Rule number one for surviving the harem: stay away from Consort Hua.
Yet Zhen Huan stumbles right into her arms in the imperial garden, and even finds the gilt arm guard concealing a coded message from Mongolia.
Everyone knows Nian Shilan is arrogant and tyrannical, but no one knows that the silver needles hidden in her sleeve can heal as easily as they can kill. Nor do they know that this living demon sits alone in a corner tower late at night, eyes reddening as she reads a report of her brother's death on the battlefield. Zhen Huan catches the cup of poisoned wine she throws and smiles as she bites her tongue until it bleeds. "If Your Highness wants someone dead, I'll sharpen the knife for you."
When the bitter almond scent of Scar-Removing Balm stains An Lingrong's pomegranate-red skirt, and scraps of Chun Yuan's old clothes turn up in the dungeons of the Court of Discipline, Consort Hua steps over shards of jade and sneers, "No lowly insects may bully my sisters!"
From then on, the harem is thrown into turmoil:
Cao Qinmo's jade earrings conceal poison insects from the Western Regions, the bird's-nest soup bestowed by the Empress is steeped in mandrake juice, and even the emperor's beloved hibiscus flowers become the sharpest blades in their hands.
Caressing her swollen belly, Zhen Huan sighs, "Sister, when we bring down the imperial throne, shall we name the baby 'Regicide'?"
