Yu Yao woke up in a daze amidst chaos, and as she slowly opened her eyes to see the surroundings, the eerie and oppressive atmosphere made her heart skip a beat.
The palace was gloomy and oppressive, with intricate patterns carved on the walls surrounding it, casting eerie shadows in the dim light.
Many beauties were kneeling around, their faces pale and tears streaming down like a blooming pearl, resembling wilted flowers. Their sorrowful sobs echoed through the silent space.
"Wuuwuwu... I don't want to die, I'm still so young."
The beauties were all dressed in simple white garments and wore white flowers on their heads, with hollow expressions and pitiful appearances.
Yu Yao's heart raced as her eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. There were at least two or thirty beauties in the scene, and a white cord symbolizing death was hanging above the head of each beauty, resembling deadly ropes.
The eunuchs moved among them like evil spirits, their expressions cold and menacing, mercilessly forcing the beauties to hang themselves.
"Ah... Please, let me go. I don't want to die..."
"Some beauties had already gotten their necks into the white silk noose, thrashing about wildly with their limbs, the desperate and mad struggle on their faces twisted in a manner that chills the soul. "
It was clearly a chilling scene of forced burial.
Yu Yao was terrified, her complexion pale as a ghost. What was going on? Why was it so shocking from the very beginning?
She quickly came to her senses and hastily called out in her mind: "Quickly transmit the plot memory to me, Tuntun."
"All right, I'll transmit it to you now."
The system echoed and a torrent of plot and memory flooded into her mind like a tidal wave.
She felt a splitting headache, and before she could sort through the massive amount of information in her brain.
She felt as if her head was roughly being stuffed into the deathly white silk noose by an eunuch.
Survival instinct made her inner strength explode instantly. She kicked the eunuch with all her might.
The eunuch was hit in the abdomen, his fat face trembling violently in pain, and he let out a "ow!" as he collapsed to the ground like a heavy burlap bag.
Yu Yao had no time to care about the eunuch's life or death; she quickly leaped down from the chair that was still beneath her feet.
She wasn't sure whether it was because she had knelt for too long or been too scared, but her legs felt weak. However, the intense desire to survive drove her to flee from the gloomy great hall like a madwoman.
The eunuch who she had kicked to the ground quickly struggled to his feet, cursing furiously: "You slut, you dare to run! The late emperor decreed that all concubines without offspring must commit suicide. You can't escape; even if you run to the ends of the earth, we will catch you and bring you back!"
She quickly ran out of the great hall and sprinted through the corridors.
The pillars of the corridor were intricately carved with dragon and phoenix patterns. The vermilion lacquer gleamed with a sinister luster under the moonlight.
Contrasting with the surroundingwhiteness, it added a touch of eerie and mysterious ambiance.
From a distance, Yu Yao faintly heard the curses and screams of the eunuch.
Is it the decree of the late emperor?
Are all concubines without offspring required to commit suicide as a form of burial?
She suddenly turned her mind, and she understood a few things in her heart.
If she didn't guess wrong, the identity of this body should be a concubine of the late emperor, and she hasn't given birth to any children.
Now that the old emperor has passed away, he left a last will requiring these concubines who have not given birth to any offspring to commit suicide with him.
"What the hell, how can there still be a system of suicide burial, which is just inhumane."
She cursed as she ran.
Understanding that she was to be buried with the deceased, she ran even faster, her feet kicking up a breeze.
"Don't run, stop right there."
The eunuch's voice, filled with anger, chased her relentlessly from behind.
Yu Yao would have to be stupid to stop. She ran even faster.
The eunuch was too angry to catch her and turned a dark shade of green. He pointed at the several young eunuchs standing on both sides and said, "All of you go and catch her. If you let her escape, when the emperor blames us, we'll all be in trouble."
"Yes, Master Li."
Those young eunuchs answered respectfully and then, all at once, they went to grab her.
Yu Yao glanced back and saw a large group of people chasing after her, causing her heart to race wildly.
She turned left and right, and at a corner, she collided with a palace maid, who dropped the tray she was holding. The exquisite porcelain shattered noisily on the ground.
"You dirty little slave, don't run. Stop right there."
The eunuchs chasing her were getting closer, their voices filled with curses.
