In the dim darkness, Princess Baohua’s eyes gleamed like precious gems — beautiful yet cold, and so still they seemed drained of life.

Lin Fei felt her heart pounding with dread.

She had grown up accompanying Xie Yuzhang, and over these past years her very life had been bound to Xie Yuzhang’s. She knew Xie Yuzhang better than Xie Yuzhang knew herself. Yet she had never seen Xie Yuzhang like this before.

Lin Fei did not waste words arguing over what was possible or impossible. She lowered her gaze in thought for a moment, then raised her eyes and asked, “The Hu people have no concept of legitimate versus base-born children. Why would they insist on seeking a legitimate princess?”

Xie Yuzhang felt as though she could not breathe.

In her previous life, in the Mobei Khanate, her tears had soaked Lin Fei’s sleeve as she wept and asked, “Why me? Why do they have to demand a legitimate princess?”

What had Lin Fei said?

She had said it was fate, and since it was fate, there was no point dwelling on it.

But in truth, A’Fei had already thought it through long before, hadn’t she? She had already figured it all out.

It was just that by then, tracing back those reasons held no meaning — it would only deepen the hatred. So she had not let her dwell on it.

Xie Yuzhang’s breathing grew heavy.

“Your Highness?” Lin Fei, sensing the shift in her emotions, pressed her hand against Xie Yuzhang’s arm and called out softly.

Xie Yuzhang steadied her breathing, pressed down the turmoil in her heart, and said quietly, “I have a guess. A’Fei, can you guess what my guess is?”

Silence fell inside the tent for a moment.

Lin Fei said, “If this matter is real, and Your Highness received word of it in advance… others might have as well.”

So this was not fate after all.

This was the difference between a girl with a mother to protect her and a girl without one — the one chosen and the one cast aside.

This was a mother who wished to protect her own daughter.

Noble Consort Chen, the Emperor’s most favored consort, mother of Princess Anle.

There had always been a saying in the palace that the Emperor cherished Noble Consort Chen so deeply he wished to name her his new Empress.

But to elevate a concubine to the rank of wife went against propriety. If the Emperor wished to install a new Empress, the court ministers would force him to take a new bride from outside the palace. The Emperor was unwilling, and Noble Consort Chen and the Chen family were even more unwilling.

So the position of Empress had long remained vacant. Yet the Emperor had handed the management of the inner palace to Noble Consort Chen, allowing her to oversee it “in place” of an Empress.

In an age when the realm was riddled with upheaval, when the military governors carved up their territories and held imperial authority in contempt, the palace still clung with solemn gravity to ritual and propriety, still gravely and earnestly observed every elaborate ceremony that was forbidding in its complexity.

The more the realm descended into chaos, the more desperately the Emperor clutched at propriety.

For what else could he do? There was no other place left to demonstrate the legitimacy and prestige of imperial power.

It was absurd, really. In this grotesque reality, Xie Yuzhang was one of its beneficiaries.

An Emperor and a Noble Consort who prized propriety — how could they not outwardly elevate the legitimate princess born of the late Empress? Without that performance, the entire illusion would collapse.

Of course, the moment the Emperor issued the decree ordering Xie Yuzhang to marry into the Mobei Khanate, that illusion naturally shattered.

Noble Consort Chen’s daughter, Princess Anle, was two years older than Xie Yuzhang. She had just come of age and was not yet betrothed. In Da Zhao, girls usually began receiving marriage proposals after coming of age, and were wed at seventeen or eighteen. Princess Anle had only come of age a little over a month ago and had no betrothal yet arranged.

As the eldest princess, if the Mobei Khanate’s envoy delegation was determined to bring back a true princess, the natural choice would be Princess Anle.

To protect Princess Anle, making an issue of legitimate versus base-born status was the most convenient justification. If the Hu people learned that one princess carried a more exalted rank, they would surely be all the more eager for the more prestigious one.

Xie Yuzhang, whose mind had been in chaotic disorder all night, cleared somewhat. She realized that her thought just now — of asking the Emperor to arrange a marriage for her early so she could escape the marriage alliance — was not actually feasible.

With Noble Consort Chen present, she would never permit that to happen.

Xie Yuzhang was destined to be the princess pushed out for the marriage alliance.

This was also why Xie Yuzhang had refused to see anyone in the palace for these past three days. Those who lived within these palace walls — she either knew their later tragic fates, or she had this or that entanglement with them.

