The emperor, nearly sixty, fell in love with me at first sight.
He asked his eunuch, "Whose daughter is this?"
Eunuch Xue replied, "The only daughter of the Jiang family, and the betrothed whom the Marquis of Dingbei has cherished for years."
The Marquis of Dingbei had earned great merit by pacifying the Xiongnu. He deserved a reward.
But the emperor said, "The frontier is bitterly cold. If the Marquis of Dingbei cannot cherish this girl, I will cherish her in his place."
Later, he imprisoned me in the inner palace.
Half a year later, the Marquis of Dingbei returned to the capital after quelling the rebellion.
The emperor was delighted and bestowed upon him the palace's latest dance.
The Marquis of Dingbei's eyes were bloodshot. For the first time, he drew his saber before the emperor. "Your Majesty, this is my wife!"
The emperor flew into a rage. On the charge of coveting one of the imperial consorts, the Marquis of Dingbei was beheaded.
I was consumed by regret and resentment.
When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the night I first met the emperor.
The emperor, traveling incognito, was looking straight at me...
