Liu Ruyan was once a woman of breathtaking beauty, with lips naturally red without rouge and a face fair without powder. Yet after years of hardship, even the most exquisite looks could not withstand the erosion of time.
Gazing at her reflection in the silver mirror, Liu Ruyan saw that her delicate features still retained an ethereal grace, but fine wrinkles had begun to appear at the corners of her eyes. Her lips no longer held the rosy hue of her youth, and her entire being exuded weariness from within.
She needed cosmetics to restore a semblance of her former beauty.
After dressing and adorning herself, Liu Ruyan, accompanied by her palace maids, made her way to Yongchun Palace for the coming-of-age ceremony.
Under the blazing sun, Yongchun Palace was already bustling. Scarlet silk curtains hung high, and potted flowers adorned every corner of the courtyard, brimming with vitality. The noblewomen invited to witness the ceremony had arrived early.
"Consort Mei has arrived," announced the eunuch.
For a moment, the lively chatter in Yongchun Palace fell silent.
The crowd stared in astonishment at the belated arrival of Consort Mei, Liu Ruyan. No one had expected her to attend. Her aloof and unfeeling nature was well-known among the noble circles.
Even her own family, the Lius, had long ceased contact with her.
With an indifferent expression, Liu Ruyan stepped into the courtyard of Yongchun Palace. The ceremony had not yet begun, and Li Nanzhi was still in the side hall, preparing. Liu Ruyan walked softly toward the side hall.
The doors of the side hall were wide open, revealing Li Nanzhi, Imperial Noble Consort Shen Wei, and Zhang Miaoyu inside.
By the small latticed window, Li Nanzhi was being dressed.
Zhang Miaoyu combed Li Nanzhi's hair while discreetly wiping away tears. Her voice was hoarse with emotion: "Nanzhi, you must visit the palace often. If you encounter any difficulties outside, tell me at once."
Li Nanzhi smiled sweetly and took Zhang Miaoyu's hand. "Mother Zhang, I’m only moving out of the palace, not marrying far away. Of course I’ll come back often to see you and Mother Shen."
Zhang Miaoyu’s heart ached at the thought of her eventual marriage in a few years. Tears welled up again. "In two years, you’ll be wed... then you won’t be able to return as often."
Having raised Li Nanzhi for years, Zhang Miaoyu regarded her as her own daughter.
The impending separation weighed heavily on her. For days, she had wept silently under her blankets at night, losing weight until even her favorite braised pork became unappetizing.
Li Nanzhi comforted her gently.
By the window, the tender scene of mother and daughter exuded warmth and harmony.
A breeze stirred, brushing Liu Ruyan’s hair across her eyes. She tucked the stray strands behind her ear, stood silently at the courtyard entrance for a moment, then lowered her gaze and turned away without a sound.
In the main courtyard of Yongchun Palace, guests gradually took their seats for the ceremony.
Liu Ruyan, not wishing to draw attention, sat in an inconspicuous corner. When she lifted her head, she spotted her mother, Madam Liu, and Xue Mei, dressed in brocade.
Since Xue Mei had left the palace, Liu Ruyan had not seen her. Now, from afar, she noticed Xue Mei had grown plump, her cheeks rounder.
Xue Mei, a low-born servant, now sat beside Madam Liu, privileged to witness the princess’s ceremony. Madam Liu smiled warmly, whispering intimately with Xue Mei as if they were close.
Liu Ruyan was bewildered—why was her mother so familiar with Xue Mei?
Nearby, noblewomen murmured:
"Who is that lady beside Madam Liu? I’ve never seen her before."
"She’s a stewardess from the Liu family. They say she once served Princess Nanzhi in the palace."
"A stewardess attending the princess’s ceremony? Princess Nanzhi must hold her in high regard."
"Princess Nanzhi is filial and kind... it’s a pity she had such a—ah, never mind."
The whispers continued until the ceremony began.
Li Nanzhi’s coming-of-age rites proceeded smoothly, grand and joyous. From her secluded corner, Liu Ruyan watched the radiant princess on the platform, a pang of melancholy rising in her chest as old memories surfaced.
She remembered the joy of giving birth to her daughter.
She remembered deliberately leaving her child in the snow to starve and freeze during her feud with Li Yuanjing.
She remembered her daughter tugging at her sleeves, tearfully begging not to be sent to the Eastern Palace.
And finally, she remembered her daughter being taken away to Yongchun Palace, entrusted to another.
