The dusk was approaching.
Through the red twilight, the edges of the sky began to darken with purple. A flock of birds heading to their roosts passed through the clouds. One by one, lanterns hanging from the eaves of the corridor were lit.
However, no matter how many lights were lit, the nightfall could not be pushed away.
Shadows grow darker the more they are illuminated. Perhaps because of this, there were always unsettling rumors in the glamorous imperial harem.
“Even though the disaster from the poisonous earth hasn’t ended, His Majesty the Emperor is still visiting the harem every night.”
“Don’t say such things. His Majesty, despite being over forty and still without an heir, must be feeling anxious.”
“Yet, no one has heard any news of him having made a concubine pregnant.”
The eunuchs, responsible for managing the lamps, furrowed their brows as they talked. It’s not only women who spread rumors in the harem.
“How can it be that every night he visits and still hasn’t made a single concubine pregnant? Could it be that he is incapable?”
“Well, he did have one legitimate son, but he disappeared five years ago, or so I’ve heard.”
Fei Ling, who had returned from the High Palace to the Spring Palace, contemplated whether she should turn back along the corridor.
Rumors about consorts and concubines were often harmless, but this was going too far. If it became public, they could be punished for treason. The eunuchs, too, would be at a disadvantage if they were overheard by outsiders.
But as she hesitated, the eunuchs approached from around the corner of the corridor. Trying to act as if she hadn’t heard them, Fei Ling was about to pass by when one of the eunuchs noticed her.
“You’ve been eavesdropping, haven’t you?”
The eunuch’s face changed, and he grabbed her sleeve.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t pretend. You sneaky little rat, eavesdropping and spreading rumors to sow the seeds of discord. Chaos thrives on such conflicts, after all.”
(They’re the ones spreading rumors, and they have the gall to speak like this.)
Sighing, Fei Ling’s reaction seemed to provoke the eunuch, and his voice grew louder.
“Are you mocking me?! For someone like you, a criminal, to behave like this—”
With force, he shoved her.
Unfortunately, there was a staircase behind her. Fei Ling braced herself for a fall, but the shock never came. Instead, she was grabbed by the arm and her waist was supported.
“Well, well, in the imperial harem of Kektoku, eunuchs push concubines down the stairs, do they?”
A young man, with a graceful appearance, was holding Fei Ling. He appeared to be just over twenty. His black silk robe indicated he was not a eunuch. But if he were from the harem, he surely wouldn’t have thought to save a young woman like her.
“This is not a concubine. She is a lowly criminal.”
The eunuch muttered bitterly, but the young man raised an eyebrow.
“Oh? Is it not disgraceful to torment a defenseless girl?”
The eunuch grunted and, in a fit of frustration, cursed.
“Who… who are you? And you didn’t even announce your name…”
“I’m just a feng shui master. I was sent by the Left Chancellor to inspect the feng shui of the harem.”
The Left Chancellor was the Emperor’s assistant, one of the highest-ranking officials in the empire. The eunuchs were struck silent, paling.
“Your behavior toward the Emperor is beyond reproach. Having such low-quality eunuchs working here could lead to cracks in the palace’s defenses. I could report this to the Left Chancellor…”
“Please, forgive us.”
The eunuchs shrank back, kneeling and bowing their heads. Disgraced eunuchs would end up as beggars. The young man smiled slightly, his obsidian-like eyes narrowing as he glared at the eunuchs.
“There won’t be a second time.”
The eunuchs, shrunken with fear, fled, disappearing from view. After they were gone, Fei Ling realized that she was still being held by the man and timidly spoke up.
“…Excuse me.”
“Oh, I suppose it’s improper for a woman in the harem to be touched without permission,” the man said, loosening his hold.
He was a beautiful young man, so handsome that even flowers would feel ashamed. His nose was sharp, like carved snowflake gypsum, and his chin delicately pointed. His occasionally purple-tinted eyes glimmered faintly in his single-lidded gaze. His eyes were like a dragon’s—deep, filled with an intelligence that felt boundless. His long hair was tied with a cord and cascaded down his back.
This was what it meant to have the air of an immortal.
“Thank you for saving me. But I think it would be wiser for you to forget about me from now on.”
Fei Ling bowed respectfully and smiled at him. The man’s expression shifted in surprise.
“Was I a bother? These stairs are at least twenty steps. If you had fallen, you’d have broken a bone if you were lucky. Worst case, you could have died instantly.”
“That’s true. Unfortunately, I have no knowledge of martial arts, and I don’t believe I would have been able to protect myself had I fallen down the stairs. Please, don’t misunderstand me. I am truly grateful for your kindness. That’s why I say this: it seems you’ve only just arrived at the palace.”
The Left Chancellor had long been aligned with the current Emperor’s faction and had conflicts with the late Emperor. He had also been indifferent toward Fei Ling, the late Emperor’s daughter, and had opposed the Emperor’s decision to spare her execution until the very end.
“Oh? Is it because you are the late Emperor’s daughter?”
“Yes. I am indeed someone to be looked down upon.”
She said this without lowering her head in humility or inducing pity. On the contrary, she spoke with a certain clarity, as if acknowledging the truth without hesitation.
Although it wasn’t something to boast about, it was a fact, and she felt no shame in admitting it.
“The late Emperor’s princess was said to have been executed, but it seems she was hidden in the harem.”
“Well, it is said that I was executed.”
Fei Ling was taken aback, realizing how absurd the situation was, her eyes widening in surprise.
The harem was a secluded, isolated world, cut off from the mundane. Even though certain facts were well known within the harem, things that were meant to remain secret never leaked to the outside world. To the public, it was likely reported that the late Emperor’s bloodline had been exterminated to eliminate any potential danger.
“Don’t you feel sorrow?”
“Why should I feel sorrow?”
Even though she was reported dead, as long as she was alive, she would do what needed to be done. She couldn’t understand why she should mourn now, and as she blinked, he unexpectedly softened his expression.
“You’re quite different.”
“Am I?”
“You’re remarkably strong.”
Not “strong,” but—
“It’s a simple analogy, but you’re like a willow.”
A willow tree that bends in the strong wind and bows under the cold snow, yet never breaks. It neither complains about its situation nor grows angry.
“I’m Zhen (鴆). We’ll surely meet again soon.”
Like the branches of a willow swaying in the wind, Zhen passed by her.
Their sleeves brushed briefly. And yet, for some reason, Fei Ling’s chest stirred, as if a whirlwind had blown through her ribs. Her skin, where he had touched her, felt as though it were tingling with heat, as if poisoned.
(We’ll meet again, huh?)
Fate is indeed strange. Some bonds are destined, while others should never have been entangled. Because of that, fate sometimes moves even unchanging destinies.
Whether it brings misfortune or fortune, she didn’t know.
