Everywhere in the palace was quiet and still. Apart from the breathing of the palace maids, only her own heartbeat remained. The Empress detested noisy sounds, so everyone held their breath and restrained themselves, afraid of disturbing the Empress in her slumber.

Female Official Xin gently lifted the hanging gauze curtains. In the bright daylight, she held her breath and said, “Your Majesty, it’s time to rise.”

Pei Huaizhen opened her eyes and saw sunlight streaming through the gaps into the layers of curtains. Her dark hair lay draped across the gold-threaded jade pillow she had embroidered herself before entering the palace, radiating a lustrous brilliance.

She sat up, and Female Official Xin carefully brought tribute tea. The tea bowl was like white jade, with jade-green tea leaves floating up and down in the tea. Just holding it in one’s palm, one could smell that clear fragrance, refreshing the heart and delighting the spirit.

The palace maids held a row of trays in their hands, bearing clothing, hairpins, and the phoenix crown—brilliant with golden light and dazzling with pearl radiance. At a glance, it was so bright it hurt the eyes. Pei Huaizhen set down her tea bowl, stood up, and spread her arms. The palace maids carefully and meticulously dressed her in the elaborate and magnificent robes. They knelt on the ground, prostrating themselves respectfully, using a lifetime’s devotion to smooth out every wrinkle in her skirts.

Looking at the uneven bronze mirror, the woman reflected there had absolutely beautiful features and an extraordinary temperament. Wearing the Empress’s attire, she slightly raised her smooth and beautiful chin, revealing a trace of cold pride. The Empress—yes, she was the Empress. She was already the Empress of Yuexi. Such nobility had reached the pinnacle of what a woman could attain. Even though the rear palace had many consorts and concubines, no one could shake her position.

Female Official Xin lowered her head and said, “Your Majesty, General Pei requests an audience.”

Pei Huaizhen had been immersed in her own thoughts. At this moment she raised her eyes, momentarily stunned. Her ancestor was Pei Chong, the commandery governor of the previous dynasty. Pei Chong’s grandson was General Pei Xin, who had helped the Yuexi Jin He imperial dynasty capture alive the last emperor of the previous dynasty. By her father Pei Xiu’s generation, he had helped the current Emperor ascend the throne, establishing illustrious military achievements, and so—she became Empress. When Axin just mentioned it, she had briefly thought this General Pei was her father. Then she remembered her father was still at the border. The general Axin spoke of should be her younger brother, Pei Yuan.

“Please let him in.”

Female Official Xin was about to order someone to raise the screen, but Pei Huaizhen shook her head, and she hurriedly withdrew.

Pei Yuan entered the main hall and performed the proper ceremonial courtesies before raising his head to look at his elder sister, saying with some concern, “Your Majesty, you’ve become much thinner than before.”

Pei Huaizhen was different from ordinary noble young ladies. From childhood, besides music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, she also studied military strategy, history, and the art of balance of power. At six or seven years old, she could already offer counsel and strategize for her father like an adult, and her perspective on problems was very unique. She handled matters very satisfactorily. Their mother died early, their father was busy with affairs, and the entire household was managed solely by her. Father Pei Xiu always brought her along to show off to others his outstanding daughter. At that time, Father had even told them that among the children in the family, the one most likely to succeed was this daughter.

Later, Father’s words truly came to pass. The precocious elder sister became the lofty Empress of Yuexi. But she should have been happy—yet now her expression was even more lonely than before. The young Pei Yuan gathered his courage and said, “Your Majesty, is there something making you unhappy? This subject is willing to help share your concerns.”

But Pei Huaizhen laughed, her absolutely beautiful face revealing a trace of cold mockery. “No matter how high the walls of the Pei family are, they’re not as high as the palace walls. No matter how little joy the Pei family has, it’s still more than the palace’s joy. Since I’ve entered the palace, words like happy or unhappy—don’t mention them again.”

Pei Yuan was stunned. In his view, his sister Pei Huaizhen was a unique woman, born with absolutely beautiful looks. Ordinary people would become entranced just by looking at her face once, yet she never prided herself on her beauty. On the contrary, compared to her appearance, she preferred reading, even to the point of fascination. Those so-called noble young ladies in the city—they also read, but it was all to display their talents and raise their value. Elder sister was different; for her, reading was a genuine interest. When Pei Yuan was small, he would sit in the corridor watching his elder sister. Whenever she was tired from reading, she would order the maids beside her to kick shuttlecocks in the garden or swing on swings, while she herself sat to the side watching. Pei Yuan understood very clearly that in elder sister’s heart surged a fire-like passion, but for the sake of noble status and glory, she could suppress this longing for a free life.

When he first became aware of things, because he was the Pei family’s first male child, everyone above and below doted on him excessively. When it was cold, he always hid in warm rooms; when it was hot, his room was always filled with ice blocks. Precisely because of this, his body was always very weak. To make him stronger, elder sister disregarded Father’s and the doctor’s opposition and personally hired a martial arts teacher for him, forcing him onto the training grounds. At that time, he truly hated this cold and heartless sister. But she told him that only by enduring pain could he become a man who stood tall and upright. To take revenge on elder sister, he secretly put a skinned dead cat on her bed. Though her face turned pale, she still sternly demanded he immediately return to martial practice. But every time he was drenched in painful sweat and returned to his room, he would find that snacks and cooling tea had already been prepared. He understood that Pei Huaizhen’s personality was very strong-willed, yet she truly cared for him, her younger brother. Perhaps because the childhood impression was too deep, he was filled with awe toward this sister and wasn’t particularly close to her.

