The day after the Crown Princess ascended the throne, a sudden, vicious illness struck, leaving her no time to catch her breath. The golden steps and jade terraces still held the cold fragrance of the new emperor's breath, but it had already begun to fade. When she died, the court bells were still ringing, and the officials were still prostrate before her.
When she opened her eyes again, she was beneath warm red curtains, with the scent of medicine seeping into her bones. The bronze mirror reflected a pale, frail face: “Lin Qingwan, legitimate daughter of the Left Chancellor's household, seventeen years old, born weak and sickly, known in the capital as the ‘Sickly Beauty.’” She raised a hand, her fingertips still trembling, but a smile curled at the corners of her lips.
“Heaven has helped me: I have returned in another's body.”