Her heart was pounding in her throat. She quickly apologized to the palace maid and then, with quick movements, got up and ran forward.
She didn't know where she was running to, but she was just running aimlessly.
In a panic, she rushed into a garden and quickly weaved through the flower beds.
She saw a door ahead, with a faint light visible inside, and her steps hesitated for a moment.
But as soon as she turned to see the group of eunuchs chasing after her, she clenched her teeth and quickly ran into the doorway.
She had no idea that this was the imperial bedchamber of Emperor Cong Yuan of the new dynasty, which was called Taiping Hall.
The group of eunuchs chasing after her stopped abruptly, their faces showing fear as they looked at the Taihe Hall in front of them.
A young eunuch panicked and said, "Master Li, what do we do? Yu Tai Nvran has run into the emperor's bedchamber."
The other young eunuchs looked at each other, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.
Who dares to intrude upon the new emperor's bedchamber unless they want to die?
Master Li's face looked grim, and he didn't know what to do at the moment.
After pondering in place for a while, he said: "Let's wait here first. That whore can't hide inside there forever. The late emperor decreed that concubines without offspring must commit suicide with him, and even the new emperor cannot defy this decree."
"Yes, Master."
These eunuchs waited outside the Taihe Hall.
The gate of Taihe Hall was slightly ajar, and Yu Yao easily rushed in.
The towering and majestic building took her breath away, the red corridors columns emitting a serious atmosphere.
The interior, though luxurious, appeared unusually cold and lonely due to the night's darkness and the stark white decor.
In the moonlight, exquisite porcelain and carved screens cast intricate shadows, adding a sense of unreality.
With her years of experience in the court, Yu Yao immediately judged that this was the emperor's bedchamber.
Oh no, how did I end up here?
She wanted to retreat, but thinking of the group of eunuchs waiting outside, she hesitated.
Alright, let's find a place to hide first.
Just as she was about to find a place to hide, a faint sound of footsteps came from a distance, accompanied by a subtle fragrance of dragon's breath, causing her heart to race wildly.
She quickly scanned the room and spotted the large dragon bed not far away. Her eyes lit up, and with quick hands, she ducked under the bed, holding her breath to hide.
The footsteps were getting closer.
"Who's there?"
A low, deep, and magnetic voice echoed, filled with unyielding authority.
It was the newly enthroned Emperor Rong Yuan of the new dynasty, namely Emperor Cong Yuan.
Yu Yao, hiding under the dragon bed, barely dared to breathe. She clamped her mouth shut tightly, afraid of making any sound at all. Of course, she couldn't see the emperor's face either.
Emperor Rong Yuan saw no movement and coldly hummed, "Bring a light. "
Soon, several palace maids entered one after another and lit the candles in the room.
As the candles in the hall were lit one by one, the soft, dim light dispelled the original coldness and loneliness, casting the Taihe Hall in a blend of solemnity and an undefined warmth.
She, hiding under the dragon bed, felt her heart pounding like a drum. She tried to curl up as much as possible, reducing her presence, and secretly prayed that she wouldn't be discovered.
Emperor Rong Yuan stood in the center of the hall, scanning his surroundings with his eyes, trying to catch a hint of something unusual.
The faint scent of perfume in the air told him that it was a woman.
He smiled faintly with a hint of amusement, as he felt both surprised and intrigued by this sudden "guest."
He was notorious for his womanizing ways, and every woman in the palace was eager to please him.
Now, however, there was a woman who dared to be so audacious as to enter his bedchamber at the beginning of his reign, which was truly daring.
But it also piqued his interest.
"Does the emperor wish to conduct a search?"
A palace maid asked softly, her voice tinged with caution.
Emperor Rong Yuan faintly raised his eyebrows and smiled with a hint of amusement.
He did not directly answer but slowly approached the dragon bed, his gaze casually sweeping over the shadow beneath the bed as if he already knew everything.
"There's no need. Perhaps it was a lost little cat."
His voice was low and slightly rough, filled with an indescribable sensuality that made people's hearts swoon, yet also carried an air of unquestionable authority.
The palace maids, upon hearing this, exchanged glances and then respectfully withdrew, once again restoring the silence of the hall.
Emperor Rong Yuan walked to the bed side without hurrying.
