convincingly that the audience wanted to run away was no easy feat. However, before leaving, Fu Gonggong gave the foolish empress an expression that was hard to decipher—was it pity or gratitude? This puzzled Leng Jie greatly. He even instructed Xiao Qingzi and Xiao Mingzi to take good care of themselves.

Seeing their expressions as they left, Leng Jie knew her efforts hadn't been in vain; the foolish empress's life was saved. Then everything went black, and she knew nothing more. Now, thinking back, it must have been that Eunuch Fu who, seeing her faint, sent so many people to serve her at the Eastern Palace. But where were Xiao Qingzi and Xiao Mingzi? Had the emperor silenced them? If she were the emperor, she wouldn't want outsiders to know that this useless, foolish empress was her destined fate.

Leng Jie wanted to know about Xiao Qingzi and Xiao Mingzi, but she didn't want such a cute little girl to keep kneeling and talking to her. However, she was currently mentally challenged and couldn't help the girl up like a normal person, nor could she directly ask her where Xiao Qingzi and the others had gone. Leng Jie's mind raced, and she could only put on a pitiful expression, taking Qing'er's delicate little hand and placing it on her shoulder, while pulling Qing'er up from the ground. She said in a sweet voice:

"Xiao Qingzi, Xiao Mingzi, it hurts!"

Upon hearing the Empress's coquettish words, Qing'er, the innocent young girl, didn't even notice whether the Empress had intentionally pulled her up from the ground, and happily replied:

"Your Majesty, are you looking for Eunuch Qing and Eunuch Ming? They left the palace today to return to their hometown. Is Your Majesty feeling unwell anywhere? Let Qing'er rub it for you and it will feel better!" As she spoke, she gently stroked Leng Jie's body.

Leng Jie felt a tingling sensation all over her body as Qing'er's soft little hands touched her. The soreness had indeed lessened considerably. Leng Jie gave Qing'er a genuine smile.

Qing'er's innocence and kindness, like the Empress's foolishness, are completely out of place in this palace filled with intrigue and scheming. Even the Empress herself cannot survive in this harem, so Qing'er's future is predictable. Leng Jie doesn't want such a lovely little girl to one day become a palace maid like Qiu'er, but if she doesn't adapt to her environment, she will be overwhelmed and buried by it.

Having been raised with the education to cherish the nation's future generations and with the mission of protecting the country and its people, how could Leng Jie possibly stand idly by and watch such a lovely young flower be corrupted? Leng Jie decided her next task was to adapt to this body, this ancient imperial harem, as quickly as possible. She needed to learn about the emperor, the supreme ruler, and everything about this dynasty. Then, based on the situation, she would find a way to become stronger, gaining enough power to protect herself and, at the same time, this lovely young girl.

Naïve Qing'er had no idea that her innocent and kind act today would bring about earth-shattering changes in her life.

[Main Text: Chapter Fifteen: The Physical Fitness Plan]

Five days later, in the garden of the Eastern Palace, a small figure, carrying an outer garment embroidered with phoenixes, chased after a tall, disheveled man dressed in a strange inner garment, giggling foolishly, panting and shouting as he ran:

"Your Majesty, please stop! You're not dressed yet! You can't come out like this."

Indeed, these two were none other than the simple-minded Empress Leng Jie and her maid Qing'er. After several days of Qing'er's meticulous care, the Empress's health had basically returned to normal, but her frail body was far from meeting Leng Jie's expectations.

Leng Jie planned to start with physical training to gradually change the body's constitution. So, a couple of days ago, she began doing some simple stretching exercises in her room to loosen up the stiff tendons and muscles. Fortunately, the body wasn't very old; judging by its development, it couldn't be more than sixteen. Changing such a body would be much easier than changing an adult over twenty.

Having experienced the soreness last time, Leng Jie dared not engage in strenuous exercise all at once, so she planned to start with one kilometer and gradually increase the distance. Early this morning, she began her intensive training for her body, which involved a one-kilometer run. For convenience, she wore only a mid-length shirt and tied the hem of her long trousers to her calves; the wide sleeves of her trousers were torn off. To avoid arousing suspicion, she had to appear to be running like a madwoman.

Unaware of the situation, Xiao Qing watched as the Empress jumped out of bed, her face unwashed, hair uncombed, and without even an outer garment. First, she tore her clothes to shreds, then she began to dance, making strange movements, before bursting into maniacal laughter and running wildly through the garden as if her life depended on it. Xiao Qing was initially startled by the Empress's actions, but by the time she realized what was happening, the Empress was already far away. She had no choice but to grab the Empress's outer garment and chase after her. Thus, the scene described at the beginning of the story unfolded.

After a chase, Qing'er, panting heavily, realized she couldn't catch the Empress at all. The Empress had run a lap and was now catching up with her. Just as Qing'er was about to stop her, the Empress brushed past her like a gust of wind.