They, unlike the figures within the Huanlou, could not speak. Pei Ye stood under the shade of a tree three zhang away, making no attempt to conceal his footsteps. Yet, the three of them showed no reaction, continuing to flip through pages and converse with each other as if they were in a different world.
Their faces faded out of sight, and their voices were not quite real, like silhouettes snipped from a segment of a dream, or fleeting traces left behind over lengthy years.
Silently observing, Pei Ye suddenly heard the Black Cat on his shoulder say, "The twelve patterns of the dhi bird."
"Hm?" Pei Ye turned his head.
"The embroidery on that woman. 'The Rites of Zhou' states: 'The Empress is like the dhi pheasant, maintaining Rites with discipline.'" The Black Cat said, "Blue signifies the color of heaven, while reddish-brown signifies the virtue of earth. Look at her robe and skirt; aren't they just so?"
"You mean to say… she is an Empress?"
"The former Empress, Wei Qingju."
