The day of the book exhibition arrived, bringing with it a cold and dim atmosphere to Bianliang city. After breakfast, Susu arrived at the manor to help Yang Ruoning with her preparations. The tailor had delivered the finished attire a week prior, but Yang Ruoning had been too busy to open it. Upon her first glimpse into the box that day, she felt utterly speechless. The dress was far plainer than the one Qingye had gifted her, but the color...
That girlish, delicate pink was a color Yang Ruoning had always refused to wear since childhood. She couldn't fathom why the tailor assumed she'd be fond of pink. After agonizing between two outfits, she finally heeded Susu's advice and chose the pink one. Dressed and seated before the bronze mirror, and after Susu's meticulous styling, Yang Ruoning gazed at her reflection—clad in pink and adorned with numerous hairpins—and already anticipated a day of considerable exhaustion.
As Yang Ruoning stepped out of the manor gate, Luo Yuan, clad in a moon-white long robe, stood waiting by the carriage.
Susu, standing beside them, commented with undisguised admiration, "Sister, your attire today matches General Luo's perfectly."
"I find that you are indeed a beauty, miss," Luo Yuan teased as he helped her into the carriage.
"Hey, I'm beautiful all the time," Yang Ruoning pouted in mild protest. "Just in a different way, alright?"
The carriage glided slowly through the bustling and prosperous streets, and soon, the imposing red palace walls loomed ahead. After disembarking at the main gate, Luo Yuan presented his waist token to the guards, and they were officially admitted into the palace.
Despite having passed beneath these red palace walls countless times and glimpsed the grand royal palace from afar atop Fanlou, Yang Ruoning was still rendered speechless by its magnificent grandeur upon her first entry.
Like a traveler from across the ocean, everything within the palace was new and captivating. Yang Ruoning walked briskly ahead, her eyes darting everywhere, incessantly questioning Luo Yuan about various places and objects.
Luo Yuan followed behind her, hands clasped behind his back, a gentle and indulgent smile on his face. He answered her questions one by one, occasionally reminding her to mind her steps and not to fall.
When they reached the main hall, Yang Ruoning stopped. She gazed up at the tallest building, shimmering with golden light, and after a long pause, asked, "Wow, this place seems rather significant, doesn't it?"
"This is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where audiences are held," Luo Yuan stated, standing beside her.
"Wow, it's truly beautiful," Yang Ruoning murmured. "I wish I could take a photo and post it on Moments."
Luo Yuan chuckled. "There will be plenty of time later. Let's hurry, the eunuch is urging us."
The book exhibition was to be held in the Library. By the time Luo Yuan and Yang Ruoning arrived, it had already commenced. As Luo Yuan entered, individuals immediately stepped forward to greet him and invite him to partake in the appreciation of literature and poetry. A young eunuch approached Yang Ruoning and informed her, "Miss can proceed to the women's quarters next door."
"Alright," Yang Ruoning replied, giving Luo Yuan a playful wink. "I'll see you at dinner tonight."
"Indeed. Very well." Beneath his expansive robes, Luo Yuan secretly squeezed Yang Ruoning's hand, as if to assure her he'd find an opportunity to slip away and meet her later. Yang Ruoning offered him a knowing smile and followed the young eunuch.
However, Yang Ruoning had no intention of joining the ladies for tea and idle chatter. Before entering, she feigned a need for the latrine and discreetly slipped away.
Passing through several archways, she stopped before a three-story building surrounded by bamboo. Three large golden characters adorned the plaque above the entrance. She recognized the character "书" (shū - book), inferring that this must be the palace library.
With no one in sight and the door ajar, she walked straight in.
Rows of tall, red-lacquered wooden shelves were neatly stacked with books, appearing not much different from a modern library, save for their ancient aesthetic. Yang Ruoning casually picked up a book from a shelf, flipped through a few pages, and returned it. She circled the shelves on the first and second floors before heading to the third.
The furnishings on the third floor were somewhat distinctive. The bookshelves were not as densely arranged as on the lower levels. Besides books, the shelves held various antiques and ornaments. Further inside, in a corner by the window, stood a small desk with writing implements such as ink brushes, inkstones, and paper. Beneath the paperweight, several sheets of paper lay scattered. The ink on the topmost sheet was still wet, suggesting the person had only recently departed.
At that moment, footsteps echoed from the stairwell, indicating someone was ascending to this floor. Before entering the palace, Luo Yuan had cautioned her about the many rules and advised her against her usual boisterous demeanor. Yang Ruoning felt it would be best not to be discovered and thus concealed herself in the aisle behind the last row of bookshelves.
The person stopped at the front row of shelves. Yang Ruoning, peeking through the gaps in the bookshelves, saw that it was a young eunuch, about fourteen or fifteen years old, carrying a stack of books to place on the shelves.
Yang Ruoning crouched down, wanting to avoid being seen by him, and hid behind the bookshelves.
