That day, I slipped a coded message into Lin Buyi’s food tray, hinting at the truth. Lin Buyi and Emperor Yucheng resolved to finally root out the Princess Royal. But it wasn’t enough. House arrest alone could never repay the blood debt of the Jiang family.
Princess Zhenhua, exhausted by her own fury, collapsed onto her chaise, breathing heavily. Her old nurse crept up and whispered,
“Doesn’t Your Highness find this suspicious? There must be a traitor in the palace!”
“A traitor?” Zhenhua echoed, her eyes narrowing. “You’re right. Who is it? Is it you?” She pointed her whip at a trembling maid.
The maid fell to her knees, sobbing, “Your Highness, it’s not me! Ah—” Zhenhua lashed her viciously, then turned to the next.
Suddenly, someone pointed at me, shouting, “It’s Qiaolan! Only Qiaolan knows those strange rituals!”
The Princess’s bloodthirsty gaze fell on me. I dropped to my knees, feigning panic and cried out,
“Your Highness, the stars have changed!”
“Changed?” She paused, uncertain.
“Your phoenix destiny is now shrouded in golden brilliance—about to be eclipsed! Only the most noble person in the world can possess such a fate. Your destiny will be seized by someone even more exalted!”
There was only one such person—the Emperor.
Skirts gathered in her fists, Zhenhua fled the hall, staring in terror at the sky. The meteors above seemed to her like a river of falling stars, and she trembled so hard she nearly collapsed.
Would the Emperor destroy her for the sake of power? She knew the answer. In the world of emperors, patricide, fratricide, and filicide were commonplace—what was one infamous princess to them? She screamed, overcome by her own fears, and fainted dead away.
Princess Zhenhua fell ill. Burning with fever, the first thing she did upon waking was demand to see me. Pale and weak, she looked like a declawed cat.
“Qiaolan,” she rasped, “have you read the stars for me these past days?”
I nodded.
She looked at me with desperate hope. “Is there still a way out? If I humble myself, apologize to my brother, can I survive this?”
I lowered my eyes, tears streaming down my face.
“Your Highness, the stars are locked in a death struggle. There is no way back.”
She seemed to lose all strength, her hand falling limp on the sheets. But after a long silence, her eyes hardened.
“Then tell me—if I risk everything, what are my chances?”
I hid my smile.
“The stars blaze with opportunity.”
Princess Zhenhua, I can’t wait to see how you destroy yourself.
On the tenth day of her house arrest, she wrote a blood-soaked letter to the Emperor, pleading for forgiveness and recalling their childhood bond. Lin Buyi still hadn’t found hard evidence.
The Emperor’s heart softened. He lifted her confinement and even visited her in person.
Gone was the dazzling Princess Royal; now she wore plain robes, her hair pinned simply, kneeling in weakness.
“Greetings, Your Majesty,” she whispered.
He instinctively reached to steady her, his expression complicated.
“No need for this, Sister.”
Their eyes met, but quickly turned away. The years had passed; their sibling bond could never return to what it once was.
The Emperor hurried back to the palace. Zhenhua stood at the gate, watching his imperial carriage disappear around the corner, clutching a lock of hair she had secretly plucked from him.
“Qiaolan, I’m putting all my hope in you,” she said through gritted teeth. “Do it cleanly. As long as the Emperor has no heir, if he dies, I will have my chance.”
I nodded obediently, watching her cold, determined profile.
Give her hope, then shatter it. The harder she falls, the more satisfying it will be.
Yucheng City enjoyed a rare period of peace. The Emperor celebrated his fifteenth birthday, and the Ministry of Rites prepared for his marriage.
Princess Zhenhua behaved herself, never stepping out of line. Lin Buyi was reinstated as a top advisor.
But it was only the calm before the storm.
One day, the Chief Astronomer rushed into court, dropping to his knees before the assembled ministers.
“There is evil in the Princess Royal’s palace! The omens foretell disaster for the realm!”
Every night, he had tracked Zhenhua’s fate. Last night, her star was shrouded in blood-red—an omen of great calamity.
The Emperor and his ministers were horrified.
“But the Princess has been quiet lately. Why would the stars change?” one minister asked.
Lin Buyi answered,
“Because she still dreams of becoming Crown Princess!”
The Emperor’s face darkened.
“Surround the Princess’s palace. Search every inch!”
This time, the search was even more thorough. Zhenhua and all her servants were locked up. The palace was turned upside down.
Zhenhua raged,
“What do you take me for? You search my palace as you please—why not just execute me now?”
No one answered. Even I kept my eyes down, ignoring her desperate glances.
Lin Buyi found nothing—until, in a flash, he pinned Zhenhua down and pulled a small cloth doll from her robes.
Her face went white.
“Give it back, Lord Lin, and I won’t punish you for this disrespect.”
Lin Buyi smiled coldly.
“Your Highness, come with me.”
Chapter 05
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