Ghost in the palace

The lanterns of Emerald Pavilion burned deep into the night. The snow-white curtains rippled faintly as a cold wind slipped through the lattices, but inside, the air was thick with rage.

Lady Chen stood before her bronze mirror, her reflection warped by the trembling candlelight. Her jeweled fan, snapped during the Purity Rite, lay broken on the table. She seized it in one hand, twisting until splinters of lacquer pierced her skin.

”Luck,” she hissed, her voice trembling with fury. ”That wretched girl survived only by Heaven’s whim. A trembling maid dares ruin everything I prepared. One word of weakness, and the Emperor himself shielded her!”

She threw the fan aside with a clatter, pacing across the embroidered carpets. Her silken sleeves fluttered like flames, her eyes glinting with venom.

Her maid, Xiao Tao, dropped to her knees, carefully gathering the scattered hairpins that Lady Chen had torn from her head. ”My Lady,” she whispered timidly, ”you must calm yourself. His Majesty—he still visits you, still favors you. Perhaps—”

Lady Chen spun, her sleeve striking the air. ”Favors me?” she laughed, sharp and bitter. ”Tell me, Xiao Tao, when did he last defend me before the court? When did he raise his voice for me as he did for her today? Never. Never once!”

She stopped before the mirror again, her painted lips curving into a cold smile.

”I have danced for him, sung for him, wept before him, and still he keeps me at arm’s length. But today, for that naive little girl, he broke his silence. Today, ministers and concubines alike saw him stand at her side.”

Her nails scraped across the wooden frame of the mirror. ”Do you understand what that means? They will begin to whisper of her. They will say Heaven protects her. They will say the Emperor looks upon her with favor.”

Xiao Tao bowed low, her forehead pressing against the floor. ”My Lady, then what shall we do?”

---

Lady Chen’s eyes softened, but only with cunning. She pressed her palm against her flat stomach, the gesture almost tender.

”What binds a man stronger than schemes, stronger than Heaven’s judgment?” she murmured.

The maid looked up, uncertain. ”My Lady?”

”A child.” Lady Chen’s voice sharpened, filled with steel. ”If I give him a son, no court will dare slight me. Even the Dowager must bow to the mother of the heir. That girl may have her innocence, her ’purity’ — but what is snow against the fire of bloodline?”

Xiao Tao froze, fear dawning in her eyes. ”A... child. But—what if His Majesty does not... if he does not come to you, My Lady—”

Lady Chen’s laugh was low, dangerous, almost tender. ”Then I will make him come.”

Her gaze darkened. ”There are powders and elixirs known only to the southern merchants. Fragrances that cloud a man’s judgment. Drinks that stir his blood. Seduction poisons. With them, even the coldest heart will burn.”

Xiao Tao paled. ”Seduction poison...? My Lady, if it were discovered, the punishment would be death. Not only for you, but for all of us.”

---

The sharp sound of a slap cracked through the chamber.

Lady Chen stood over her maid, her hand trembling from the strike. ”If it is discovered, we die. But if not—” she leaned close, her eyes glittering with fire, ”—then I will live as the mother of the Crown Prince. Which fate do you prefer, Xiao Tao?”

The girl shook, tears welling, but bowed her head. ”I... I will obey.”

”Good.” Lady Chen straightened, her voice cold and commanding. ”Tomorrow, you will leave the palace at dawn. Slip through the side gate, go to the southern quarter, and find our contact. He will provide the powders I require. Do not fail me.”

”Yes, My Lady,” Xiao Tao whispered, trembling.

---

Lady Chen turned back to her mirror, her reflection smiling faintly, cruelly. She traced her lips with a fingertip, admiring the crimson stain.

”Let them praise her purity tonight,” she whispered to herself. ”Let them admire her snow-white robes. Soon, His Majesty will not leave my chambers. Soon, I will hold his child. And then—let us see if she dares to stand in my shadow.”

The candlelight flickered, stretching her smile into something both beautiful and terrifying.

Outside, the wind howled faintly, carrying the secret of her ambition into the darkness.