Chapter 1

From childhood, I knew I would one day become Crown Princess.

Then, on our wedding night, the Crown Prince entered the wrong bridal chamber and slept with one of the empress's maids.

The empress valued the woman deeply: she had once taken a blade meant for her. Her anger soon subsided, and in the end she gave her consent.

My parents were furious. Our Pei family commanded seven hundred thousand troops. How could we swallow such an insult?

They wanted to petition His Majesty for justice. I caught their sleeves and urged them to be patient for now.

That very day, I entered the palace alone to plead the Crown Prince's case.

"Please allow her into the Eastern Palace, Your Majesty. Let His Highness have the woman he loves."

She was only a maid. I had no reason to consider her a threat.

He had no love for me, and I had none for him.

It was never the man I wanted.

I wanted the dignity of the Crown Princess, the future empress's throne, and enduring prosperity for the entire Pei clan.

1.

By evening, word that I had interceded for the Crown Prince and asked for Han Yan's admission to the Eastern Palace had spread throughout the court and beyond.

Everyone was talking. Most mocked the Pei daughter for learning to bow her head and swallow humiliation before she'd even been formally invested.

My father received the eight-character message I'd sent home with a trusted retainer: "Stand down for now. Await the rewards." He sat alone for a long time. In the end, he managed to quell the army's anger.

Three days later, the imperial edict arrived.

My investiture would proceed as planned. Han Yan was appointed Lady of Excellence and carried quietly through a side gate of the Eastern Palace in a small sedan that same day.

My ceremony was magnificent.

Wearing the Crown Princess's heavy, splendid regalia, I climbed the white-jade steps before the assembled civil and military officials. From the master of ceremonies, I received the golden investiture book and seal of office.

Gu Chengzhang stood beside me. Handsome and straight-backed, he looked every inch the faultless heir apparent.

Yet when he looked at me, his eyes held a guarded chill.

I met his gaze without flinching and smiled, presenting exactly the gentle obedience that propriety demanded.

He must have been unable to understand why I hadn't wept or made a scene—why I'd welcomed the woman he favored into the Eastern Palace myself.

He didn't know that I'd never wanted the crumbs of affection he might toss me.

That night, after the ceremony, he did not enter my chambers.

As Wanhe, my personal maid, removed my hair ornaments, she struggled to hold her tongue. At last, she said:

"His Highness... went to Lady Han's Pavilion of the Resting Moon after all."

My reflection remained composed. Not a trace of sorrow showed.

"You may go."

Candlelight trembled through the hall. Silence settled around me.

I went to the window and looked toward the Pavilion of the Resting Moon. Its lamps were still burning. Doubtless the lovers couldn't bear to part.

I felt no bitterness. I was considering my next move.

Gu Chengzhang had moved quickly—and foolishly. He'd meant to raise Han Yan's standing by humiliating me. Instead, he'd put both of them over the fire.

A favorite who made the Crown Prince breach propriety on his wedding night and insult his powerful military in-laws would become a target for everyone in the depths of the palace.

The next morning, I took the seat of honor as Crown Princess and calmly received the obeisance of every woman in the Eastern Palace.

Han Yan timed her entrance precisely: neither early nor late. She wore a rose-red gown, the languor of a favored night still in her expression, her satisfaction impossible to conceal.

She knelt as custom required, her voice soft.

"Han Yan pays her respects to Your Highness."

I didn't immediately permit her to rise. Lifting my cup, I carefully skimmed the tea foam, my gaze passing over her faintly trembling fingers.

The room went utterly still. The other women held their breath.

After a while, I spoke. My tone was gracious but allowed no opposition.

"Rise, Lady Han. Now that you are in the Eastern Palace, you must observe its rules, attend His Highness devotedly, and give the imperial family an heir as soon as you can."

I bestowed a set of solid-gold hair ornaments on her, no different from what the other concubines received. It gave her all the dignity she was due while denying her any chance to boast of special treatment.

She accepted with both hands. As she thanked me, the smugness finally left her face, replaced by caution.

I watched her with an inward sneer.

Gu Chengzhang could give her favor. I had legitimate standing, palace law, and the real authority of the Eastern Palace's mistress.

Favor came and went. The power in my hands was truly mine.

A few days later, at a palace banquet, the empress called me to her side and took my hand. There was a note of consolation in her voice.

"Good child, you've been wronged. Chengzhang... was simply foolish for a moment."

I lowered my eyes, deeply respectful.

"Please don't say that, Mother. His Highness's loyalty and affection are a blessing to the realm. Lady Han saved you. Naturally, I shall look after her."

"As his principal wife, I must put His Highness first, and the peace of the Eastern Palace before all else."

The empress studied me. At last, appreciation and relief entered her eyes.

She wanted a Crown Princess who could accommodate others, understand the larger picture, and keep the household in hand—not a jealous woman whose struggles for favor would throw it into turmoil.

It was late when we returned.

Wanhe draped another robe over my shoulders and asked softly, "My lady, just now at the palace... why didn't you take the chance to ask Her Majesty to..."

I raised a hand to stop her and went to my desk.

The Crown Princess's seal rested there. In the candle's cold white light, the jade looked clearer and colder still.

"Wanhe, look at this seal."

My fingertips traced its delicate phoenix carving. My voice was level.

"It governs power and rank, and the honor or disgrace of the entire Pei clan. As for who holds the Crown Prince's heart..."

I looked out at the dense night. My lips barely moved.

"What does that have to do with me?"

2.

Dusk was fading. One last strip of sunlight clung to the Eastern Palace's red walls.

Three months had passed since Han Yan's arrival. Gu Chengzhang had not entered my bedchamber again.

By day, he maintained the Crown Prince's dignity, accompanying me to pay our respects and attend ceremonies.

But once we returned, he had eyes only for the Pavilion of the Resting Moon.

Gossip spread through the palace. The Crown Princess had a title and nothing more; she couldn't even touch the hem of her husband's robe.

I paid it no mind. I continued to manage palace affairs calmly. On visits to the empress, I never complained, only kept the Eastern Palace's accounts and every department's expenses scrupulously in order.

At first, she offered advice and comfort. Later, seeing me remain so "useless," she began to show impatience.

She could indulge her son's temporary infatuation. She could not accept an Eastern Palace with no legitimate son indefinitely.

The time had come.

That afternoon, I was feeding fish in the waterside pavilion when Wanhe slipped up beside me.

"Your Highness, everything is arranged. A few days ago, Lady Han's elder brother 'happened' to meet the Earl of Yongning's third son in the Western Market."

I scattered a pinch of feed across the pool. Carp crowded together to fight over it.

The earl's third son was a notorious rake, particularly fond of horse racing and cockfighting.

Since his sister had won favor, Han Yan's brother had forgotten his place. He was especially vulnerable to taunts.

A little flattery—"You'll be an empress's brother one day. How can you not know about this?"—would leave him unable to see straight.

"Have the arrangements at the racetrack been made?"