That day, beneath the candlelight of their double wedding, she stood in her bridal robes, staring at him in horror through the room’s crimson glow. He said, “Xin’er, you should know by now what happens when you betray me.” Only then did she realize that he was no longer the man he used to be. One was the Great Qi emperor, unwilling to fade into obscurity; the other, the mighty ruler of Great Xia who looked down upon the world. At the Huiji Alliance, he had people proclaim, “The only woman the Lord of Xia desires as his consort is Consort Hua.” When the flowers bloomed on the far shore, he told her, “I never wanted your forgiveness.” Ha. How laughable. Then who had she been doing it all for? Yes, here was another doomed romance in the imperial palace, another blood feud! Amid national and family vendettas, how many times had she awoken from twisting dreams, looking back in sorrow? Once, she had been nothing more than the daughter of a disgraced official, a lowly palace maid. Who had led her into this blood-soaked harem? And who could take her hand and lead her out of this chaotic, glittering age?