Li Yuanjing had once loved her deeply, but his heart had strayed. Her parents had raised her with care, yet they too had grown distant. The only one who cherished her, Li Nanzhi, was now Zhang Miaoyu’s daughter—raised with love and care.
Faintly, Liu Ruyan realized that in her pursuit of elusive love, she had lost the affection that had once been within her grasp.
But it was too late to turn back.
...
...
One by one, the princesses who had come of age left the palace, their marriages swiftly arranged.
Li Wan'er married the eldest son of the Marquis of Dongyang, a gentle and scholarly man. Their union was harmonious, marked by mutual respect.
Li Yao was wed to the second son of the Minister of Revenue’s family. When she returned to the palace, she visited only the Empress Dowager and Shen Wei, never stepping foot in Kunning Palace.
Seasons passed.
A desolate autumn wind swept through Kunning Palace, where wild chrysanthemums flourished in the courtyard. The empress sat on the cold stone steps, the abandoned prayer hall behind her covered in cobwebs, the once-merciful Buddha statue coated in dust.
Prayers had proven futile—the gods would not restore her fallen status.
The wind rustled the wildflowers and creaked the wooden gate. The empress stared blankly at the sealed doors of Kunning Palace. It had been so long since she last saw Li Yao.
In the frigid harem, it seemed everyone had forgotten a queen still resided within these walls.
"Creak—"
The long-sealed gate groaned open.
The empress’s dull eyes widened. Before her stood Chief Eunuch Deshun, flanked by two eunuchs and two palace guards.
She sprang up, hope flashing across her face. "Has His Majesty sent you? Has he pardoned me?"
Eunuch Deshun cleared his throat and delivered the emperor’s decree: "By imperial order: Empress Lady Tantai, for conspiring with traitors, plotting regicide, and harming imperial heirs, is guilty beyond pardon. She is to drink poisoned wine and depart at once."
A eunuch presented the cup.
The empress staggered back in disbelief, trembling violently. "Conspiracy? I never—this is Shen Wei’s slander!"
Eunuch Deshun replied, "When His Majesty was still a prince, you colluded with Prince Heng Li Yuanli in a plot to assassinate him. The evidence is irrefutable."
Her heart seized.
Years ago, she had been swayed by Li Yuanli’s honeyed words and schemed to kill Li Yuanjing and Shen Wei. After Li Yuanjing narrowly escaped, she had lived in terror of discovery.
When years passed without consequence, she assumed the secret had died.
Yet now, it had resurfaced—as her death sentence!
Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground with a hollow laugh. "So he knew all along... how well he hid it."
"Empress, it is time," urged Eunuch Deshun.
Frantic, she scrambled up, trying to flee her gilded cage. The guards restrained her as she shrieked, "I won’t die! I refuse!"
She thought wildly, her son had yet to become emperor, her enemies had yet to descend into the underworld—how could she rest in peace!
Poisoned wine poured down her throat, a slow, stinging pain spreading through her veins. The empress writhed in agony, curling up on the ground as tears streamed down her face.
The world around her seemed to freeze, her consciousness slipping into delirium. She saw visions of her grand wedding into the prince's mansion, the endless nights spent urging her children to study, the lifeless bodies of her two sons—and then herself, seated arrogantly in the main hall, two beautiful young women standing before her.
The empress heard her own voice—[Shen Wei, Zhang Yue, would you be willing to serve as the prince's concubines?]
The girl named Shen Wei replied, [This servant is willing to serve His Highness.]
From that moment, the princess consort began her descent into hell.
"Cough... I should never have elevated her to concubine." The empress clutched her burning insides, collapsing into a field of wild chrysanthemums, consumed by regret.
But deep down, she knew—even without Shen Wei, she would have ended up with a loveless marriage and scattered children...
Because that man was born heartless.
It seemed only Shen Wei could ever reach his heart.
In late autumn, the empress "passed away from illness." Kunning Palace became an empty, desolate hall.
Li Yao requested the emperor's permission to bury the empress outside the city.
The following spring, Li Yuanjing issued an imperial decree, naming Shen Wei as the new empress. Shen Wei disliked the gloomy Kunning Palace and continued residing in Yongning Palace.
Among the imperial princes, the others were mediocre at best, while Li Chengtai and Li Chengyou stood out for their brilliance.
Li Yuanjing was still assessing his sons' capabilities, wary that naming a crown prince too soon might stir unrest in the court. Thus, he delayed the decision, focusing instead on nurturing the two boys with greater care.
...
