The Phoenix Bracelet

Empress Qi Xuan of the Wei Yuan dynasty has been reborn.

The first thing she does after being reborn is break off her engagement to the second son of the Duke of Yueguo, refusing to marry him under any circumstances.

Several months later, she uses mourning as an excuse to travel south with her father's coffin, successfully avoiding the calamity that followed the Qi family's failed uprising.

After helping her brother flee and nursing her ailing mother, she watches her family settle into safety. Qi Xuan intends to spend the rest of her life cultivating herself at a Taoist temple.

Unexpectedly, the Duke of Yueguo becomes emperor, and his second son is named Prince Yu. Qi Xuan's brother gets caught up in the succession struggle and is thrown into the imperial prison, his life hanging by a thread.

Gritting her teeth, Qi Xuan goes to Chang'an and presents Prince Yu with a phoenix jade bangle. She bows low to the ground.