The grand hall shimmered with the false warmth of a thousand lanterns, their golden light dancing upon silken robes and jeweled headdresses. The air hung thick with the cloying sweetness of peony incense, masking the sharper scent of ambition that permeated the gathering.
I stood among the shadows, a ghost in plain sight, my plain white robes blending into the marble pillars. The perfect illusion of insignificance.
The Dowager Empress's voice rang out like a silver bell: "This festive occasion calls for poetic elegance. Would any noble maiden grace us with verse?"
A calculated pause. A test disguised as tradition.
The Crown Prince—my tormentor, my prey—tilted his head with feline indolence. When his gaze brushed over me, it lingered no longer than on the porcelain cups arrayed before him.
"Let His Highness set the theme!" trilled a simpering noblewoman, her painted lips curving in practiced coquetry.
The Prince raised his teacup, the steam curling like phantom fingers around his face. "Then let it be... 'Wind stirs the ancient woods, shadows fall upon the lone city.'"
A murmur rippled through the assembly. The lines were his own—written in his youth during the northern campaigns. Obscure. Personal. A gauntlet thrown.
I stepped forward, the rustle of my skirts the only sound in the sudden hush.
"Xiao Xuanli offers a humble composition."
The silence turned to stone.
That name—whispered in scandal, half-forgotten—now hung in the air like a drawn sword. The disgraced concubine. The madwoman of the cold palace. The one who supposedly couldn't even recognize her own reflection.
I took up the brush, its weight familiar as an old enemy. The ink flowed black as my intentions across the silk:
"Wind stirs the ancient woods—175Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdD4FCDGnlk
Leaves wander home no more.175Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyN1f0xH6Y
The lone city's gates stay barred,175Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlVjHeKVbh
While dreams seep through the floor.
Who sighs over grand designs?175Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zXlHZsuvy
Laugh as my youth takes flight—175Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVdix2iKw6
A petal on the midnight wind,175Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pPFutrjJe
Beyond your gilded light."
The court froze.
This was no pretty verse. Each character was a needle dipped in poison. The "grand designs" mocked their political posturing; the "gilded light" laid bare the hollowness of their power.
The Prince set down his cup with deliberate calm. The porcelain clicked like a lock engaging.
"The Lady Xiao's verses cut deep." His smile didn't reach his eyes. "A reward for such... sharp wit."
Murmurs erupted like startled birds.
I bowed, hiding my own razor-edged smile. Let them think this a mere literary skirmish. They didn't yet see the truth—
This banquet was my battleground.175Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLpcEDZ0Hb
These words were my first soldiers.175Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sIy2nExtg
And he, the Crown Prince, would learn too late:
The ghost they thought broken had returned—175Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2x0ok8vaDL
And she brought a storm in her sleeves.
175Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yrDZsGTnP
and then Add to home screen.