A piece of Japanese incense

"Girl! Girl?"

"Wake up! Girl! Don't sleep anymore!"

Yu Yi's voice was like a messenger traveling through dreams, penetrating the thin film between dreams and reality, with an urgency that could not be ignored.

I felt my shoulders being gently pushed, accompanied by Yuyi's concerned voice: "Hurry up, girl, or you will be punished by the master again."

I opened my eyes drowsily, my brain still immersed in the aftermath of the dream. My consciousness seemed to slowly emerge from the deep ocean and gradually adapt to the brightness around me.

Gradually coming out of the chaos, I finally woke up completely, and everything around me gradually changed from blurry to clear.

The fragments of last night's dream gradually dissipated in the morning light, leaving only vague images, like the wake left by a departing ship.

A faint sense of loss welled up in my heart, and I longed to capture those fleeting dreams, but I had no way to find them.

As the frost thickened, my mind seemed to have entered hibernation, slow and clumsy. I dragged my heavy body to the study hall, and my cousin was already sitting in the lecture hall. Fortunately, the sound of the bell proved that I was not late.

While I was still absent-minded and thinking about the dream I had last night, my uncle had already walked up to me, tapped the tabletop, leaned against the side of the wooden table, folded his hands in front of his chest, and touched his arms with his fingertips. As his words rose and fell, his fingertips were like a silent metronome, accompanying the rhythm of his narration:

"With His Majesty's approval, the old rule of 'forbidding women to ascend the tower' has been abolished in Wenyuan Pavilion. From now on, princesses can enter and exit the library freely."

I was stunned, the corners of my mouth rose unconsciously, my joy was beyond words, and I looked at my uncle with anticipation.

"What kind of permission is this? We have never intended to set foot there. Why don't you petition the Emperor to allow us to go out of the palace for fun?" Princess Yan said with some complaints.

"What footsteps cannot measure, words can reach," replied my uncle.

"Why should girls read so many books!" Feng Zhiyan's voice revealed a hint of disapproval through the screen.

My uncle stepped onto the podium and said in a cold voice: "The purpose of studying is to understand reason, and understanding reason is the ultimate conscience."

The voices of objection gradually died down, and when the school bell rang, in order to promote intimacy between me and Princess Tingzhu, I invited her to go with me to Wenyuan Pavilion to read books openly.

"I don't want to go. I have no intention of reading. Besides, as women, we will eventually get married." Princess Tingzhu said in a low voice with a hint of helplessness.

A sense of mission of feminine consciousness arose spontaneously in my heart, and I smiled and said: "Princess, why do you limit yourself to being a woman, look down on yourself, and think that you are inferior to others? We women are not necessarily inferior to men. We have the same power. Maybe one day, we can also face the public opinion like Wu Zetian and govern the country and the people!"

Princess Tingzhu looked at me in disbelief, her expression suddenly becoming extremely cold: "How can you have such a paradox?"

After saying this, she left in a hurry.

Ah Ban and I exchanged a glance, but Princess Qi said with a hint of joking, "How dare you say something so unorthodox! But you are talking about... Wu Zetian? Who is this person?"

"It's a female emperor! She..."

I recounted the legendary life of the empress to Princess Qi while we returned to the Women's Academy together. We agreed to go to Wenyuan Pavilion together after dinner.

"Huh? Why wasn't this incense given to His Highness Zhixu?" Yu Yi sorted out the book box and took out a bunch of incense sticks from it.

"He didn't come! Please help me deliver it this afternoon."

"Miss, this is the 'plum blossom sauce' that the prince consort sent specially. It is said that the fresh and tranquil floral fragrance and the fresh and sweet soup complement each other, and it is indeed the best for dispelling the cold. Miss, please try it." Yutuan filled a bowl and brought it to me.

"Hey! There are peppercorns and fennel, both of which I don't like!" I threw the bowl and spoon on the table, quite impatient.

Yuyi took a bite and smiled, "Oh my! How come the prince consort doesn't know the girl's taste? There are more shredded ginger than cabbage!"

"It's ridiculous to think that he can show his father's love with just a bowl of porridge!" I fiddled with the rope around my waist impatiently and made a dull complaint.

Recently, he learned that his childhood kidnapping and the incident with Aban were related to him, which inevitably made him even more irritable. Thinking of this, he became a little irritable: "Throw away the bowl and the box together!"

"Good girl! Don't be angry! It's just a bowl of porridge! Why are you so angry! I'll tell Guangbai that I won't send it to you next time!" Yutuan cleaned up the table and prepared to take the lunch box out.

I called Yu Tuan, "Hey, wait a minute! Don't waste it. You can bring it to Princess Qi when you meet her later!"

Yu Tuan smiled and said, "Okay, I'll put it on the stove to warm it up."

Her eyes inadvertently passed over the tea leaves on the dressing table. Last night's dream came to her mind vividly, and she couldn't help but blurt out, "Wait a minute! How about we go to Linhua Palace together? I just happen to have something I want to ask Feng Zhixu."

Yu Tuan was stunned: "Miss, are you going to the residence of His Highness Zhixu?"

I nodded affirmatively: "That's right, let's set off without further delay!" As soon as I finished speaking, I started to change my clothes.

When we arrived at the Linhua Palace, Feng Zhixu was pacing back and forth in the palace, feeling restless.

"Why are you walking around? What happened?" I took the food box from Yu Tuan and showed it to him: "Look what I brought you!"

"Ah He." Feng Zhixu's eyes met mine. He led me to the inner hall, looked around, and then closed the red door.

"What are you doing? You're so secretive."

"Uncle Fu is missing."

I was shocked when I heard this: "Missing?"

"After I met Grandpa Huang yesterday, I lost all contact with my second uncle."

I tried to comfort him: "Maybe he was just tripped up by personal matters..."

Feng Zhixu flatly denied it: "It's impossible! I have reported this to Grandpa Emperor, and the inner guards reported that Second Uncle Fu disappeared as soon as he left the palace."

I was shocked: "Even the people around His Majesty can't be tracked? Then..."

Feng Zhixu said solemnly: "I'm afraid Uncle Fu has met with an accident..."

"Ah...how can you tell that?"

"Uncle Fu's actions have always been watertight, and he is definitely not one to leave his post without permission. In addition, when he returned to the capital this time, the Emperor had already delivered a secret decree. Uncle Fu had just met with His Majesty when he mysteriously disappeared..."

I asked anxiously, "Didn't you come to Beijing secretly? How did you reveal your whereabouts so quickly?"

Feng Zhixu shook his head with a hint of self-mockery: "I'm afraid that the person I trusted secretly betrayed me."

I suddenly remembered that he had told me about this yesterday. I couldn't help but feel worried and hurriedly defended myself: "Well, I definitely didn't tell anyone anything! I swear! After I went back yesterday, I just had some food and flipped through a few pages casually..."