"Ah, ah, ah!" A startled cry from the young eunuch made Yang Ruoning look up. She saw the bookshelf beside her beginning to tilt towards her, and a vase on the shelf was about to fall. Instinctively, she stood up and lunged forward, catching the vase.
"Ha, caught it!" Yang Ruoning thought. "This vase must be quite valuable; I can't let it break."
Unexpectedly, the bookshelf, which appeared unremarkable, felt incredibly heavy when it struck her. Books from the entire shelf tumbled down with a rustling sound, pelting Yang Ruoning.
"Ouch, ah," Yang Ruoning cried out in pain. A few books had landed directly on her hairpin, and she felt as if her head were about to be pierced.
The young eunuch was stunned. Hearing Yang Ruoning's cries, he snapped back to reality and hurried to help her lift the bookshelf.
Seeing Yang Ruoning in her opulent attire, the eunuch knelt on the ground in a panic, repeatedly begging for mercy.
Yang Ruoning helped him up. "Hey, don't be afraid. I snuck in here too. Let's quickly tidy this up, and no one will know we caused trouble. Look, I caught this vase." Hearing her words, the young eunuch shakily stood up and began picking up books with Yang Ruoning to return them to the shelves.
A folded piece of paper drifted down from one of the books. Yang Ruoning picked it up, pondering which book it had fallen from, and for a moment, she didn't register the familiar smooth texture of the paper—a familiarity that did not belong to this era.
This unexpected discovery made her heart pound wildly. She stood frozen, somewhat dazed.
She saw faint black lettering seeping through the paper.
It was a piece of paper with writing on it. "It's you, isn't it, Jason? It must be you, only you."
"Miss, miss, are you injured?" Hearing the young eunuch's voice, she came back to her senses. Seizing a moment when no one was looking, she quietly tucked the note into her sleeve.
"It's nothing, I'm fine."
After she and the eunuch tidied up the bookshelf, they descended the stairs. On the way down, the eunuch continued to express his gratitude, but she heard none of it, her entire mind preoccupied with the note.
At the entrance to the library, she unexpectedly encountered Qingye. The young eunuch immediately knelt to pay his respects. Yang Ruoning, however, paused for a moment, contemplating that she had never formally saluted Qingye before. Yet, within the palace, she had to abide by the rules. Unsure how a woman should salute the Emperor, she simply knelt down.
To her surprise, Xiao Guizi, who was accompanying Qingye, suddenly exclaimed, "Ah, Miss Yang, your head!"
Yang Ruoning touched her forehead in confusion, only then realizing blood was dripping down. It must have been from being hit by the books just now; no wonder it hurt so much, it had broken the skin.
"It's just a scratch," Yang Ruoning felt they were overly concerned. She quickly apologized, saying, "It's alright, it's alright, it doesn't hurt at all."
Qingye held her wrist and pulled her to a nearby bench, gently pressing her down to sit. He took out a white handkerchief and carefully dabbed at the blood near the wound.
Qingye stood so close that Yang Ruoning could clearly see the gold-threaded dragon embroidery on his deep blue imperial robe. She marveled at how even the fine details, such as the sharp claws on the dragon's five-fingered hands, were meticulously embroidered.
Qingye muttered, "How could you be so careless? You didn't even realize your head was bleeding."
Yang Ruoning glanced at the trembling young eunuch kneeling beside them. "I just accidentally got hit by a book while reaching for it. It's nothing." She then nudged Qingye. "Don't make him kneel here any longer. Let him go and attend to his duties." Qingye then dismissed the eunuch, who was shaking like a sieve.
After the imperial physician had briefly attended to her wound, Yang Ruoning felt a sense of relief. Finally, she could remove the heavy hairpin, and her mood instantly brightened.
As she and Qingye walked out of the library, the sky began to sprinkle with light snow—the first snow of the year. Watching the flurries descend, Yang Ruoning said to Qingye, "I've heard that confessing one's love to someone on the first snowfall of the year can make dreams come true."
"Is that so? Have you ever succeeded?" Qingye asked, watching a snowflake melt swiftly in his palm.
"No. It sounds a bit too romantic, like a marketing slogan concocted by businesses for promotions." As Yang Ruoning spoke, she suddenly thought of telling Susu later that the first snow confession was a good marketing angle; perhaps promoting it could lead to selling a few more items.
"Whether confessions succeed, I don't know. But Daming Palace in the snow has a unique charm. Come, I'll take you for a stroll."
"But Luo Yuan said he would come to find me later..." Yang Ruoning hesitated.
"Don't worry. With those bookworms around, he won't be able to get away for a while," Qingye winked at her.
"Alright then."
Qingye took his fox fur cloak from Xiao Guizi and draped it over Yang Ruoning. He then ordered all the eunuchs and palace maids not to follow and led Yang Ruoning deeper into Daming Palace.