I woke up from the pain.
To be precise, it was a dull pain in the back of my head, like someone had hit me with a brick.
I struggled to open my eyes, and what I saw was the dark beams, with cobwebs swaying in the wind. There was a musty smell in the air, mixed with the smell of blood - oh, the blood was mine. I looked down and saw the dark red palace dress on my body, with dark brown stains all over the collar and cuffs.
"Mother, are you awake?"
A timid voice came from the bedside.
I turned around and saw a little palace maid who was about fourteen or fifteen years old. Her face was sallow and her eyes were red and swollen, as if she had just cried. She was holding a bowl of dark soup in her hand, trembling all over: "Empress, you... Drink it quickly, you will have it tomorrow..."
Before she could finish speaking, she cried again.
My mind is still confused.
What empress? What tomorrow?
Then the memories rushed in like someone pressed the fast forward button.
Liu Niansheng, 20 years old, was the empress of the Yan Dynasty. Three days ago, she "disrespected" at a palace banquet and was deposed on the spot by the emperor and sent to the cold palace. According to the rules, the queen will die three days after being deposed, and tomorrow is the third day.
You have to choose a day when you want to kill people. This is a very particular rule.
I sat up holding on to the edge of the bed. The pain on the back of my head made me gasp. The bed board was covered with a thin layer of straw, which gave off a rancid smell. The Cold Palace lives up to its name, so cold that the bones are chilling.
"Empress..." The little palace maid was about to cry again.
"Stop crying." I pressed my temples, "I'm not dead yet."
I've traveled through time.
