My elder sister and I were twins, born of the same womb.
But an eminent monk declared that I was the reincarnation of a fox demon, and that one day I would become a Wicked Concubine who bewitched the sovereign.
My family concealed my identity and sent me to Fahua Temple to cultivate a pure heart in seclusion.
In the sixteenth year of my quiet practice,
I had almost forgotten I was a demon. I only wanted to be a good person.
But then the Empress, favored above all in the six palaces, had a dream. She dreamed that one day, a woman of the Shen Clan would steal her phoenix throne.
And so my elder sister, who was soon to be married, was taken by bandits and violated again and again before dying an innocent, miserable death.
I held her body in my arms and wept until I had no tears left.
Three months later, the emperor came up the mountain to pray for blessings. The moment he saw me, he fell in love.
He asked if I was willing to follow him back to the palace.
I thought,
That title of Calamitous Demon Concubine… I suppose I ought to make it true.
