Jade Smoke of the Ice Soul

Winter days in the Forbidden City are always exceptionally long. The charcoal fire in Suiyu Pavilion crackled as it burned. Zhen Huan put down her copy of the *Zizhi Tongjian* and looked out the window at the swirling snowflakes. Jinxi quietly added more charcoal and whispered, "Your Majesty, Consort An has arrived." Before she finished speaking, An Lingrong had already lifted the curtain and entered, her shoulders covered in snowflakes, her expression colder than the snow itself. "Sister, do you know that another person is missing from the palace today?" An Lingrong removed her cloak, her voice extremely low. "Consort Lin of Jingyang Palace committed suicide by jumping into the well last night." Zhen Huan's heart skipped a beat. This was the third death in the palace in three months.