The Changchun Palace team travels back in time to Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

On the 29th day of the first month of the 40th year of the Qianlong reign, the Imperial Noble Consort Ling passed away and was posthumously honored with the title Lingyi.

Wei Yingluo looked at herself on the bed and realized that she was dead.

She was terminally ill and on her deathbed. In her hazy state, she saw two tall figures standing before her bed. The figures were dressed in black and white robes, their faces pale, unlike those of the living. One of them took out a booklet and read, "Wei Yingluo, your lifespan is forty-nine years. Today your lifespan ends. Take her to the underworld immediately." Then, Wei Yingluo's hazy consciousness suddenly cleared. Her soul, accompanied by the ghost messengers, left her body, drifting past her weeping children calling for "Mother," the emperor with tears in his eyes, and the sorrowful concubines, before departing the Forbidden City.

So it turns out that people really do have spirits after death. Since there are ghost messengers, there must also be an underworld? Yingluo thought that if that were the case, perhaps she could meet her sister, the late Empress, Mingyu, Fuheng, and Jixiang. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a little excited, even though she was originally reluctant to leave this mortal world.

The ghost messenger seemed to know her thoughts and suddenly said, "Wei Yingluo, when you go to the underworld, you will be able to meet the person you miss. Also, there is something we need your help with."

Wei Yingluo asked doubtfully, "I didn't say anything, so how do you know what I'm thinking? Besides, Yingluo is just a mortal. The underworld is guarded by gods and Buddhas such as Ox-Head and Horse-Face, the Ten Kings of Hell, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. What can I do?"

"Regarding the first question, you have already left the human body, and your soul is no longer covered by a physical shell. Your thoughts and intentions can naturally be known to us ghost messengers. As for the second question, it's a long story, and we will tell you in detail when we get to the underworld."

The three ghosts floated for a while longer, and Wei Yingluo noticed that the surrounding scenery gradually blurred and turned into emptiness; suddenly, a magnificent gate appeared in front of her, with a plaque on the gate that read: "Office for Coordinating the Flow of Living Souls in the Three Thousand Worlds".

Wei Yingluo once copied scriptures at the Yuanmingyuan Garden. Upon seeing this plaque, she thought to herself: "'Three thousand worlds' is naturally the world described in Buddhist scriptures, which is composed of three kinds of thousand worlds: small, medium, and large. 'Living soul' is a soul like one's own. However, the meanings of words such as 'transmigration,' 'coordination,' and 'office' are difficult to understand."

Just as they were racking their brains trying to figure it out, two figures rushed out from inside the door, calling out, "Yingluo!"

Wei Yingluo looked closely and saw that the two figures, one dignified and elegant, the other bright and beautiful, were none other than her old friends, Fucha Rongyin and Mingyu! Yingluo was struck dumb. She had considered the possibility of meeting her old friends since her death, but when she actually met them, she was overwhelmed by a complex mix of emotions, including shock, joy, and sadness, and stood there dumbfounded.

Empress Fucha Rongyin quickly stepped forward and embraced Wei Yingluo. Although all three of them were now ghosts, Rongyin's embrace was still so warm, making Yingluo feel as if she had instantly returned to many years ago, to the moment when she was still a palace maid and the two of them embraced.

Yingluo froze, and it took her a long time to reach out and embrace Rongyin. She had so much to say to Rongyin. She wanted to tell Rongyin that she had avenged her, she wanted to express her longing over the years, and there was so much more she wanted to say. In the end, she trembled as she spoke, "Your Majesty the Empress!" With just one sentence, the sorrow of their past separation and the joy of their reunion overwhelmed her, and she choked up.

Rongyin was already in tears: "Yingluo, I know what's happened all these years, you've suffered so much... How could you be so foolish, giving up your freedom for someone who's already dead..." Mingyu also cried and hugged the two of them, the three of them embracing for a long time. The ghost messengers were also somewhat moved, turning their backs to wipe their eyes with the corner of their clothes.

After the three calmed down, they suddenly heard a soft cough from inside the door, followed by a voice saying, "I'm sorry to interrupt your joyous reunion, but I still have to say, why don't you come in and sit down and have a chat?"

Rongyin wiped away her tears, bowed respectfully, and said, "I was momentarily overwhelmed with emotion upon meeting an old friend. Please forgive me, Director." Then she turned to Yingluo and said, "Yingluo, I know you must have many questions. Let's go in and see the Director in charge of this place. He will tell you everything." She then took Yingluo's hand and led her through the gate, with Mingyu following closely behind.

Yingluo had imagined that the underworld would be a place where Yama, the King of Hell, sat at the head, with ghost messengers standing on either side, and a mirror reflecting people's good and evil deeds. But when she actually stepped through the gate, she discovered that the real underworld was vastly different from the legends: there was a desk and a tea table, with several chairs of varying lengths beside the tea table. These chairs were not made of wood, but seemed to be covered in leather, with raised seats, backrests, and armrests, as if soft cushions were placed under the leather. The so-called Yama was also nothing like the legends, but a short-haired woman wearing peephole glasses, dressed in a strange black outfit. Not only was her top very short, but her skirt was also knee-length, with black stockings covering her entire legs, and she wore a pair of black shoes that seemed to be made of leather, with heels at the ends. They were neither flowerpot shoes nor embroidered shoes; in short, it was an outfit she had never seen before.

