In the main hall of the Su residence, an incense altar stood tall, illuminated by bright candlelight.
Gu Liang—no, now she should be addressed as Imperial Granddaughter Gu Liang—had been hastily washed and dressed in a hastily procured brocade gown. Though the fabric was new, the fit was far from perfect. She stood in the hall, her small frame appearing even more frail within the oversized garments. Traces of un-dried tears and profound bewilderment lingered on her face. Her fingers clenched the jade pendant that confirmed her identity so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Eunuch Shen stood solemnly beside her, his posture respectful yet radiating an unquestionable authority. Every soul in the Su residence—from the master and mistress down to the lowest servant—kneeled in a sea of black, not daring to breathe. Su Che's face was ashen, trembling like autumn leaves in the wind, nearly collapsing to the ground, supported only by two equally terrified servants behind him.
"Princess, the carriage awaits. Please proceed," Eunuch Shen's voice broke the suffocating silence.
Gu Liang snapped out of her daze. She glanced frantically at Su Wan, who was still kneeling on the ground. Su Wan lifted her head and offered Gu Liang a tearful, encouraging smile. Gu Liang's lips moved, but no words came out. Instead, she mechanically followed the palace attendants out of the hall.
The ornate carriage stood in the courtyard, guarded by a formidable escort. Just as Gu Liang was about to be lifted into the carriage, a cold wave of despair—akin to the feeling she had experienced kneeling in the snow all those years ago—suddenly engulfed her. Leaving this place for a completely unfamiliar place called the "Imperial Palace."
The Imperial Palace...
The word struck her heart like a block of ice. Before her eyes flashed the pale, despairing face of that sick girl in the slave cage, and in her ears seemed to echo the girl's faint, thread-like voice: "...the palace... strict rules... they'll beat you to death..."
A cold, despairing sensation—akin to the agony of kneeling in the snow all those years ago—instantly engulfed her. No, not alone! That place was colder than the snow, darker than Su Che's room!
All her confusion shattered under this overwhelming terror. She felt like a kitten tossed into icy water, fur standing on end, desperate to cling to something.
Sister Emma!
Only that name, that figure, remained in her mind. The warmth of the scarf, the sweet scent of steamed buns, the hurried breaths while carrying her... Every memory of "survival" was bound to Sister Emma. Wherever Emma wasn't, it was a dead end!
A single thought spread through her body like wildfire: Grab her! Never let go, even if it kills me!
This burning obsession froze her in place. She halted abruptly, whirling around with unprecedented panic and urgency in her eyes, frantically scanning the kneeling crowd.
"Sister Emma!" she cried out, her voice choked with tears and unprecedented terror. "Where is Sister Emma?"
The cry startled everyone. Eunuch Shen frowned slightly, while Master Su and his wife felt their hearts clench.
Gu Liang wrenched free from the palace attendant's grasp, clutching the ill-fitting hem of her skirt as she stumbled back several paces. Her gaze finally locked onto the silent figure kneeling at the rear of the servants' line.
"Emma!" She rushed to Emma's side, disregarding etiquette as she seized her icy hand, tears streaming down her face. "Come with me! I won't go alone! I'm scared!"
Emma lifted her head to meet Gu Liang's tear-filled eyes, brimming with dependence, fear, and pleading. She could feel the tight grip on her hand, as if she were the only lifeline. All eyes around them—filled with shock, confusion, even jealousy—were fixed upon them.
Emma's heart felt as though it had been wrenched by an invisible hand.
The imperial palace. A place a thousand times more complex than the Su residence, the very center of power in the realm, and the most dangerous vortex in the world. She had only just managed to find her footing in Su Che's courtyard, carving out a sliver of maneuvering room. Instinctively, she resisted entering another, even more uncontrollable cage. What she craved was freedom—the power to control her own destiny—not to be entangled in the imperial family's feuds, forever dependent on others' whims within those gilded halls.
"Princess," Emma spoke, her voice as level as ever, attempting to withdraw her hand. "The palace rules are strict. I am of lowly status and unfit to accompany you."
"No! I won't go!" Gu Liang wailed, clutching her arm desperately like a drowning person grasping a log. "Without you, I won't go! I won't go anywhere! Sister Emma, please, don't leave me alone... I can't live without you..."
Her sobs were wretched and helpless, tinged with childish stubbornness. She recalled the warm scarf in the snow, those afternoons learning to read, that bitterly cold night when Emma had carried her to safety from the clutches of danger... Without Emma, that icy palace would be nothing more than a larger, more ornate prison to her.
Eunuch Shen approached, observing Gu Liang, who was sobbing so hard he could barely breathe, then shifting his gaze to Emma, whose expression remained impassive yet her eyes held a complex mix of emotions. He paused thoughtfully. His orders were to bring the princess back at any cost; if she refused to return to the palace because of this, he would be unable to account for it. Moreover, having someone familiar and trusted by her side during her first return to the court might not be a bad thing.
"Your Highness holds a position of great honor and indeed requires a trusted attendant," Eunuch Shen stated slowly, his tone devoid of emotion. "Since the princess has chosen you, you shall accompany her."
This was an imperial command; Emma could not refuse.
Emma gazed into Gu Liang's eyes, brimming with tears, filled with utter trust and pleading. Reflected within them was her own cold face. She recalled that snowy day five years ago, that little girl nearly frozen stiff, looking at her with precisely such eyes.
Soft-heartedness—perhaps her only weakness.
Under everyone's gaze, Emma closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, her gaze held only quiet resignation. She gently clasped Gu Liang's hand and whispered, "Alright. I'll go with you."
Gu Liang, hearing those words as if they were the sweetest promise in the world, threw herself into Emma's arms and burst into tears, as if releasing all her fear and grievances at once.
Emma stood rigidly, letting her embrace her, her hand gently patting her back. Yet her gaze drifted past Gu Liang's trembling shoulders, settling on the ornate carriage. It was no longer the path to freedom, but the beginning of another journey filled with unknowns and perils.
Supporting Gu Liang, who was crying herself nearly to exhaustion, Emma stepped toward the carriage. As she passed Su Wan kneeling on the ground, Emma's foot paused almost imperceptibly. Their eyes met for an instant—Su Wan's gaze held complex gratitude and worry, while Emma's eyes were a bottomless calm.
Before climbing aboard, Emma cast one final glance back at the Su residence—the place that had imprisoned her for years, yet where she had also met Gu Liang. The high walls remained unchanged, but something within had been irrevocably altered.
The curtain fell, sealing off the interior from the outside world. The carriage began its slow journey, escorted by the black-armored guards, leaving the Su residence behind and heading down the long, unknown official road leading to the heart of the empire.
Inside, Gu Liang clung tightly to Emma, as if only this embrace could offer him a shred of security. Gradually, the jostling lulled him into exhaustion, and he fell asleep, a tear still clinging to the corner of his eye.
Emma sat upright, letting Gu Liang lean against her. She lifted a corner of the curtain, watching the familiar streets of Linzhou recede outside the window, her gaze calm and distant.
The treacherous intrigues of the Su residence were now behind them, replaced by the even more unfathomable storms of the imperial court. She did not know what lay ahead, only that from the moment her heart softened and she nodded in consent, her fate had become inextricably bound to that of the noble young girl beside her.
The carriage rolled onward toward an unknown future. Emma's face remained expressionless, yet deep within her dark eyes flickered a cold, resolute gleam—like the glint of a blade drawn from its sheath.