吴若曦深吸一口气，这口气带着京城的尘土味，有点呛，但好过江南水乡那磨人的湿气。她抬头看了看高耸的宫门，金色的锁链在阳光下晃得人眼晕。婚期？她嘴角勾起一抹 radians，呵，有趣。

imperial guard stepped forward, hands hovering near their blades. "Miss Wu, please follow us," he said, his voice gruff but polite. "The emperor awaits."

吴若曦没动，她看着那人盔甲上那层防磨的油亮亮 armor，心里冷笑。皇帝？真当自己是新科状元，马上就要唱戏了？她抬手，指甲掐入掌心，力道大得几乎要出血。

"You saw the queen?" she asked, her voice dangerously soft. The guard's eyes widened, and he quickly lowered his head. "We... we haven't seen her since the massacre."

massacre? A slow smile spread across Wu's face. She likes this. She knows the queen is dead, but the emperor doesn't. He thinks the queen is hiding, and he's obsessed with finding her. And now, Wu will play the role of the lost queen, the one who must be found.

She followed the guard into the palace, her footsteps light yet purposeful. The palace was vast, the halls echoing with the footsteps of countless officials and eunuchs. She saw a few familiar faces, the ones who had tried to push her earlier, and she made sure to give them a cold nod.