The revelation that Princess Zhenhua had used sorcery against the Emperor shook the court. Out of sibling affection, the Emperor spared her life, stripping her of her title and exiling her to a distant royal estate. All her servants were executed—except me.
On the way to the palace, Lin Buyi kept glancing at me.
“Why do you keep looking at me, my lord?” I asked.
He smiled.
“Every time I saw you before, there was always a deep pain and hatred in your eyes. Now, you look truly happy.”
I touched my lips, surprised by my own smile.
“Do I?”
“You do.”
Lin Buyi’s smile reminded me of Wenhai—the spirited scholar I had loved. He lowered his voice.
“Wenhai would be proud of you. We were classmates, you know. When we’d visit the music pavilions, he always refused to join us. We’d tease him, asking if he had a girl waiting for him at home.”
“He said yes.”
Tears welled up and fell before I could stop them. The happiest days at the Jiang house felt so close, as if I could open a door and see Wenhai’s gentle profile.
He would say, “Sister, you’re home.”
When I met the Emperor, Lin Buyi and I knelt in greeting. The Emperor smiled and helped me up.
“Miss Qiaolan, please rise.”
Lin Buyi joked,
“Your Majesty, you forget your loyal ministers when there’s a beauty around.”
The Emperor laughed, his voice both youthful and commanding.
“Lord Lin, you jest. But truly, I admire Miss Qiaolan. Would you be willing to become my Empress? I cannot promise you will be the only one in the palace, but I swear your position will never be threatened, and your son will be Crown Prince. What do you say?”
I gathered my courage, looked into his sincere eyes, and asked softly,
“Your Majesty, why do you choose me? I have neither noble birth nor great beauty.”
He shook his head, smiling.
“I admire your character. You are the right choice for Empress. And didn’t the Imperial Astronomer say you have the destiny to guide the realm?”
I shook my head, smiling brightly.
“I don’t know who they meant. Besides, I already have someone in my heart. All I wish for is freedom.”
The Emperor was curious.
“Who is worthy of your love? Should I grant you a marriage?”
Who was he?
My eyes grew wet, but my smile was gentle.
“He was a man as bright as the moon, a hero who saved me from despair, my one true love. He taught me skills, self-respect, and how to find a way out of any hardship.”
He died, and I have done everything I could to avenge him.
Leaving Yucheng behind, there was still one final matter that weighed on my heart.
With Lin Buyi’s help, I entered the Imperial Villa where Princess Royal Zhenhua was imprisoned. Lin had quietly dismissed all the guards, the corners of his mouth curled in a breezy, almost teasing smile.
“Go on, Qiaolan,” he said, his voice low and steady. “Avenge Wenhai. The Emperor won’t notice for a while.”
I bowed deeply in gratitude, then strode forward without hesitation.
Princess Zhenhua was locked in the innermost chamber of the villa, behind layers of doors and heavy chains. Escape was impossible; all she could do was curse the world through the barred window. Eventually, even that small window was boarded up, leaving her to greet sunrise and sunset through the cracks in the wood.
But she didn’t realize—her true despair had only just begun.
I pressed my face to the gap in the boards and saw her sprawled on the floor, so thin she was barely human, her hair a tangled mess, her once-luxurious robes now filthy and stained. Who could have recognized the woman who once dazzled Yucheng with her beauty and power?
I knocked softly—three steady raps.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
She stirred, her voice a ragged rasp.
“Who dares disturb my sleep? Get out!”
Still dreaming she was the noble Princess Royal.
I smiled and pushed open the door, covering my nose from the stench that filled the room.
“Your Highness, are you well?”
She spun around, revealing a face creased with age and bitterness. With a snarl, she tried to lunge at me, but collapsed after only a few steps.
“You filthy wretch! You did this to me!” she screamed.
“At last, you realize,” I replied, my laughter echoing in the empty chamber as I looked her up and down. “You’re a hundred times filthier than I ever was, cleaning chamber pots.”
Her face twisted with rage and humiliation, but she couldn’t rise from the floor. I pressed her down with my foot.
“Do you really think the Emperor will ever forgive you? That he’ll let you out?”
“You know nothing,” she spat, her face ground into the dirt. “I am of imperial blood. You may have bested me for now, but you’ll die miserably!”
I spun the dagger in my hand, the blade catching the sunlight that filtered through the cracks.
“Maybe I will. But as for you, Princess Zhenhua, your end is here.”
Her eyes widened in terror, but she was too weak to resist as I tied her to the wooden post in the center of the room. For the first time in days, sunlight streamed across her face, and she squeezed her eyes shut, howling,
“I am the Emperor’s sister! How dare you!”
Why wouldn’t I dare?
I traced the blade along her trembling lips, her sunken eyes, her ruined body—none would escape.
Her screams of agony rang out, but I only smiled, feeling the weight of vengeance lift from my heart.
Two days later, I walked out of the villa.
Lin Buyi was waiting under the willow trees, a stalk of foxtail grass between his teeth, his smile as lazy as ever.
“All done?” he asked.
I wiped the blood from my blade with a rag.
“Yes. Want to go in and see for yourself?”
Lin wrinkled his nose and waved me off, then tipped his face up to the drifting clouds.
“It’s over, Qiaolan. Wenhai can rest in peace now. Don’t let hatred chain you forever. He would want you to be happy.”
I closed my eyes, swallowing my tears. After a long moment, a gentle smile broke across my lips.
The breeze brushed my cheek, soft as a lover’s kiss. Before me stretched endless grasslands beneath a sky of brilliant blue.
Freedom tasted sweet.
“Brother Wenhai,” I whispered,
“I will be happy.”
END
Chapter 06
*