But hiding was useless, she said softly to herself. Useless.

The next day, Lin Fei’s dark circles were even heavier than hers.

“Is there any other news?” she asked. “Your Highness, if you know, please don’t hide it from me…”

“There isn’t.” Xie Yuzhang shook her head. “I only know the Mobei Khanate’s envoy delegation is on its way, but I don’t know when they’ll arrive.”

It was only mid-June. Xie Yuzhang’s memory told her it should be around this time.

Lin Fei was very quiet throughout the morning.

They had barely finished breakfast when a palace attendant came in with a smile to report: “That Fuchun has come to give thanks for the reward.”

For anyone else, the palace attendants would simply have the person kowtow at the palace gate and be done with it. But this Fuchun was one of the Emperor’s people, and it was Xie Yuzhang who had personally ordered the reward sent to him the previous day, so the attendants dared not make the decision themselves.

The name Fuchun stirred Zhaoxia Palace like a stone cast into a still pool. Lin Fei saw a flash of light pass through Xie Yuzhang’s eyes, and she said, “Summon him in.”

Lin Fei glanced at Xie Yuzhang.

She had chosen not to say where the information had come from, so Lin Fei did not press. In the inner palace, knowing less sometimes meant living longer.

“Should I withdraw?” she asked quietly.

Though she was of lowly status, Xie Yuzhang had never allowed her to call herself a servant girl. So she had continued, as in the days when she was still the princess’s study companion, to refer to herself as “I” in the familiar way.

Yet though Xie Yuzhang treated her with warmth and closeness, she herself adhered scrupulously to her own place, never overstepping. Given Xie Yuzhang’s rank and the degree of her favor, why would she need to personally receive a minor eunuch — unless…

Living in the inner palace meant Lin Fei could not help but think more deeply. Caution was only natural.

But Xie Yuzhang said, “No need.”

Very soon Fuchun came shuffling in with a bowed back. The moment he saw Xie Yuzhang, he prostrated himself completely in a deep bow. “This servant thanks the Princess for her gift.”

Xie Yuzhang leaned against the armrest and said, “Rise.”

Fuchun seized the moment of rising to cast a swift glance at the seat of honor above. Princess Baohua wore a skirt of translucent emerald gauze scattered with flowers, her whole person as tender and fresh as young jade. Beside her, a young woman in a moon-white satin skirt sat in attendance — that must be Fei Niang, the legitimate granddaughter of Chancellor Lin, who had dashed her head against the great golden pillar of the palace hall.

Xie Yuzhang looked Fuchun up and down and asked, “How old are you?”

Fuchun smiled warmly all over his face. “This servant is nineteen this year.”

Xie Yuzhang was slightly surprised. Li Gu was approximately the same age, yet he stood a full two heads taller than Fuchun. She asked, “How long have you been in the palace?”

Fuchun replied, “This servant entered the palace at age six. It has now been thirteen years.”

Xie Yuzhang understood. Eunuchs underwent castration, and the younger the age of castration, the later and more poorly the body developed. She had also seen eunuchs who were castrated in adulthood — they tended to appear more robust, and some even had beards.

Since the person of higher rank had not yet spoken, a servant could not speak first.

Xie Yuzhang asked, “Is there anything interesting happening in the palace recently?”

Fuchun was at once startled and overjoyed.

The previous evening he had unexpectedly received a reward, which had already been a pleasant surprise. Today he had timed his visit to give his thanks, fully expecting to be told to kowtow at the palace gate and leave. He had never dreamed he would actually be summoned inside to speak face to face with Princess Baohua.

And now the princess was asking him about interesting happenings in the palace — she was openly giving him an opportunity!

Fuchun was so excited he nearly trembled but did not dare to. He drew a deep breath, ran through all the various news and gossip circulating in the palace these past days, and selected items that were interesting yet would not offend any person of rank, and began telling them to Xie Yuzhang.

Xie Yuzhang had only intended to establish a connection with this future chief eunuch of the inner palace; she had not really expected to hear anything in particular. To her surprise, Fuchun had a quick and fluent tongue, and as he told one interesting story after another, they were remarkably engaging.

After all, this was someone who would one day rise to become the chief eunuch administrator.

