After one wild night, Lin Wu, who had always lived by the rules, lost her virtue. And to make matters worse, she was due to enter the palace as a candidate consort the very next day.
To save her life, she behaved crudely during the selection. But even so, her looks got her chosen. Just as she was about to burst into tears, she caught sight of the bright yellow hem of a robe. The moment she saw the person standing beside it, her vision went black and she fainted.
Heaven itself was out to get her! The man she'd spent that night with was the Third Prince, Qi Zhan!
Fortunately, the way she fell was so inelegant that the emperor, whose interest had just been piqued, turned his attention to another beauty.
From then on, Lin Wu came up with every possible way to avoid the emperor's favor. She'd cough every three days, come down with a cold every five, and the farther away her quarters were moved, the happier she and her maid became.
She was happy during the day, but fretted at night. Living so far away meant the emperor forgot she existed, but it also made things convenient for someone else.
In the cold palace, where silver-thread charcoal burned, Qi Zhan gently removed her hairpins and let his fingers wander freely through her cascading hair. “Lady Lin, why are you so quiet today?”
His breath brushed Lin Wu's neck, making her heart tremble. In a tearful voice, she said, “I really... won't tell anyone. Please let me go, all right?”
Delighted to hear the same tearful voice she'd had that night, Qi Zhan soothed her even as he lured her into his trap. “In my eyes, only the dead and my own people can be trusted. So, Lady Lin, which would you like to be?”
“One of your people.”
Lin Wu nodded without hesitation. Just as she began to relax, her eyes flew wide open. The sensation on her lips left her stunned!
“There's something I forgot to tell you. Only my woman can count as one of my people.”
Theme: Anything is possible.
