October 7th.
The Empress Dowager ordered the consorts of the inner court to attend an opera performance, and the Emperor was expected to be there as well.
The Imperial Garden was bustling with a sea of brightly dressed women—more than twenty in total. Even the Empress, frail and sickly as she was, had made an appearance. When Bai Wutong entered, no one paid her the slightest bit of attention. She found a spot to stand, effectively blending into the background.
Chapter 33