Fuchun told his stories with flair, but Lin Fei could not settle her mind to listen. Her thoughts were consumed by the marriage alliance Xie Yuzhang had mentioned the previous night, when suddenly a voice penetrated her ear: “…the Mobei Khanate’s envoy delegation is already sixty li outside the walls of Yunjing. It seems they could enter the city today.”

Lin Fei stiffened and looked up sharply, blurting out: “What did you say?”

She had been sitting beside Xie Yuzhang without a sound, and her sudden outburst at a raised pitch gave Fuchun a fright.

Fuchun hastily glanced sideways at Xie Yuzhang and lowered his voice. “This servant was just saying that the Mobei Khanate’s envoy delegation is already outside the walls of Yunjing and will likely enter the city today.”

If last night and this morning Lin Fei had still harbored a few shreds of doubt about what Xie Yuzhang had said, in this moment she had none left. If Xie Yuzhang had no source of information of her own, how could she have known about the Mobei Khanate’s envoy delegation coming to the capital?

But Xie Yuzhang’s expression remained perfectly calm. She said, “Oh? What have they come to do?”

As she spoke, she gently placed one hand over Lin Fei’s. Lin Fei reached out and clasped her hand in return.

Fuchun smiled widely. “That is beyond what this servant would know.”

Xie Yuzhang said, “Fair enough.”

She called a palace attendant in. “Take Fuchun to rest, and send him off with a cup of iced pear drink.”

Fuchun immediately prostrated himself. “This servant thanks Your Highness.”

“Fuchun.” Xie Yuzhang called him back. “Once the delegation arrives, remember to let me know.”

Fuchun was so elated he nearly floated up to the sky. He replied again and again in agreement and, bowing all the way, backed himself out of the room.

Once his figure had disappeared, the smile on Xie Yuzhang’s face gradually faded.

“Your Highness.” Lin Fei straightened up, but did not know what to say.

Though she was quick-witted and composed, she was still a young woman of tender years. Overseeing Xie Yuzhang’s daily meals and rest, guiding her in manners and conduct and even in how to navigate relationships with people — all of this she could do. But the predicament Xie Yuzhang now faced was already beyond the scope of her abilities.

Xie Yuzhang gazed into the central courtyard for a while, lost in thought, then suddenly said, “Come. Let us go pay our respects to Noble Consort Chen.”

Lin Fei’s feelings were complicated. She pressed her lips together, rose, and followed Xie Yuzhang.

Xie Yuzhang did not take a palanquin. She walked slowly through the interconnecting corridors.

In later years, every time she entered the palace, her eyes could only dare look at the dark stone slabs beneath her feet. But now, this palace city still belonged to the Xie family. She ought to look at it well while she still could.

As expected, Princess Anle, Xie Yunlan, was also in Noble Consort Chen’s quarters. Mother and daughter were always close.

Xie Yuzhang paid her respects and gave her greetings to her step-mother and elder sister. Noble Consort Chen extended her hand — so well-maintained it was as smooth and white as tofu — and smiled with great affection. “Come, come, come to me.”

Whatever the truth might be, the four consorts, and Noble Consort Chen especially, at least outwardly doted upon Princess Baohua. Indeed, in her previous life, Xie Yuzhang had taken it all at face value.

But having lived again, even forcing herself to suppress her feelings, Xie Yuzhang found it impossible to bring herself to lean against Noble Consort Chen’s side with Xie Yunlan, one on each side, the way she used to.

Beneath Princess Anle Xie Yunlan’s smiling gaze, Xie Yuzhang walked to the lower seat beside Noble Consort Chen, straightened her skirt, and knelt-sat down.

Noble Consort Chen felt surprise inwardly but revealed nothing of it on her face, and asked with concern, “Are you feeling better?”

Princess Anle half-shielded her face with a round fan and unhurriedly said, “I was just telling Mother Consort that I was going to visit my younger sister today.”

She appeared to be smiling, but the smile did not reach her eyes.

Lin Fei sat in attendance to one side, her gaze fixed on Xie Yuzhang.

Xie Yuzhang pressed her lips in a soft smile. “It was only a nightmare that gave me a fright. I have caused Consort-Mother and Elder Sister to worry.”

Her expression was calm, her smiling face gentle.

Her kind yet naive Highness — when had she become so guarded and deep?

Just what had happened to her?

Lin Fei’s hands gripped the fabric of her skirt at her knees tightly.