Even so, in his heart, she remained noble, beautiful, vivid, radiating youth and vitality.

In the past, the Pei family and everyone in Yuexi said: Pei Huaizhen was the embodiment of perfection.

But when she was still in her maiden chambers, he could still often see elder sister’s smile. After entering the palace, he could no longer find even a trace of a smile on her face.

What was it that transformed her from a living person into a perfect sculpture?

Pei Yuan understood very clearly. He lowered his head, his fists crackling. “Your Majesty, yesterday this subject went to the Imperial Study, but saw Princess Qixia.”

A flash of something crossed Pei Huaizhen’s eyes, but calm quickly returned.

Seeing the Empress say nothing, Pei Yuan said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, whoever His Majesty likes, just let him like them. Why must you quarrel with him like this? I’ve heard His Majesty hasn’t come here for half a month already. You…”

Pei Huaizhen said coldly, “When did matters of the rear palace become your place to speak excessively?”

Her voice was like condensed ice crystals, sounding clear, cold, and emotionless, but if one listened carefully, there was clearly a trace of trembling.

At this moment, Pei Huaizhen was not truly invulnerable.

But Pei Yuan was somewhat frightened and hastily knelt on the ground again. “Your Majesty, this subject is guilty!”

Pei Huaizhen looked at the top of his head and said with a cold laugh, “Father told me the family needed me as Empress, so I became Empress. This title—I have no interest in it at all. Don’t think that because everyone in this palace bows and kowtows to me, they have any good intentions. I know that when a woman enters the imperial palace, if the Emperor likes her, she can live without worry. If he doesn’t like her, she can only blame herself. So everyone behind my back says I have a cold temperament, severe methods, and that the Emperor not liking me is to be expected—that I have no way to capture his heart. But how many people know he already has someone in his heart, that the person he truly likes is Qixia? Those two are childhood sweethearts with deep affection through hardship—it’s not strange they can love each other. And what about me? Because I’m the Empress, I must conduct myself properly, be dignified and tolerant. Others can curry favor with the Emperor, flatter the Emperor, but I cannot. Others can be jealous, but I cannot. Now even you, my younger brother, a member of the Pei family, actually come running to advise me. You all hope I’ll accommodate that woman, allow her to continue by the Emperor’s side, even hope I’ll curry favor with her, beg her to share a bit of imperial favor with me—is that it?!”

By the end, her tone had become somewhat stern and harsh. Pei Yuan was frightened badly, his head lowered tightly, not daring to raise it. His back was already soaked through.

“The various major and minor matters in the palace are enough to trouble me, but words constantly reach my ears—many times, even if you don’t want to hear them, you can still hear them. The matter of the Emperor favoring Qixia has long spread. Everyone knows what their relationship is, so naturally rumors and gossip are everywhere. But even at this point, he still loves her. Whenever there’s any disturbance in the outer court, the Emperor thinks I went to complain. He mocks me coldly, humiliates me in every way! In this situation, you still want me to endure?! Want me to bow my head to her?!”

Pei Yuan’s body was trembling. He didn’t know how to resist Empress Pei’s fury.

“Things have already reached this point. I can disregard the outside rumors and gossip. I don’t want to cry injustice or explain. The Emperor exclusively favors that one woman—no one in court is a fool. They have informants in the palace long ago. How would it be my turn as Empress to gossip excessively? The truly hateful person is Yuan Jinfeng. That he doesn’t love me—I’m not heartbroken. But he actually misunderstands me like this, humiliates me like this! How many examples are there in Yuexi’s history of emperors doting on one woman and thereby bringing disaster to state governance? Clearly he’s completely blind! Outside they spread word that I’m such a petty, domineering person. They even spread rumors that to obtain the Emperor’s favor, I went crying to my father. It’s absolutely laughable! I, Pei Huaizhen, would rather remain a living widow my entire life than ever cry and complain to anyone!”

He fundamentally had no reason for not loving her. No matter how noble and beautiful she was, it couldn’t stop his steps toward loving another. She had once been saddened by guarding an empty chamber alone, grieved by rumors and gossip, sorrowful for not being loved. But she had never blamed him, because love itself was not wrong! But he could not love her, could not want to see her, yet he absolutely could not disrespect her, and even more could not humiliate her!

She was Pei Huaizhen. She had her own dignity. If he favored another, she could refrain from making a fuss, could pretend not to see, could even secretly mock him for being just an emperor who didn’t understand politics, a coward who didn’t understand how to balance national affairs. But she absolutely would not permit others to look down on her. His stupidity—he must bear it himself!

“Pei Yuan, transmit my decree: Chang Ling’s Cui Jingwen possesses both civil and military talents and refined elegance. He should be an excellent match for the princess. Please ask Father to unite with civil and military officials to petition His Majesty!”

Pei Yuan’s entire body shook. He abruptly raised his head, almost forgetting the proper form of address. “Elder sister…”

“I am not your elder sister. I am the Empress of Yuexi!” Pei Huaizhen said word by word. She suddenly stood up, her long skirts sweeping across the white jade floor, creating a layer of fleeting, gorgeous beauty.

She was the Empress, Pei Huaizhen, Empress of Yuexi.