That night,
The entire imperial palace was submerged in the wailing sounds, as if mountains and seas were pouring down.
Amidst this noise, after returning to the palace, Ning Wanshuang changed into a lake-blue long dress.
The dress differed from her usual favorite colors of yellow, red, and purple – not as vibrant, but rather appearing quite plain.
Yet when she wore this dress, with her hair simply tied in a bun with a silver hairpin, she did not seem out of place. Instead, she gained an air of pure, unadorned beauty.
Ning Wanshuang rarely dressed like this, and even Liu Yue felt that this attire suited her much better than her usual glamorous makeup.
Or perhaps, this was her true self?
After entering the palace, everyone inevitably became entangled in endless struggles and countless insidious harms.
Perhaps Ning Wanshuang was not that formidable, but she had to pretend to be, so that no one would dare bully her.
Liu Yue said softly, "Your Majesty, this dress is very plain, but with the Emperor's passing, the entire palace is in mourning white. This lake-blue color stands out too much among the white. Perhaps..."
But before she could finish, Ning Wanshuang had already hurried out of the palace gates.
She almost ran along the long streets. The palace maids who saw her lowered their heads and avoided her, but after she had gone, they inevitably gossiped about her.
Liu Yue followed closely behind her, anxiously saying:
"Your Majesty, where are you going? It's deep night, and the whole palace is in mourning for the Emperor's passing. Your Majesty should not wander around!"
She nagged like this the whole way, but Ning Wanshuang did not hear a single word.
Only when she entered the Guangyang Gate and saw the Magnolia flowers blooming there did she finally stop and smile contentedly.
She closed her eyes, deeply inhaling the fragrant scent, then turned around and smiled brightly like a child, asking Liu Yue,
"Do I look good in this dress?"
Liu Yue nodded vigorously, "Beautiful! But it seems I've never seen Your Majesty wear it before."
Ning Wanshuang played with the hem of her dress, saying half-proudly, "This is the dress I wore when I first met the Emperor."
A breeze blew,
scattering Magnolia petals all around.
The pale purple petals fluttered around Ning Wanshuang, close enough for her to touch, but they quickly slipped through her fingers.
She asked Liu Yue, "Do you know why I like Magnolia flowers?"
Liu Yue pursed her lips, guessing, "Perhaps because the flowers are beautiful and fragrant?"
Ning Wanshuang shook her head with a smile, "Not quite. It's also because these flowers bloom before the leaves appear, so the tree is either covered in pale purple blossoms or fresh green leaves. Unlike other flowers, they don't have a mix of red and green, but I've always felt that this singular color is what makes them beautiful.
If we liken them to people, it's as if one's heart can only hold one person, unable to bear any other distractions, no matter how splendid."
Later, the evening breeze gradually grew stronger.
Ning Wanshuang danced freely amidst the falling petals, murmuring a soft chant,
"Only now do I realize my mistake back then, my heart lost in melancholy."
"Tears of red secretly fall, spring winds fill my eyes with regrets."
"I know there's no way forward, yet I force myself to anticipate joy."
"After this parting, the Magnolia petals have all fallen, the moon drifting westward."
Upon finishing her chant, she suddenly collapsed amidst the scattered petals.
Liu Yue thought she had tripped and fell, so she hurried to help her up.
But then,
She saw dark blood trickling from the corner of Ning Wanshuang's lips.
Liu Yue panicked, "Oh no! Your Majesty, what's wrong? Someone, quick, someone come!"
Ning Wanshuang lay in Liu Yue's arms, her hand naturally falling to the ground, easily grasping a petal stained with mud.
She gazed at it silently, smiling silently.
In a daze, she seemed to hear someone clapping behind her.
Looking back, through the hazy moonlight, she saw Xiao Jingheng.
The young man exuded vigor and uprightness,
Gazing at her from afar, he gave her a warm smile.
Just like the first time they met here on the first day of the third month, eleven years ago.
Back then, Xiao Jingheng had not yet ascended the throne,
And back then, Ning Wanshuang was simply Ning Wanshuang.
On the first day of the third month in the tenth year of the Qiyuan era, Imperial Consort Ning Wanshuang passed away at the age of twenty-seven.
