On the brink of death, she watched her favored concubine wear her phoenix seal and climb into the imperial carriage. She heard Xiao Yu declare, “Empress Su is jealous. Depose her.” A mouthful of blood caught in her throat. So twenty years of guarding the six inner courts and taking arrows meant for others had all been part of a game between the emperor and his ministers. When she opened her eyes again, it was the eve of the selection of consorts! The Karma Mirror in her dressing case glimmered coldly, showing the favored concubine poisoning her medicine in her previous life and revealing the chill in Xiao Yu’s eyes as he listened to slander. This time, she tore off the mask of virtue and took Prince Ning Xiao Yichen by the sleeve. “You said you’d protect me, Your Highness. But would you dare join me in a game: making those who betrayed me pay in blood?”
