Chapter 1
My name is Linglong, and I was once a palace maid in the harem of Emperor Jianxing of the Jing dynasty.
When I was ten, Consort Hui gave birth to a son and, being the emperor’s great favorite, was promoted to the rank of *zhaoyi*. I was transferred to her Zhilan Palace to sweep the grounds and do other menial work.
Her Ladyship was only seventeen, a peerless beauty as intelligent and kind as she was lovely.
I had heard that before entering the palace, she had been the cherished daughter of a duke, raised amid every comfort.
She had entered the harem directly as a consort and received the honorific Hui, meaning Wise.
His Majesty adored her. Every day he drank and admired flowers with her, painted pictures, and watched her dance, forgetting the empress and every other woman in his harem.
Then Consort Hui became pregnant and safely delivered a plump, healthy Fourth Prince.
The birth of a son raised her to *zhaoyi*, and her fortunes blazed like a fire fed with oil, bloomed like brocade beneath fresh flowers. She could hardly have risen higher.
Those of us who served such a mistress walked a little taller too.
Even Eunuch Yue, a favorite at the emperor’s side, showed the people of Zhilan Palace a measure of respect.
Yet Her Ladyship often warned us that no flower bloomed for a hundred days. Beyond our gates, we were never to slight others, mishandle our duties, or bully anyone on the strength of her favor.
One day, a little maid of seven or eight came from Noble Lady An’s residence to deliver something. The child stumbled, fell hard, and tore a great hole in her trousers.
The poor girl burst into tears.
By regulation, a palace maid received only two sets of clothing each season. With these trousers ruined, she had no clean pair to change into. She could hardly work in wet clothes either, and her supervising maid would surely beat and berate her when she returned.
As it happened, I was growing quickly, and prosperous Zhilan Palace ordered new clothes more often than most. I had a spare set on hand.
I called the child into my room and gave it to her.
When I turned around, I found Her Ladyship watching me with a smile.
The very next day, I was promoted to indoor service and put in charge of attending to her daily needs. I never had to sweep leaves again.
On the Fourth Prince’s one-month celebration, Her Ladyship’s mother, the Duchess of Qing, entered the palace to pay her respects. With her came the new bride of Her Ladyship’s elder brother, the heir to the dukedom.
Her Ladyship’s sister-in-law was beautiful. Though she could not quite match Her Ladyship, her skin was flawless and luminous, her bearing serene and noble. She looked like a Guanyin carved from white jade, glowing from within.
The duchess seemed very fond of her daughter-in-law. As she spoke, she stroked the young woman’s back, a loving smile at the corners of her lips.
From the duchess I learned that the heir’s wife was no official’s daughter. Her father taught at the Imperial Academy. The family was poor but scholarly, prized for its honest simplicity.
She and the heir had fallen in love at first sight. With both families’ blessing, they had married and lived in perfect happiness.
Her Ladyship was delighted and kept the duchess and her sister-in-law for a meal.
Halfway through, His Majesty arrived.
His gentle, smiling eyes fell on the heir’s wife just once—and he froze where he stood.
Her Ladyship and the duchess exchanged a glance. Unease shadowed both their faces.
After staring blankly for a long while, His Majesty sat down and said he would join Her Ladyship for the family meal.
With no choice, Her Ladyship sent me to add a few dishes he particularly liked.
Before I stepped through the doors, I saw His Majesty raise a white-jade wine cup and ask the heir’s wife whether she had ever disguised herself as a boy to study at the Imperial Academy, and whether she remembered a classmate called “Mountain Wind.”
His Majesty’s surname was Cui. His given name was a single character: Lan, meaning mountain mist.