CHAPTER 50: ECHOES OF THE PAST

For a moment, Jin Li was stunned.

Jin Li: Huh?

Qi Yuan: I'm in the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone right now. Managed to win over a whole band of underlings. They're pretty strong, too. Sima Ting won't be a problem. Should I send them to you?

He never forgot her precarious situation. Now commanding the garment monsters, he naturally thought to send them to her aid. Every day’s delay could spell disaster.

A flood of joy rushed through Jin Li's chest. If Qi Yuan was by her side at that moment, who knows what reckless or shameless thing she could’ve done. She longed to give herself to him, yet always feared she was unworthy. [1]

Qi Yuan: Aren’t you happy? I’m letting you cheat with my buffs.

He felt like a whale tossing millions of dollars into the game, while Jin Li was just a humble free-to-play player. Except she was the one enjoying all the perks. After all, when Qi Yuan was ill or lonely, Jin Li had been the lone light in his darkest night.

Qi Yuan: Still, even if I send them, it’ll take a while. They’d have to attack from outside the city. Meanwhile, you have no one on your side. Sima Ting might snap and do something desperate. Here’s a better way, build a sacrificial altar to summon the garment monsters. They’ll appear in about three days.

He carefully explained every step of the summoning ritual and altar construction, down to the smallest detail. It took him half an hour, and by the end, he was utterly spent and finally logged off.

Little Bride held him quietly, not moving an inch, as if Qi Yuan were her entire world.

***

"Summon the garment monsters..." Jin Li whispered.

A smile broke across her face—the smile of one who had escaped certain death, mixed with the joy of potentially seeing Qi Yuan.

"Summon the Minister of Rites, Kong Qi," she commanded steadily, then added after a pause, "and summon Duke Yu as well."

Half an hour later, in the grand hall of the palace, Kong Qi and Duke Yu stood waiting below the throne. Aunt Qin, Hua Xian, and the others kept to the side. Everyone watched Jin Li with quiet confusion.

Jin Li held out a scroll. "Minister Kong, I wish to build a sacrificial altar. Here is the design. How many days will it take to complete?"

She’d drawn the blueprint by hand. Hua Xian received it and passed it up to Kong Qi. He studied it carefully, brows furrowing as he realized what it was.

At last, he said, "Your Majesty, this altar could be raised in four or five days. But may I ask what purpose it will serve...?"

Both he and Duke Yu were perplexed. With Sima Ting’s treachery looming over them, shouldn’t the empress be plotting a counterstrike or escape? Why divert manpower to build such a sacrificial altar?

Jin Li’s expression hardened as she exuded cold authority. "Just do it. Do not ask why."

Kong Qi hesitated. "Still... Though I am Minister of Rites, the ministry is firmly in Sima Ting’s grip. If I am to mobilize men and materials, I must have a plausible reason."

Aunt Qin chided, "Isn't Her Majesty's order not reason enough?"

Even though she didn't understand why the altar mattered, she’d support whatever the empress decreed.

Jin Li suggested, "Tell them it’s for a rite to heaven and our ancestors."

Her voice was firm, though a pang of bitterness pricked at her heart. In truth, she had no power over the ministries. She was a mere ceremonial figure—a mascot at the mercy of Sima TIng’s whims.

Kong Qi fell to his knees, whispering, "Your Majesty... I fear that won't be enough."

His forehead pressed against the floor, shame washing over his face. "I have failed you. I am unworthy of your trust."

Despite being a great scholar revered across Southern Qian, he couldn’t even control his own ministry.

Raising his head again, he urged, "Leaving the capital is the priority. An altar is nothing in comparison. If Your Majesty flees to Yanbei Pass, you can call upon General Tianqi to strike down the traitor. So long as General Tianqi remains loyal, you will be safe."

To him, escape was the sole remaining lifeline. What use was an altar?

Jin Li fell silent. She couldn’t reveal that the altar would call forth the garment monsters. If Sima Ting caught even a whisper, he’d eliminate her at once. The whole conception seemed ridiculous, but Jin Li was sure Sima Ting would err on the side of caution and do just that.

Duke Yu stepped forward, saying in a low yet firm voice, "Your Majesty, Kong Qi speaks sense. You must leave the capital if you wish to live. This is the only chance."

Everyone in the hall knew the odds of her slipping away were slim, but slim was still more than none.

Jin Li declared, her voice cold and immovable, "Build the altar."

Her stubborn resolve made Kong Qi's heart sink. He thought of the late emperor. Despite being weakened, he’d always thrash against his chains with the spirit of a true sovereign. But Jin Li...

Tears welled in his eyes. "I am useless, unable to shield Your Majesty. But I will donate three hundred seventy silver taels toward the construction."

It was much for an ordinary man, but a pittance for such a project.

Duke Yu sighed deeply. "Your Majesty seeks to go down with the empire... Very well. I will give eighty thousand silver taels, and eight hundred craftsmen. Let this altar be my final service to Southern Qian."

His words carried the weight of old grief. Years ago, his pregnant daughter, Consort Xi, shared apricot blossom soup with Jin Li’s mother, the late empress. Consort Xi, fond of the taste, drank more of it. The late empress even offered some of her own. However, a maid had slipped poison into the dish. Consort Xi miscarried, and in her sorrow, soon wasted away.

Had fate turned otherwise, the late empress would have perished, and Jin Li would never have been born. Consort Xi and her unborn child had died in Jin Li’s stead.

Rumors spread that the jealous empress poisoned her rival. However, Duke Yu had known it was Sima Ting all along.

When Jin Li once came to borrow books, he’d demanded she kneel before his daughter’s shrine. In his heart, he felt his daughter and grandson had given their lives for this girl. And so, torn between grief and affection, he sometimes saw Jin Li as the granddaughter fate had left him.

Jin Li, unaware of all this, felt only joy at his offer. "Many thanks, Duke Yu!"

The silver was indeed precious, but the eight hundred craftsmen were priceless. With them, all obstacles were swept away.

Duke Yu stared at her long and hard. "Your Majesty, I don’t know your purpose. But I must remind you, your life was bought with the blood of many. Your survival is the survival of Southern Qian itself. Please, for the sake of the kingdom, value your life."

His meaning was clear: he would stay behind to build the altar as a cover, while she slipped away to safety.

Jin Li understood, even if she didn’t say so aloud. "I know."

1. GURLLLLL CALMMM DOWNNNN OMG SHE DOWN BAD ☜