Everyone knew that Xie Youning had been the most doted-on princess in Great Wei since birth.
But she was extravagant and carefree, knew nothing of political intrigue, and was merely an idle aristocrat.
She had thought that a life of wine and pleasure was just fine, enough to reassure the one on the throne and earn herself a lifetime of freedom.
Until the Eastern Palace closed in on her step by step, its blades stained with blood. Only then did she realize that her comfortable nest was a slaughterhouse.
Then let her fight for it.
Her former mentor silently turned away. Her childhood friend, a general, was sent to the frontier. With a storm on the horizon, she stepped into the maelstrom alone.
Only the “frail” dancer she had bought out of a brothel, who loved to dance barefoot in sheer white silk, wiped the blood from her cheek on the night of the palace coup. His fingertips were cold, but his eyes burned bright.
“Your Highness, step over their corpses and climb to the very top.”
Later, she did ascend the throne. She heard that the new emperor of the Song Kingdom across the river was cruel and unpredictable, and had bathed his palace in blood.
She was busy putting her realm in order and had no time to concern herself with him.
Later still, that tyrant bound his own hands and knelt in the snow before her palace in white. He looked up at her with a dazzling, desolate smile.
“Your Majesty, you said you'd take care of me for the rest of my life.”
“Now I'm offering you the Song Kingdom as my bride price, and giving you myself. Does your promise still stand?”
Xie Youning gazed into those eyes, filled with her reflection, and suddenly felt that the silver she had spent to buy him back then was the best bargain of her life.
“Granted.” She curved her lips and brushed her fingertip over the scar on his throat. “But my harem has no room for beauties who can do nothing but cry.”
He leaned in to kiss her palm, the beauty mark beneath his eye shimmering like a bewitching spell.
“Your servant... can do plenty.”
Hey hey hey, working on it