The Cloud Terrace mentioned by the Empress was built by the Former Emperor for the devout belief in Buddhism of the Dowager Empress.
The Cloud Terrace consists of a total of 999 steps, making it the tallest structure in the palace.
According to the Former Emperor, this is called 'Reaching the Sky,' emphasizing that the closer one is to the heavens during the worship of Buddha, the more devout they become.
On top of the Cloud Terrace, there is a temple dedicated to the Bodhisattva with Ten Halls. It is a sacred place in the palace where incense is offered throughout the year and prayers for blessings are made.
However, due to the immense height of the Cloud Terrace and the lack of shortcuts to reach the top, even the Emperor himself would have to climb step by step if he wished to worship Buddha on the Cloud Terrace.
Over time, the lord of the palace grew lazy and stopped coming to this place to pray for blessings.
But the Empress was different.
Every fifteenth day of the month, she would personally ascend to the top, offering the peace talisman she had written herself to the Temple of the Bodhisattva with Ten Halls. It would be enveloped in the fragrance of incense throughout the night, and then she would personally retrieve it and entrust it to Xiao Jingheng to ensure the safety and auspiciousness of the emperor.
Xiao Jingheng found this task burdensome and repeatedly advised the Empress not to go through the trouble anymore.
However, the Empress continued to do so every month, stating that it was her way of expressing her affection for Xiao Jingheng and hoping for his well-being.
As a result, it became widely known throughout the palace that the Empress would ascend the Cloud Terrace on the fifteenth and sixteenth of each month.
But today was different.
The Empress was feeling unwell, and it had snowed the entire day yesterday. Although the palace attendants had cleared the snow, the Cloud Terrace was still covered in remnants of frozen snow, making it slippery and difficult to traverse.
A young palace maid stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, shall I go and retrieve it for you?"
However, before she could finish speaking, Shuang Ruo reprimanded her, "The peace talisman was placed by the master. How can we, as servants, go and retrieve it? We must not tarnish the Empress's intentions."
Song Zhao, who had been standing by, listened to the implications in Shuang Ruo's words.
The Empress would definitely be unable to go in her weak state. If she were to go today and accidentally slip on the Cloud Terrace, Xiao Jingheng would surely hold someone accountable. Song Zhao couldn't just stand by and ignore the situation; otherwise, she would be at fault.
Shuang Ruo added that both palace maids and eunuchs were servants and should not be the ones to retrieve it.
Therefore, the most suitable person to retrieve the peace talisman on behalf of the Empress was Song Zhao alone.
She found herself caught in a dilemma. Going was not an option, but not going was also not an option.
After a moment of silence, she saw that the Empress was still determined to go, so she stepped in front of her and tentatively said, "Why don't I go and retrieve it for you?"
The Empress, of course, would not agree and replied, "The steps of the Cloud Terrace are steep, and it becomes even more slippery after the snow. How can I let you go? I will go by myself."
Hearing her words, Song Zhao realized that she couldn't go, but the Empress, the mistress of the harem, could take the risk?
With those words spoken, even if Song Zhao didn't want to go, she had no choice now.
"When the Empress personally presented the peace talisman to pray for the Emperor's well-being, it already demonstrated her sincerity to the gods and Buddhas. Now, I also wish to pray for the Emperor's well-being. I kindly ask the Empress to give me an opportunity to retrieve the peace talisman on behalf of the Emperor."
Only then did the Empress reluctantly say, "Very well, be careful on your way."
After leaving the Empress's palace and walking a distance, Yun Shan whispered to Song Zhao:
"Are you really going, my lady? I can't help but find this matter very suspicious. If the Empress wants to retrieve the protective talisman, she could have gone when the snow hadn't frozen yet in the early morning. Why wait until now?"
Song Zhao replied, "Since the Empress has already insisted, I have no choice but to go. We just need to be cautious."
When the master and servant arrived at Cloud Terrace, they happened to see palace maids sweeping the steps.
The snow on the lower steps had already been cleared away, and salt had been sprinkled on them.
Yun Shan walked a few steps back and forth on the first few steps to make sure they were not slippery, then said to Song Zhao, "My lady, these steps are safe."
Song Zhao also tested two steps herself. Even though there were still some water stains on the salted steps, they were not freezing and wouldn't make them slip.
However, despite this, Song Zhao still had some concerns.
