By a twist of fate, Murong Shilan is reborn at the moment Zhen Huan comes to visit her in the Cold Palace.
A dagger, poisoned wine, and a strip of white silk are laid out one by one, but Murong Shilan refuses to choose any of them.
She tells Li Chang, the chief eunuch at the Emperor’s side, “Go back and report to the Emperor: if he wants me dead, that is easy enough. Let him grant me the Frostmoon Blade!”
“I, Murong Shilan, will either die in a blaze of glory or live in dazzling splendor. I find these trinkets the Empress sent me quite ill-suited to my hand!”
Seeing that things are going poorly, Zhen Huan seizes the chance to twist the knife and reveals the secret of the Joyful Fragrance!
But Murong Shilan only smiles sweetly, utterly unconcerned, and instead warns Zhen Huan to beware of the Empress.
“Your Ladyship is so learned. Surely you understand the deeper meaning of ‘the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it’ even better than I do!”
“Your Ladyship should return. Whether I live or die rests entirely on the Emperor’s whim.”
“If the Emperor wants me dead, I will not live past tonight.”
“But if the Emperor can remember even a shred of our past affection and let me live a few more days in the Cold Palace, that will do you no harm, Your Ladyship!”
“After all, even a broken nail is still an eyesore to the Empress!”
“It will also give Your Ladyship a little more breathing room!”
[A friendly note: This book is fan fiction based on the original novel Empresses in the Palace, not the TV adaptation. If that bothers you, please skip it. Writing is not easy, so please do not leave a negative review on a whim. The main characters, plot events, and timeline generally follow the original novel.]
There are very few fanfictions based on the original work, and few people have written about Consort Hua's rebirth in the Cold Palace. This is a new field, so good luck to the author!