If this trulу wеre a fоrbiddеn аrеа, standing here wаiting wоuld be unwise. Zhuаngshan cоuld lаtеr сlаim thеy had gоtten separated аnd sеnd pеoрlе tо sеarсh fоr hеr. If shе wеre disсovered in а fоrbidden аrea, evеn with a reаsonablе ехрlаnаtiоn, it would be imроssible tо сlеar hеr namе. If Тhe Emреror wеre to takе offense, fоr а уoung wоman of the innеr сhаmbers, it wоuld bе fаtаl. Shе nеver ехpеctеd Zhuangshan’s intеntions tо bе sо maliсiоus. It sееmed that evеn though she was reborn intо a youngеr self, her mеthods wеrе no lеss ruthless.
But if she were to leave, Han Yan didn’t know the way. This area was sparsely populated, which likely meant it was a sensitive zone. One wrong step could lead to another forbidden area.
Thinking this, Han Yan couldn’t help but feel regret. She should have asked Ji Lan and the others to follow her earlier. Unfortunately, the maids were all gathered together to serve, too far away from her, so she hadn’t thought much of it at the time.
Gritting her teeth, Han Yan shook her head and headed toward the easternmost side, where a large stretch of forest lay.
Logically, one’s instinct would be to head toward open areas, but Han Yan dared not do so.
If this were a forbidden area, the dense trees in the forest might offer some cover, while the buildings and structures were absolutely off-limits.
As she walked, Han Yan remained alert to her surroundings. She soon realized that there was truly not a single person around!
When something is abnormal, there must be a reason. In the palace, areas without eunuchs or palace maids serving were bound to have an explanation. At the same time, Han Yan secretly felt relieved that she had decisively left earlier. After all, the area near the washroom was a large open space with nowhere to hide! If someone had come searching, she would have been spotted immediately.
But how long would it take her to return to the Plum Garden this way?
She walked for what felt like an eternity, yet the forest seemed endless. Just as anxiety began to set in, a rich, intoxicating fragrance suddenly wafted through the air. The scent was so refreshing that Han Yan couldn’t help but pause in surprise.
Looking up, she was stunned—there before her was an immense expanse of red plum blossoms!
If the Empress’s white plum garden was a beautiful sight, this red plum grove was nothing short of a fairyland.
Large, vibrant plum blossoms bloomed gracefully, their dazzling red hue adding a touch of liveliness to the scene. While plum blossoms are often associated with solitude, these red ones were passionate and radiant, standing tall and proud on their branches, unyielding to the harsh winter winds and snow. For a moment, Han Yan felt as though spring had arrived early.
Stretching for miles, the red plum blossoms contrasted starkly against the snow-covered ground—both vibrant and subdued, lively yet serene. They resembled the sorrowful yet magnificent bloom of a young woman in her prime, splendid and tragic, blooming and withering for the sake of another, yet with no one to appreciate their beauty.
The plum blossoms bloomed with such urgency and faded just as quickly, their brilliant red hue bringing tears to Han Yan’s eyes. Life is too fleeting, and beauty is difficult to preserve—just like her previous life, which ended on her most beautiful day, in her most radiant years.
She almost felt as though the red plum blossoms were a reflection of herself. She, too, had perished on the day of her fullest bloom, sorrowfully unseen and unappreciated. Her beauty, her virtues—that person had never noticed them.
Plum blossoms only bloom in winter, destined to endure the trials of storms and snow. Her life, too, was forever distant from the word “smooth.” Thus, in this life, she would face wind and rain, with no one to pity her. Who would understand and appreciate her? Who would care for her tenderly? Like a warrior, she lived a life of sorrow and pride, yet… this was her only path forward.Han Yan's eyes brimmed with tears as she took several dazed steps forward, only to suddenly sense an inquisitive gaze from not far away. Her heart tightened, and her mind instantly cleared. She lifted her gaze toward the source and saw a slender figure standing distantly by the palace wall beneath a red plum tree, nearly blending into the snowy landscape, watching her with a faint, detached expression.
Just as Han Yan looked toward the figure, snow began to drift down from the sky.
Snowflakes fluttered onto Han Yan's head and shoulders, momentarily blurring the person's features. Han Yan dared not move, knowing she had been discovered. For a moment, she stood frozen, uncertain of what to do.
"Who scattered ten thousand piles of snow across the plain, carving them into these continuous blossoms in the sky?"
Now, the snow fell thick and fast, dotted with the red of plum blossoms. Were it not for the stranger standing nearby, it would have been a truly picturesque scene.
Unfortunately, the protagonist had no mind to appreciate such beauty. After the initial panic, Han Yan gradually calmed down. The person's presence here meant either they belonged to the forbidden grounds or their status was so high that they had no fear of the "forbidden" designation.
After a moment of contemplation, she thought: Since the other party had clearly noticed her but remained unmoving, did that mean they intended to let her go?
Han Yan hesitated briefly before deciding that, regardless of who the person was, her best course of action was to slip away quietly. Just as she was about to step away, she heard voices approaching from ahead.
Han Yan tensed immediately. How could there be more people?
This was a vast grove of red plum trees, dense enough but not sufficient to conceal Han Yan's figure. Moreover, against the snowy ground, her attire stood out conspicuously.
Panicking, Han Yan glanced up and noticed the long palace wall nearby. The corner of the wall might offer a hiding spot, but the person from earlier was still standing there.
Her heart raced. Were the person from before and the newcomers part of the same group? If so, any choice she made would lead to the same outcome. If they were not, which side should she choose?
The footsteps grew closer, accompanied by the voices of a man and a woman conversing. Two people were approaching, while only one stood by the wall. Gritting her teeth, Han Yan moved toward the palace wall.
The figure by the wall seemed utterly indifferent, paying no attention to Han Yan or the approaching couple, standing rigidly beneath the plum tree.
The closer Han Yan drew, the more anxious she became. Meanwhile, the man and woman had ventured deeper into the plum grove. With her head lowered, Han Yan walked forward until she saw, just a step away on the snowy ground, a pair of luxurious official boots embroidered with gold trim on black fabric.
An inexplicable tension seized her, for the person before her exuded an intensely sharp, chilling aura. At that moment, Han Yan dared not look up.
But before she could ponder further, sounds of moaning reached her from ahead—a mix of pleasure and pain, interspersed with a woman's soft gasps and a man's stifled groans. Han Yan understood almost instantly. After a stunned pause, her face flushed crimson in an instant.In her previous life, before her wedding, Mama Chen had given her a few booklets to read. The Prince Wei's residence was different from other households, so Mama Chen had especially instructed Han Yan to learn how to capture Wei Rufeng's heart, explaining it to her in great detail and even using puppets for demonstration. Han Yan naturally understood what this sound represented. Thinking of Wei Rufeng, her face turned pale, and then she grew tense.
The women in the palace, aside from the ladies and young misses attending the banquet, could almost all be considered the Emperor's women. At this moment, the Emperor and the male guests should be hunting in the hunting grounds, yet this man was actually engaging in illicit relations with a woman right in the palace. Regardless of whether the woman was one of the Emperor's consorts or someone else, this was the crime of adultery. If Han Yan were discovered, she would surely face death. If the man was of noble status and the woman was a young lady from outside the palace, and today they were caught by Han Yan engaging in such filthy acts here, Han Yan would have no choice but to marry that man!
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