After all, Cloud Terrace was tall and steep. If something unexpected happened and she fell from above, it would be a matter of life and death.
She stood at the bottom of the terrace, watching a palace maid climb up the steps one by one from a lower position. She made it all the way to the top without any mishaps. Only then did Song Zhao say to Yun Shan, "Let's go, but let's take it slow."
Cloud Terrace leaned against the mountain on one side and hung in the air on the other.
The mountain was on the right, and the open space was on the left.
According to etiquette, Song Zhao should have walked on the left side, with Yun Shan on the right side.
But Yun Shan was afraid that something might happen to Song Zhao, so she ignored the rules and voluntarily went to a place on the left side that was not against the mountain.
"My lady, it's safer to walk on the inside."
The master and servant supported each other, but after only a dozen steps, they suddenly heard a proud female voice behind them.
"Stop there."
Song Zhao turned around abruptly and saw Consort Chen's sedan passing by this spot.
Consort Chen lifted the curtain of the sedan and looked at Song Zhao. Her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as she scanned her from top to bottom with sharp eyes.
"What are you doing?"
Song Zhao had already climbed more than a dozen steps and was standing significantly higher than Consort Chen.
She couldn't stand in a higher place than Consort Chen to pay her respects, so she turned around and went back down, standing respectfully in front of Consort Chen's sedan. She saluted and said,
"Respectfully to Consort Chen, the Empress has sent me to retrieve the protective talisman enshrined in the Temple of the Bodhisattva with Ten Halls."
"Hmph," Consort Chen sneered, her tone cold and menacing.
"You attach yourself to this palace, yet you still eagerly try to please the Empress? You really know how to play both sides!"
Song Zhao hurriedly said, "I didn't intend to please the Empress. It's just..."
She recounted in detail what had happened in the Phoenix Palace earlier to Consort Chen.
After finishing, she sighed helplessly and said, "I happened to get caught up in this matter. This Cloud Terrace is so high, and it snowed yesterday. Honestly, I'm very afraid too."
Consort Chen didn't pay any attention to Song Zhao's explanation at all.
She gently stroked her temple and rolled her eyes at Song Zhao, speaking in a sarcastic tone:
"Pay close attention to the path beneath your feet and you won't make any missteps. There's nothing to fear then. I noticed that your hands have developed frostbite from the cold chains that protect you on each side of the Cloud Terrace. It's as cold as ice in winter, so it's best not to touch them and risk freezing your delicate hands. It wouldn't be easy to serve as the Empress in the future!"
With a disgruntled hum, Consort Chen finished speaking and sullenly dropped the curtain of the palanquin, instructing the palace attendants to carry her away.
Although Consort Chen had always been this way, Song Zhao couldn't help but feel that there was something peculiar about her today.
Perhaps it was because Consort Chen mentioned it that Song Zhao climbed the steps without touching the iron chains that guarded the Cloud Terrace.
Although she didn't touch them, her gaze remained fixed on them.
When they reached the halfway point up the mountain, Song Zhao gradually slowed her pace. Yun Shan turned to look at her and asked, "What's the matter, Young Lady?"
Song Zhao stopped silently, leaned her body against Yun Shan, and casually grabbed one of the chains. With a little force, she pulled it downward.
With this simple tug, the connection of the chain instantly gave way, making a clanging sound as it fell.
The sound startled Yun Shan, who trembled and exclaimed, "Young Lady, be careful!"
She firmly supported Song Zhao and watched the loosened chain fall to the ground, her heart still pounding with fear. She said, "Fortunately, you didn't hold onto the chain, or else the force would have been applied to it. If the chain suddenly broke, you would have definitely fallen!"
Being at a high altitude, the biting cold wind continuously blew into Song Zhao's collar.
However, she was sweating profusely from the fright.
"There's a lucky cloud pattern on this chain. Only the mistress can touch it; palace attendants are not allowed. The maid we saw down below is someone who serves in the temple. She climbs the Cloud Terrace every day and has been trained to not feel tired. But the mistress in the palace doesn't do physical labor like the attendants. If someone gets tired climbing and grabs onto this chain, they might end up flying out and being smashed to pieces..."
Yun Shan was shocked upon hearing this and exclaimed anxiously, "The Empress wants to harm you!"
Song Zhao remained silent, looking at the steep steps behind her. Warm breath escaped her mouth, forming a mist in the air.
"It's Consort Chen who wants to save me."
