In the dead of night, a crescent moon hung high, and the Renshou Palace was enveloped in silence.
"Jiaojiao—"
On the Phoenix Bed, Empress Dowager Zhuang woke up with a start from a nightmare. She opened her eyes and saw the familiar canopy above her, feeling momentarily disoriented.
"Empress Dowager, what happened to you?" Qin Gonggong, who was on duty outside the door, heard the commotion and quickly pushed the door open, coming to the Empress Dowager's side.
He pulled apart the bed curtains and hooked them with the curtain hooks.
This summer was not as stifling as previous years, and with ice basins placed in the Sleeping Palace, Qin Gonggong felt a burst of coolness as he entered. But looking at the Empress Dowager, she was drenched in sweat.
The Empress Dowager was gasping for breath, still in shock.
Qin Gonggong looked at her with concern: "Empress Dowager, did you have a nightmare again? Was it... about Miss Gu again? Just now, it seemed like you called her name."
