The Immortal Emperor Returns novel · Chapter 24 of 24
Chapter 24: The Lamp Hall
A month later the snow was melting, and the gutters of Jinglan ran with bright cold water.
Shuang carried the lamp herself.
She held it in both hands on the walk to the Ancestral Hall.
The flame stood steady in its dish through three gates and a courtyard of white stone.
Chu walked beside her in a plain gray coat with no rank on the collar.
The priests were waiting at the door.
They bowed, as they always bowed to her.
One of them, a very old man, looked at the lamp and began quietly to cry.
"Highness," he said. "We did not know."
"Nobody did."
"The register says it cannot hold a name."
"It held two," said Shuang.
She stepped into the great hall.
The thousands of bronze lamps stood on their tiers, each in its small gold dish.
The low chant filled the air.
She walked past the great ancestors.
She walked past the shelves of ministers.
She went to the corner behind the screen, where the pewter lamp had always stood alone and nameless, and set it down.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–12 of The Immortal Emperor Returns are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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