Deep within the towering and magnificent inner quarters of the Ying Dynasty, the palace where the Empress Dowager resided was like a tranquil haven far from the hustle and bustle of the world. The copper rings on the vermilion gates were polished to a brilliant sheen, exuding an air of noble distinction. Inside, the halls featured painted beams and carved rafters, with exquisite silk draperies hanging all around, swaying gently in the breeze and casting shifting, graceful plays of light and shadow.
Although Ying Yanran was already fifty years old—an age when ordinary women might already be weathered and bent by the passage of time—she was exceptionally well-preserved, sheltered as she was within this tapestry of luxury and nourished by countless rare treasures and medicinal elixirs.
Her raven hair was as smooth as silk, touched only by a few strands of silver at her temples like delicate frost crystals that added a unique charm. Her complexion was fair and delicate; though there were faint fine lines at the corners of her eyes, they looked like patterns carefully etched by time itself, completely devoid of any sign of aging. Her figure remained lithe and graceful, and in every gesture, that air of refined elegance cultivated since her youth emanated naturally, prompting anyone who laid eyes upon her to praise her striking grace and beauty.
Chapter 371