Surrounded by a 12-meter high and 3400-meter long palace wall, the Imperial Palace took the form of a rectangular fortress, with a 52-meter wide moat surrounding it, creating a formidable castle.
The palace buildings were all made of wood, with yellow glazed tiles on the roofs and blue-white stone bases, adorned with magnificent colorful paintings.
There were four gates to the Imperial Palace: the main gate called the Meridian Gate, the east gate called the East Flower Gate, the west gate called the West Flower Gate, and the north gate called the Gate of Godly Prowess.
Facing the Gate of Godly Prowess, there was a man-made hill called Jing Shan, covered in dense pine and cypress trees.
Throughout the more than 500 years of Atraria’s history, 24 emperors had lived and ruled over the country from the Imperial Palace.
As the capital and home to the Imperial Palace, Atraria attracted many people to settle and visit.
After purchasing two tickets at the ticket office, Leo and Sophia entered the Imperial Palace hand in hand.
However, only a part of the Imperial Palace was open to the public; a large portion remained closed off.
There were various explanations for this, but most lacked convincing evidence.
As they walked, Leo shared some strange stories about the Imperial Palace with Sophia.
Legend has it that when the Imperial Palace Museum was first liberated, the night guards often saw strange creatures roaming around. These creatures were large in size, resembling a mix between a rat and a pig, and they moved incredibly fast.
People said these were the guardian beasts kept in the Eastern and Western Palaces by the royal family.
Many people tried to catch one or two of these creatures, but after nearly sixty years, although more and more people claimed to have seen them, no one had ever successfully captured one!
There were also stories of a former gatekeeper who used to hear music playing every night in the Imperial Palace and occasionally saw palace maids and eunuchs walking in formation.
Several years later, this gatekeeper had a child who suffered from poor health since birth. The elderly neighbors believed it was because the gatekeeper had been exposed to negative energy in the Imperial Palace, which affected the next generation.
Many courtyards within the Imperial Palace were sealed off and inaccessible to visitors.
In the past, when some of these courtyards were not sealed off, people who entered them either disappeared without reason or died suddenly.
Despite extensive efforts by the police and the management of the Imperial Palace, no explanation was ever found.
However, all the bodies discovered had one thing in common: they were missing their facial skin.
Even more terrifying was the legend of a well located somewhere in the Imperial Palace. During daylight hours, looking down into the well would reveal only stones and weeds. But after midnight, when there was a moon in the sky, instead of stones and weeds, one would see water reflecting something other than their own face…
There were countless legends surrounding the Imperial Palace.
Leo’s tales of these strange occurrences completely captivated Sophia’s interest, causing her to miss out on the guide’s explanations of the history and culture of the Imperial Palace.
With Leo by her side, Sophia didn’t feel scared about these supernatural stories within the Imperial Palace. Instead, she would occasionally ask Leo cute questions.
For example, she asked about the meaning of certain palace plaques or who wrote them. She also asked where palace maids and eunuchs lived and what they did after dark when there was no electricity in ancient times.
They continued following the crowd, occasionally hearing the guide’s voice.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are currently in the Inner Court. This is the main gate of the Inner Court palace, known as the Gate of Celestial Purity.”
As the guide spoke, he pointed for the visitors to see. “On both sides of the Gate of Celestial Purity are glazed screen walls. Inside is where the three rear palaces are located.”
“The Celestial Purity Palace is at the forefront of the Inner Court. It is 20 meters high with a double-eaved roof.”
The guide led everyone forward while vividly introducing each palace. Besides enjoying the sight of ancient royal architecture, Leo and Sophia also gained knowledge along the way.
“The western area of the Imperial Palace used to be known as ‘the world of women,’ where empress dowagers, imperial consorts, and concubines resided. It has been closed off for 88 years and remains quite mysterious.”
“Due to ample free time for women in the palace, there are many gardens and Buddhist halls here…”
The guide’s words caught Leo’s attention, sparking an idea in his mind-visiting Cold Palace!
In historical dramas, emperors often banished imperial consorts or even empresses to Cold Palace. Those consorts would cry and plead desperately. For people within the palace, Cold Palace must have been a terrifying place.
Driven by curiosity, Leo couldn’t control himself and quietly pulled Sophia away from the main group, heading towards less crowded areas.
“Where are you taking me?” Sophia asked curiously.
“Do you want to visit Cold Palace?” Leo replied mysteriously.
“Cold Palace?” Sophia was taken aback. “That’s in an unopened area. We can’t go there.”
“Others may not be able to go, but it’s a piece of cake for me. So, do you want to join me in exploring the unopened area?”
Everyone has curiosity, including Sophia. She nodded and said, “Alright.”
Leo found an Imperial Palace map and together they ventured into the unopened area.
Today, feudal autocracy and emperors had long been submerged in the tide of history.
The grandeur of royalty and what remained for future generations was embodied in this vast Imperial Palace.
Over hundreds of years, the Imperial Palace had witnessed countless changes in power.
Although its veil had been lifted today, it undoubtedly still held many secrets within its walls.
As they passed through a palace gate, there were even fewer tourists around Leo and Sophia.
The closer they got to the unopened area of the Imperial Palace, the fewer tourists there were.
This was because visitors knew they couldn’t enter that area. Even if someone managed to sneak in, they would face punishment if caught.
Furthermore, those who had entered before either disappeared or died under mysterious circumstances.
Such stories spread quickly, discouraging tourists from venturing into the unopened area.
At five o’clock in the afternoon, it was closing time for the Imperial Palace.
It was said that this hour was when Yin energy was at its strongest within the palace.
Many visitors felt that even on hot summer days, being in the Imperial Palace at 5 o’clock would give them a chilling sensation…