The female Yama said, "Please sit down, all three of you!"

Yingluo was unaware of the rules of the underworld. Seeing Rongyin and Mingyu sit down on the leather chairs, she followed suit. The Queen Yama snapped her fingers, and a cup of tea appeared before the three of them.

"Miss Wei Yingluo, welcome to the Office for Coordinating the Flow of Souls in the Three Thousand Worlds. I am the office director, which you can think of as the official in charge of this place," the "female Yama" cleared her throat and said.

Yingluo quickly stood up, curtsied, and said, "This humble subject, Wei Yingluo, greets the Office Director!"

"Hey, have a seat. Just call me Director. The reason I brought you three here after your lifespans ended is because I have a task for you." The Director quickly invited her to sit down and said, "The details are rather complicated. Since you are from ancient times, my explanation might be difficult for you to understand. Ms. Rong, when I begin to explain, please explain it to me in your own words."

Fucha Rongyin said softly, "I understand, Director."

"Then I'll start."

"First of all, the world you three live in is an independent little world that exists parallel to the real world, constructed by the TV series 'Story of Yanxi Palace'. We call it the 'Story of Yanxi Palace World'."

Rongyin: "What the director means is that we are living in a play."

Yingluo: "?"

She didn't quite understand, but she was deeply shocked.

"The prototype of your world is the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. However, due to the author's re-creation, it does not completely match all the events that happened during the Qianlong era. Therefore, this world is generally similar to the main world, but not exactly the same. And it separated from the main world the moment the TV series was finished."

Rongyin: "For example, the play 'The Palace of Eternal Life' is based on the story of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and Yang Guifei. However, due to the skillful additions and deletions by literati, it is not necessarily completely the same as the historical record. For instance, Yang Guifei was originally the wife of Prince Shou, the daughter-in-law of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, but in 'The Palace of Eternal Life,' she is portrayed as a palace maid. Even Bai Juyi's 'Song of Everlasting Regret' says 'Once chosen to be by the emperor's side,' thus concealing the incestuous relationship. This is the difference."

Yingluo seemed to understand but not quite: "I think I understand a little, but if that's the case, isn't the world I live in fake? But all these years, I really feel that everything I've experienced wasn't an illusion!"

The director said, "As the Buddhist scriptures say, all phenomena are illusory. Everything is illusory, but conversely, illusion can also be real. These small worlds were originally created by scholars and can be said to be projections of the real world. As long as the people and things in these small worlds do not excessively violate their own internal logic and laws, and are not too chaotic and unrealistic, the foundation of these worlds will not be shaken."

Rongyin: "The Tao Te Ching says: 'There is something undifferentiated and complete, which existed before heaven and earth. Silent and vast, it stands alone and unchanging, ever-present and inexhaustible. It can be regarded as the mother of heaven and earth. I do not know its name, so I call it Tao, and I give it the name Great.' Our small world is born from the Great Tao. As long as we do not violate the Great Tao, our Great Qing, although it differs slightly from the Great Qing in historical records, truly exists."

Director: "Yes, what Ms. Rong calls the 'Great Way' is the internal logic and laws of the small world I'm talking about. As for the laws created by writers that are different from the main world, to make it easier for you to understand, I'll use a term similar to the Great Way, 'Heavenly Way,' to refer to them. The Great Way is like a tree, and the Heavenly Way is like the leaves and flowers. Although leaves with different textures and flowers with different blooms may grow on the branches, the branches are still part of the trunk. Leaves and flowers separated from the tree will only wither away."

Yingluo: "I understand a little. For example, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and Consort Yang had an incestuous relationship, but this is not mentioned in 'The Palace of Eternal Life,' which is the way of Heaven. However, in 'The Palace of Eternal Life,' Emperor Xuanzong was indulging in wine, women, and wealth, neglecting state affairs, which gave An Lushan, Shi Siming, and other traitors the opportunity to rebel. The Yang family rose to power because of Emperor Xuanzong, which led to Consort Yang being forced to commit suicide at Mawei Slope and Yang Guozhong being killed. The cause and effect in this is the Great Way, is that what you mean?"

The director nodded approvingly: "Yes, yes, Ms. Wei really understands things very quickly!" Rong Yin and Ming Yu also showed proud expressions.

The director paused, leaned forward, looked at the three, and said solemnly, "Now, there is something I need your help with. There is a small world similar to yours, called the Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace world. The Heavenly Dao of this world seems to be being disrupted by some indescribable strangeness, causing its internal laws to become chaotic and even deviating from the Great Dao. As I have said before, a small world that deviates from the Great Dao is like fallen flowers and leaves, destined only to wither and be destroyed. Therefore, I need you to go to this world, find out the indescribable strangeness, and correct the Heavenly Dao."