At the White Jade Tower in the capital, a spring banquet unfolds beneath the moonlit blossoms. A golden flute summons the heavens, a goddess treads the moonlight, and a dancer performs in rainbow robes and feathered garments.
The courtesan who captivated the entire capital with a single dance was named Xie Huazhao. She had once been a young lady from a distinguished family.
Tonight, the White Jade Tower was auctioning off Huazhao's first night, and bids flew from every corner of the hall.
In the end, a wealthy merchant bought her. Hoping to profit, he kept her for himself despite his cravings, and then sent her to the capital's Demon. Those in the know all laughed to themselves. The Demon never fell for this sort of thing.
Wei Yuan was notorious, a capital Demon who killed without blinking. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review kept the courtesan.
The merchant was overjoyed and was about to name his price when a single slash opened his throat.
"She is the daughter of a former vice minister. Who gave you the right to buy and sell her with your money?"
Xie Huazhao stared in terror at the great pool of blood before her.
Wei Yuan raised her chin with his bloodstained blade and smiled gently. "Miss Xie, it's been a long time."
*
Huazhao wore a long cinnabar-red dress, her hair unbound. A sheer veil rested over her shoulders, faintly revealing their smooth, snowy curves and her pale arms.
A man's hand pushed aside the embroidered curtain. His fingers were long and finely boned, but years of gripping a blade had left them anything but delicate.
Huazhao hurried over to help him dress. His official robes were wide and long, trailing on anyone else, but they fit him perfectly. His handsome, composed features and naturally murderous gaze made people afraid to meet his eyes.
The man let her dress him. Looking down, he saw her thick black lashes trembling and the rosy corner of her mouth, bitten until it bled. He touched the wound on her lip, then rubbed her pearly earlobe.
As Huazhao adjusted his belt, she evaded his touch.
The man looked at his fingertips, still remembering the softness and smoothness of her skin. He gave a mocking laugh, then said gently, "Miss Xie, are you angry? Your big brother never came to save you, so you had no choice but to give yourself to me?"
"My family fell from grace, and I became a courtesan. You took me in and kept me in the outer courtyard without minding that I might sully your reputation. I wouldn't dare be angry, my lord."
The man slid his fingers into Huazhao's hair. They were as cold as a dagger moving across her scalp.
"That's right. If you serve me well, perhaps I'll marry you, let you into my household, and give you another chance to see my brother."
His gentle whisper wound around her neck like wire. "Then he can see what became of the childhood sweetheart he grew up with, the girl who was once his perfect match, and watch you bear my children."
[Darkened childhood sweetheart, loving him but unable to have him]
[A foxlike Demon, deranged on the outside and even darker within, X a peerlessly beautiful woman fallen into the brothels]
Blurb screenshot dated June 4, 2023
Theme: Hold on to kindness, whatever you do.
