The north wind bit like a blade, setting the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City humming. The bitter winter morning breeze, laden with shards of ice, scraped against the white marble railings like countless tiny knives, leaving behind a web of fine scratches. Shen Mingyue stood outside Fengtian Hall, staring at the mottled copper nails on the vermilion gates. Her palms were soaked in cold sweat, and she gripped the corner of her sleeve into a crumpled knot. The coiled dragon relief on the imperial dais shimmered with a hard, cold light in the morning sun, its eyes wide with fury, as if the very palace itself were holding its breath, awaiting the coming storm. Gu Jinghong followed close behind, the golden-embroidered python on his Eastern Depot robes rising and falling with his stride. The twin-lotus jade pendant at his waist, carved from Southern Frontier ancient jade—a token of the bond forged between them in the ancient tomb—swung gently, its glint reflecting the unease of his slightly tense frame.
"Lady Shen, stay calm," Gu Jinghong whispered, his sleeve brushing her hand as if by accident, bringing a flicker of warmth. "I am here." His gaze swept over the hidden Eastern Depot guards stationed nearby, his right hand instinctively reaching for the Willow Leaf Flying Dagger hidden in his boot. His thumb traced the patterns on the blade—the concealed weapon his foster father had entrusted to him on his deathbed, which had saved his life countless times.
Inside the hall, a ta…
Chapter 37