Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The emperor, Zhao Ye, was once my brother-in-law. Though he had already turned thirty, he remained as handsome and elegant as ever.

After my eldest sister passed away, every noble household began to stir with its own private thoughts.

After weighing the matter several times, Zhao Ye decided he would choose another daughter from my family to enter the palace and stabilize the court.

I had just turned eighteen when I entered the palace as the new Empress.

On our wedding night, Zhao Ye did not touch me.

I did not move either.

We lay on the same bed and fell asleep.

When we woke, we were still far apart from each other.

That was how I knew Zhao Ye had no interest in me.

Nor I in him.

The moment I thought of how he had once been my brother-in-law, of how my healthy, intelligent sister had died so young in his harem, I could not feel the slightest desire for him.

At dawn, Zhao Ye dressed for morning court.

He straightened his collar as he walked out.

When he reached the door, he paused and said to me, “There are a few princes in the palace who have no mother consort. In a few days, choose one and adopt him under your name.”

I respectfully agreed.

I knew then that he had no intention of letting me bear a child.

The momo who came to collect the consummation cloth was stunned when she saw there was no virgin blood on it.

“Your Majesty, how could this be?”

I frowned slightly, my expression turning cool.

“It was His Majesty’s will. His Majesty will have me choose a prince to raise under my name.”

The momo let out a long sigh, a trace of pity appearing on her face.

There were supposedly three thousand beauties in the palace.

But Zhao Ye had his beloved.

He favored Consort Lan above all others. Everyone in the harem knew it.

Two years after Consort Lan entered the palace, no more infants were born within its walls. Instead, one palace consort after another died.

Consort Ling, Consort Hui, Noble Lady Wen, Jieyu Song…

Then it was my sister’s turn.

After my sister passed away, I entered the palace with my mother to see her remains.

She was gaunt and wasted.

Her once lustrous, jade-like wrist had grown so thin that even her gold bracelet could no longer stay in place, sliding down to her palm. Her clothes hung empty on her body, as if a single gust of wind could blow her away.

My mother wailed aloud, her heart full of questions she could not ask.

I lowered my eyes to hide the hatred in them, my heart bleak and cold.

When my eldest sister married, I was only six years old.

Her eyes had been curved with a smile as she nervously looked toward the door. When she met the teasing gazes of everyone around her, she shyly turned her head and hid her face behind a handkerchief.

Zhao Ye had been wonderful that day too. He came forward with unhurried steps, his eyes radiant. His joy at marrying my eldest sister had been genuine.

He stuffed a banknote worth ten thousand taels of silver into my hand and said it was a first-meeting gift for his little sister-in-law.

It was the largest red envelope I had ever received, and I remembered it to this day.

Every time I thought of it, it still made me happy.

I believed Zhao Ye and my sister had truly loved each other.

For twelve years, they treated each other with mutual respect.

When Zhao Ye was still a prince, my sister was virtuous and capable, and his rear courtyard was harmonious.

After Zhao Ye became emperor, my sister became Empress. More consorts were brought into the palace, but my sister ruled with both grace and authority, and the harem remained stable.

Until Consort Lan entered the palace.

Zhao Ye suddenly found his true love, and he poured all his devotion into Consort Lan.

He began to neglect the other consorts, disregard palace rules, and shield Consort Lan in everything.

Only toward my sister did he retain a few traces of old affection.

My sister advised him to spread his favor evenly.

Zhao Ye’s brows and eyes were weary, his expression impatient.

“The court is stable, and the harem has plenty of heirs. I have already done everything I ought to do. I only want to live for myself this once. Is that not allowed?”

My sister had no answer.

He could favor Consort Lan if he wished.

But he should not have thrown the harem into chaos for her sake.

The authority my sister had worked so hard for years to establish was destroyed overnight.

My sister fell ill.

The etiquette and upbringing she had upheld since childhood, the firm order she believed in, often crumbled before Consort Lan and Zhao Ye.

My mother entered the palace to visit her.

My sister dismissed everyone around them and whispered, “Mother, what should I do? I fear he is about to follow in the footsteps of Emperor Wu of the previous dynasty.”

Emperor Wu of the previous dynasty had excelled in both civil governance and military achievement.

Yet in middle age, he became debauched and tyrannical. He deposed the crown prince, executed the Empress, and plunged the court into turmoil. For the next hundred years, his descendants were forced to spend all their strength trying to stabilize the realm, but it was too late to reverse the tide. They were mercilessly swallowed by the torrent of history.

There were tears in the corners of my sister’s eyes. Her heart truly ached.

She had once had the chance to stand beside Zhao Ye as a virtuous Empress to a wise ruler, but now everything showed signs of collapse.

She feared she would follow in the previous dynasty’s Empress’s footsteps.

My mother gripped her wrist tightly and urged her not to think too much or worry too deeply. Her own health came first. After all, she still had the Thirteenth Princess, her own daughter, to raise.

“Even if only for the child’s sake, you must be well.”

My mother gave the tearful instruction with the utmost solemnity.

Those words had been spoken in private.

But there were all kinds of capable people in the palace.

Someone could read lips.

And those words from that day were carried to Zhao Ye’s ears.

He punished my sister, reprimanded my father, and forbade my mother from ever entering the palace again.

From then on, my sister was left alone and helpless in the palace, until the day she died.

Zhao Ye told the world she died of illness.

But I did not believe it.

My sister had loved the Thirteenth Princess so dearly.

She would never have been willing to die.

There had to be another reason for her death.