Zhuyu: The Night I Was Drugged, Xie Zheng Actually Asked Me to Share a Bed with Changyu

The night Xie Zheng was drugged, I ended up sharing a bed with Changyu. He thought I was the antidote; she thought I was a substitute. Only I knew that seventeen years ago, she should have been my wife.

01

When Qi Sheng handed me the cup of wine, he smiled and said, "Take this to Xie Zheng and make sure he drinks it."

I didn't ask why. After twenty-three years in the palace, the first thing I had learned was: never ask the emperor why.

The wine was amber-colored, swirling in the jade cup like a melted sunset. I accepted it with both hands, lowered my head, took three steps back, then turned and left the imperial study. Behind me, Qi Sheng's airy voice drifted after me: "Shen..."