The Lantern Festival shone in splendor, then bloodshed descended.
Twelve-year-old Shen Qingci, beloved daughter of Shen Zhiyuan, Minister of Rites, was delighted by the radiant “Phoenix Among a Hundred Birds” lantern in the family estate, her heart full of festive joy and her father’s affection. But her father had barely settled in after returning from the palace banquet when the Imperial Guards arrived to wipe out the entire family, their iron-shod hooves crushing every last trace of peace.
The family estate fell in an instant. Her parents were seized and the servants scattered. The treasured glass lantern that had once filled her with pride turned to ash in the flames, reflecting the stars fading from the young girl’s eyes.
In the chaos, Old Zhou, a longtime servant, risked his life to stuff Qingci into a sack, hoping to spirit her away from this living hell. Cold hooves and arrows tore through their last chance to escape.
“Jump… jump in… follow the current…” With the last of his strength, Old Zhou pointed toward the city moat, then collapsed in the slush of snow and blood.
Behind her, flames soared as her home was devoured, and pursuers shouted. Before her lay a freezing river that swallowed lives. Trembling, Shen Qingci threw herself into the pitch-black, rushing water. The icy current filled her mouth and nose, carrying away the small body of the Minister’s legitimate daughter and washing away the name and identity she had borne for twelve years.
A speck of dust swept up by a monstrous wave sank into the depths of fate. Can she survive the unknown current? Beneath a sea of blood and vengeance, how will the clear moonlight that once lit her childhood shine again?
