Chapter 3

I stood frozen, unable to think of an answer.

In the end, the Empress Dowager rescued me. Having heard that the Empress had summoned me, she sent her chief attendant to invite me to Cining Palace.

I looked anxiously at Qin Zheng.

He stood in silence, his thoughts impossible to read. Only after a long while did he return to himself.

“Go.”

At Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager regarded me steadily.

“The Empress tells me you do not wish to become one of the Emperor’s consorts.”

As expected, my sister had asked her to persuade me.

I clenched my hands beneath my sleeves and bowed my head. “This humble woman is plain and unworthy. I dare not reach for imperial favor.”

“Why belittle yourself?” The Empress Dowager sighed. “I had hoped we might make up for the bond between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law that we lost years ago.”

When my marriage was first discussed, the Princess Consort of Jin had wanted me as her daughter-in-law. Everyone assumed my father would betroth me to her son. Even Qin Zheng believed it.

He had been young then, not yet the composed and guarded man he was now. He constantly found excuses to cross my path, curious to see what his future wife looked like.

“The Emperor has always cared for you,” the Empress Dowager said, remembering. “When he learned that Minister Li had promised his eldest daughter instead, he said nothing, but he was miserable for a very long time.”

I stared at her.

For a moment, I saw the willows bending over Chunming Pond and the polo grounds beside it. A young man brushed past me, then glanced back as though by accident, the tips of his ears red.

The Empress Dowager continued earnestly, “Your elder sister is already Empress, and the Emperor once cherished you. What could possibly prevent you from rising? Bear him a child or two, and all the wealth and honor of the imperial family will be yours to hold.”

I had thought the same in my previous life. Entering the palace would honor my bond with my sister, give me a chance to distinguish myself, and continue my family’s glory.

But no one could predict how the world would change.

Qin Zheng had survived a coup fought with naked steel and emerged an emperor. The supreme sovereign, calculating and unfathomable, was no longer that innocent youth.

I pressed my forehead firmly to the floor.

“My mind is made up. I beg Your Highness to forgive me.”

The Empress Dowager watched me in silence. Then a thought seemed to occur to her, and she gave me a knowing smile.

“Could it be that you already have someone in your heart? Is that why you refuse to enter the palace?”

I paused, lowered my head, and feigned shy embarrassment.

“Yes…”

The hall went still.

At the entrance stood a figure in imperial yellow, watching without a word.

The Empress Dowager looked past me and remained silent for several breaths.

“Very well. A good child like you will live well even outside the palace.” She smiled. “Who is the man you love? Perhaps I can grant you the match…”

I had not expected that question. I could only stare.

A calm voice came from behind me.

“Mother.”

The Empress Dowager brightened. “The Emperor is here.”

She turned back to me. “Second Young Lady, you may leave.”