In life, there comes a time for birth and death, with no need to be startled by honor or disgrace.
The corpses before Xu Qing seemed like scrolls of paintings unfurling, whether they were high officials and noblemen, wandering rogues, or just peddlers, prisoners, and convicts.
To him, they were all the protagonists on the stage, and once they finished performing their final act of life, they would step down and merge into the world of dust and earthly affairs.
In the cold room, Xu Qing took out a miniature Box Garden, just about to clean the room when he suddenly noticed an extra coffin with an open lid inside the Box Garden.
Inside the coffin lay a female corpse clad in a robe of five-colored bats and dragons and phoenixes.
When did a female corpse appear in his Box Garden?
Xu Qing, who often forgot about corpses, was startled for a moment before remembering that he had rushed into the Imperial Mausoleum, eager for seclusion, and had casually thrown the tomb's owner along with the coffin into the Box Garden.
That tomb seemed to be the grave of an Empress.
What is a pleasant surprise? Like finding bits of silver forgotten in a coat pocket months ago, only to have them fall out while washing clothes.
When hardships weigh heavy and hunger looms, forcing you to trade the only egg-laying hen at home for rice and flour, then someone approaches you in the market, saying that last month when you went to the capital for exams, you passed as a scholar, and now everyone is gathered at your doorstep awaiting your return to celebrate!
A chance gain of good news or wealth is called a pleasant surprise!
At the moment, Xu Qing, who had long forgotten about the mausoleum's corpse, was utterly delighted to find the extra female corpse in the Box Garden.
Skipping over the opulent burial items in the coffin, Xu Qing focused directly on the lifelike female corpse.
This body was peculiar, dead for many years yet retaining no signs of decay, with an uncanny fragrance lingering around it.
Xu Qing exclaimed in wonder, checking the source of the scent on the female corpse, finding only some gloomy aura, with no signs of being a Medicinal Corpse or having undergone any preservation process.
"What a strange phenomenon, a corpse with a fragrance instead of a stench?"
Even Xu Qing, who had seen countless corpses, could not help but feel amazed.
Intuition told Xu Qing that this corpse certainly held some secret within it.
Placing his hand on the Empress's wrist, Xu Qing couldn't resist giving it a squeeze, finding it rather soft.
This body was interesting.
The Sutra of Salvation flipped pages swiftly, and this Empress too had taken her place on the stage, commencing her final dance.
At this moment, Xu Qing was the only spectator below the stage.
Originally selected from the court as a young lady, the Empress did not come from wealth but possessed ambitions for fame and beauty.
What extent must a woman reach to be considered renowned? The young lady pondered deeply and set her sights on the mighty walls of the inner palace before her.
Imagine, a young girl eager to climb her way upward, nurtured from a young age within the harem, how could such an upbringing be simple?
From a minor attendant, a palace lady, to a talented person, a beauty...
The young lady advanced from serving her masters as a minor attendant to the rank of consort step by step.
But unfortunately, despite climbing to the forefront among the innumerable ranks of consorts, she still did not gain the Emperor's favor.
One day, during the Emperor's spring hunt, the lady, newly promoted to "Beauty," accompanied several consorts on the excursion.
At the time, Beauty Xue, yet to gain the Emperor's favor, was already quite alluring. Though still green, she was a budding flower ready to bloom and could easily be called a national beauty.
The spring hunt was a perfect opportunity to become acquainted with the ruler.
Beauty Xue intended to use the occasion to display her charm and attract the ruler's attention, but unexpectedly, the jealousy of an accompanying consort thwarted her.
While the others admired the scenery, Beauty Xue was left to guard and feed a wild rabbit newly adopted by the consort.
That consort had no interest in keeping a rabbit; it was just an excuse to send Beauty Xue away, preventing her from seeing the Emperor!
Alone in the tent, Beauty Xue wallowed in the sadness of lost opportunity, never expecting that by noon, a limping fox with an arrow in its hindquarters would suddenly stumble into her tent.
The fox spoke in a human voice: "Good sister, save my life, and I will repay you one day!"
Startled and frightened, Beauty Xue then heard the calls of people outside: "Quickly, find that blue fox, there's a hefty reward for whoever catches it!"
"The fox seems to have headed toward Lady Yi's tent, so the credit goes to Lady Yi."
We don't know what it was, but upon hearing this, the previously terrified Beauty Xue suddenly stopped feeling fear.
Outside her tent, soldiers inquired, and Beauty Xue opened the tent, showing it was empty save for a small table and a drape to conceal.
Beauty Xue said: "There is no commotion inside the tent, perhaps the wild beast escaped behind it..."
A servant peeked in and seeing no trace of the fox, led the soldiers, clamoring toward the rear of the tent.
Beauty Xue hid the savaged fox in the bottom of the accompanying carriage, and when the spring hunt concluded, the fox followed her all the way into the Imperial City.
In the months that followed, Beauty Xue did not see the fox again until during the steamy heat of summer, while she was napping, a fox suddenly darted into her room.
The fox spoke in a fine feminine voice: "Dear sister, don't be afraid. Months ago you helped me survive a calamity; I have come now to repay you."
Beauty Xue was filled with uncertainty, listening as the fox continued: "Sister, living here in this deep palace room, must often feel lonely and unfree. If you wish, I can help you escape from this prison and become a free person..."
Leave the palace? Upon hearing this, Beauty Xue sprang up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She had worked hard for so long just to gain a foothold in the palace. Leaving would render all her efforts futile and possibly reduce her to a lowly commoner...