Chapter 6 Three Days of Darkness
Darkness lingered over the Imperial Palace long after the rebels had been defeated.
Though the fires had been extinguished and the surviving attackers captured, a heavy silence settled over the once-vibrant palace grounds. The Spring Lantern Festival felt like a distant memory.
Every corridor whispered of tragedy.
Every servant walked with lowered eyes.
And in the heart of the palace, behind the doors of the Imperial Medical Hall, Su Yu Lan remained unconscious.
The royal physicians worked tirelessly.
Incense burned day and night.
Ancient medicines were prepared.
Acupuncture needles lined delicate pressure points.
Yet despite their efforts, Yu Lan showed no signs of waking.
She lay motionless upon her bed.
Her breathing was shallow.
Her face appeared pale beneath the lantern light.
The jade pendant still rested around her neck.
Sometimes, when nobody was watching, a faint emerald glow would flicker beneath the blankets before disappearing moments later.
The physicians could not explain it.
Prince Li Wei Chen never left her side.
For three days and three nights, he remained beside her bed.
Food was brought to him.
Most of it remained untouched.
Ministers requested audiences.
He refused them all.
Even the Emperor himself had ordered his son to rest.
Wei Chen obeyed no one.
He sat beside Yu Lan in silence, watching for the slightest movement.
Waiting.
Hoping.
Praying.
On the first day, General Han Mo entered the room.
The Prince had not slept.
Dark circles had appeared beneath his eyes.
His hands remained clasped tightly around Yu Lan's.
"Your Highness," Han Mo said quietly.
No response came.
"You should eat something."
"I am not hungry."
Han Mo frowned.
"You haven't eaten since yesterday."
Wei Chen's gaze never left Yu Lan.
"Then I shall eat tomorrow."
The General sighed.
"That's not how the human body works."
Still, the Prince didn't move.
Han Mo had fought alongside Wei Chen for years.
He had seen him charge into impossible battles.
He had watched him face overwhelming armies without fear.
Never once had he seen the prince look so helpless.
After several moments, Han Mo spoke again.
"The palace is secure."
Silence.
"The surviving rebels are being interrogated."
Still silence.
"They keep repeating the same thing."
At last, Wei Chen looked up.
"What did they say?"
Han Mo exchanged a troubled glance with the physicians.
"They claim they were searching for something called the Jade Heart."
The Prince frowned.
"The Jade Heart?"
"They believe it is hidden somewhere within the palace."
Wei Chen's expression darkened.
The jade pendant.
Yu Lan's visions.
The strange power that had erupted during the attack.
All of it seemed connected.
Yet none of it mattered.
Not while she remained unconscious.
Han Mo followed his gaze back to Yu Lan.
"She'll wake up."
Wei Chen said nothing.
For the first time in his life, he was unsure if he believed in hope.
That night, rain began to fall.
Thunder rolled across the mountains surrounding the capital.
Inside the chamber, candlelight flickered against the walls.
The Prince remained awake.
Outside, servants whispered concerns.
Inside, only silence existed.
Wei Chen gently brushed a strand of hair from Yu Lan's face.
"You promised to dance with me again."
His voice was barely audible.
The unconscious woman did not answer.
"I haven't thanked you."
Nothing.
"You saved my life."
Still nothing.
The silence hurt more than any wound he had ever suffered.
He lowered his head.
For the first time since childhood, tears filled his eyes.
"You foolish woman."
His voice cracked.
"Why would you do that?"
The room remained silent except for the rain beyond the windows.
Elsewhere, within the darkness of her unconscious mind, Yu Lan wandered through an unfamiliar world.
The magnificent jade garden had returned.
Glowing trees stretched toward the heavens.
Emerald flowers bloomed endlessly around her.
Crystal rivers flowed beneath bridges of jade.
The air shimmered with mystical light.
It was beautiful.
Yet she was completely alone.
"Hello?" she called.
Her voice echoed.
No answer came.
The garden seemed larger than before.
Ancient.
Timeless.
As though it had existed long before kingdoms or empires were born.
Suddenly, a familiar voice drifted through the breeze.
"Child of Jade..."
Yu Lan turned.
A figure clothed in flowing emerald robes appeared beneath an enormous jade tree.
The mysterious woman glowed with ethereal light.
Her long silver hair moved as though carried by an invisible wind.
"Who are you?"
The woman smiled gently.
"I have waited a very long time for you."
Yu Lan took a hesitant step forward.
"Where am I?"
"You stand within the Garden Eternal."
The woman raised a hand toward the glowing trees surrounding them.
"The heart of all jade."
Yu Lan's confusion deepened.
"What does that mean?"
Before the woman could answer, the entire garden suddenly trembled.
Dark shadows appeared among the trees.
The emerald figure's expression became serious.
"Time grows short."
The shadows crept closer.
"You must awaken."
Yu Lan stared.
"Awaken?"
"The one who loves you waits."
The garden began fading around them.
The woman stretched out her hand.
"Find the Jade Heart before darkness reaches it."
Back in the palace, dawn arrived on the third day.
The sky beyond the windows glowed with pale gold.
The physicians exchanged worried glances.
Three days had passed.
No improvement.
No movement.
No awakening.
One of the elderly physicians approached the Prince.
"Your Highness..."
Wei Chen looked up immediately.
The hesitation in the physician's voice frightened him.
"If she does not awaken soon..."
The older man lowered his gaze.
"We may need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that she never will."
The room fell silent.
Han Mo clenched his jaw.
The servants looked away.
Wei Chen slowly rose to his feet.
A dangerous calm settled over him.
"Leave."
The physicians froze.
"Your Highness—"
"Leave."
Nobody argued.
Within moments, everyone had exited the room.
The Prince was alone with Yu Lan.
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
Sunlight slowly filled the chamber.
Wei Chen sat beside her once more.
His fingers tightened around hers.
"You're stronger than this."
Silence.
"I know you can hear me."
Nothing.
The jade pendant suddenly flickered.
A faint emerald glow spread across the room.
The Prince immediately looked up.
The light grew brighter.
Brighter.
Brighter.
Then—
Yu Lan's fingers twitched.
Wei Chen froze.
For a moment, he thought he imagined it.
Then her hand moved again.
His heart nearly stopped.
"Yu Lan?"
Her eyelids trembled.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Her eyes began to open.
And for the first time in three days, hope returned.