Southern Chu Kingdom, within the palace's servant quarters.
Only criminals, enslaved families, or palace maids who had committed offenses were sent to the servant quarters for hard labor.
After a long day's toil, the servants finally returned to their cramped quarters to rest at night. Lu Yun, dressed plainly, lay silently in the farthest corner of the shared bed, staring at the sliver of moonlight leaking through the cracks.
Recently, a merchant woman who had run afoul of the law was sent to the quarters. This merchant had traveled widely, selling goods across kingdoms, and was full of stories. When sleep eluded the others, they gathered around to listen to her tales.
Tonight, the merchant spoke of her experiences in Qing State. "Qing State is thriving now, and its emperor is a wise ruler. Did you know their new empress was once a peasant girl?"
The listeners gasped in astonishment.
Someone marveled, "A mere peasant girl became empress? What luck!"
The merchant scoffed, "Don't judge by birth! The new empress's elder brother is a great general, her younger brother a capable minister, and she herself is virtuous and dignified—worthy of the title. The previous empress was jealous, and the noble consort died in despair after her family fell from grace... Last year, while selling gems in Qing State, I passed by Anguo Temple..."
As the merchant spun her tale of the Qing empress's rise, the others listened with rapt attention.
Only Lu Yun, curled in her narrow corner, remained cold-eyed and resentful. After the Lu family's downfall, she had bribed a jailer with money and charm, barely escaping execution to seek refuge with the Southern Chu emperor.
Stranded in a foreign land, Lu Yun suffered in silence. The recent news of her elder sister's death plunged her deeper into anguish.
With her sister gone, she was truly alone in the world. Recalling the prophecy from her dreams, Lu Yun shut her eyes and whispered, "So what if the Shen woman became empress? Perhaps she'll meet the same fate as my sister..."
In her heart, she prayed fervently for Shen Wei's swift demise.
Lu Yun even suspected that her sister Lu Xuan's death was inextricably linked to Shen Wei.
The servant quarters were frigid at night, the pale moonlight casting a ghostly glow over Lu Yun's face. She glared at the crescent moon in the sky, silently pleading.
"Heavens, open your eyes—send that Shen woman to hell."
...
...
Time flew. The ginkgo tree in Shen Wei's courtyard shed its golden leaves, only to regrow them again and again.
Years passed in the blink of an eye.
The children grew swiftly, shooting up like bamboo shoots after rain. Li Chengtai and Li Chengyou were now twelve, sturdy young lads.
As the princes matured, court discussions about appointing a crown prince grew louder.
Though the court buzzed with speculation, Shen Wei paid no heed, content to play her role as empress—never meddling in politics nor currying favor with officials. She knew that, barring unforeseen circumstances, her son's ascension was all but guaranteed.
Her only task was to safeguard his health and let fate take its course.
On a lazy summer afternoon, Shen Wei dozed on a shaded pavilion lounge, her face masked with a whitening treatment from Qixiang Studio. Age demanded diligence in beauty care.
Half-asleep, she was jolted awake by thunderous footsteps.
"Mother!"
A whirlwind of energy burst into the pavilion, accompanied by a boisterous shout.
The fish in the pond scattered, lotus leaves rustling in the disturbance.
Shen Wei sighed as her little troublemaker, Li Chengyou, skidded to a halt before her, pouting as he bowed. "Good afternoon, Mother."
Wiping off her mask, Shen Wei eyed her son. "What now?"
At twelve, Li Chengyou was in the throes of a growth spurt—taller by the day, his voice deepening into the cracks of adolescence.
He spent his days in the training grounds, mastering archery and horsemanship under martial tutors, his skin tanned from the sun, his frame robust.
Li Chengyou blurted, "Mother, Grandmother and Father both refuse to let me go to Liangzhou! Please, talk to Father!"
Like a young hawk testing its wings, the boy yearned to soar beyond the confines of Yanjing City.
Last year, his uncle Shen Mieyue had returned to the capital. In a demonstration at the palace grounds, the towering general had wielded his long glaive with such ferocity that even the imperial instructors were driven back.
Awe-inspiring, magnificent!
The spectacle had left the young princes spellbound.
None more so than Li Chengyou, whose admiration for his uncle swelled like an unending tide.
Only in folktales had he heard of such a mighty warrior. Shen Mieyue's presence ignited a fire in the boy—he, too, would become a hero defending the realm!
Thus began his relentless campaign to follow his uncle to Liangzhou.
Li Yuanjing, of course, refused.
