Zi-ning turned around, surprised to find a familiar face standing behind her. The girl had her hair done up with a silver butterfly pin, which matched the butterfly embroidery on her cream-coloured dress.

"Zhenzhu?"

Bai Zhenzhu was the second daughter of Official Bai, a senior official within the Ministry of Protocol. When they were younger, Zi-ning and Zhenzhu used to spend plenty of time together because their mothers had been close friends, but they had quickly drifted apart after her mother passed away. A lot of that had to do with Zi-ning's transformation into the arrogant and obnoxious brat that her stepmother carefully fashioned her to be.

Zhenzhu slowly walked up to her side. "You look... different," she said hesitantly.

"In a good way?"

"Definitely in a good way."

The two girls exchanged smiles as though it had only been yesterday that they had last spoken to each other instead of five years ago.

"How's your family?" Zi-ning asked.

"We're doing alright. Father just got a promotion a couple of months ago, and my brother will be taking the imperial examination this summer. We don't really fancy his chances though. Father would rather have him wait another year or two, but Shengwu is just too stubborn."

"There's no harm in trying. You never know what could happen."

If her memory served her right, then Bai Shengwu would not only ace this year's imperial examinations, he would also emerge as the youngest top scholar in the history of the exams. Shengwu was turning eighteen this year and had inherited a mind that was a sharp and astute as his grandfather, the late Chief Minister Bai. However, besides his stubbornness, he was also detached and reserved to a fault. In her previous lifetime, Bai Shengwu had scaled the political ladder at breakneck speed and eventually became the top candidate for Chief Minister. The fifth prince had tried to rope him into his faction several times but always failed miserably because Shengwu cared little for political intrigue, preferring to devote his time and energy to bettering the welfare of the people. As a result, he had eventually been banished for a fabricated crime, putting a premature end to what would have been an illustrious career.

"Well as long as he doesn't embarrass us too badly," Zhenzhu replied, pulling a face. "How are things like in your family now? Your sister," she jerked her head in Meiyan's direction, "is obviously enjoying the limelight. Does she honestly think that she'll manage to hook herself a prince by putting on this charade?"

Zhenzhu had never liked Meiyan. She had once told Zi-ning that she thought Meiyan was pretentious and hypocritical, but Zi-ning had dismissed her concerns and even told her off for badmouthing her sister. On hindsight, Zhenzhu had a better eye for judging people after all.

Zi-ning smiled wryly. "She has every reason to be in the limelight. After all, she has worked so hard to be where she is today," she said.

Zhenzhu looked at her strangely. "Something's definitely changed about you." In the past, Zi-ning would never have said something like that about her older sister. Although there was nothing obviously wrong with what she had just said, there was no disguising the sarcasm lining her words. "Did something happen to you when you went to Taishan? I still can't believe you actually stayed there for such a long time. The place is so isolated from civilisation! I don't think I would have lasted a week at a place like that."

"I guess I grew up," Zi-ning replied simply. "We all change with time, don't we?" She linked her arm with Zhenzhu, leading down the pathway back towards the gardens. "You're looking quite different yourself. I almost didn't recognise you. I don't see you in two and a half years and all of a sudden you've blossomed into this beautiful flower? If one of the princes catches sight of you today, perhaps I'll end up attending your wedding soon."

Zhenzhu playfully smacked her friend on the shoulder. "What nonsense are you talking about?" Her cheeks flushed bright pink. "Even with his recent promotion, my father isn't even a full minister yet. I'm hardly qualified to marry into the royal family."

"Who knows? Circumstances may change with time." Once Bai Shengwu topped the imperial examinations and entered the imperial court, the winds of fortune would change for the Bai family. When that time came, Zhenzhu would be more than worthy of becoming a princess consort to any of the princes.

The two girls continued chatting as they made their way back to the main pavilion where all the other ladies were awaiting the arrival of the queen. Zi-ning ignored the scornful looks thrown her way from the other girls. She knew their kind only too well. They were judgmental and critical, eager to find flaws with others to accentuate their own strengths. For the longest time, she had been the perfect point of comparison, that obnoxious and uncultured girl that everyone despised.

Funnily enough, Meiyan seemed more than happy to keep her distance today. In the past, Meiyan would always stay by her side because she knew that Zi-ning's imperfections would highlight her own perfection. Things had changed now. When Zi-ning caught Meiyan's eye, the latter quickly averted her gaze, pretending as if she hadn't seen her sister approach.

"She just can't bear to admit that you're better than her," Zhenzhu quipped, scrounging up her nose when she caught Meiyan's pretense. "Maybe you'll catch the queen's eye today, and let's see who'll end up as a princess consort then!"

Zi-ning smiled, shaking her head. A long time ago she had yearned for that position. To be Ru-an's consort was her dream and the only thing she wanted in life. Because of that foolish dream she had shut her eyes to the truth, until she was finally marched up to the guillotine to face the executioner's sword. She no longer harboured any desire for any of that this time.

She was back here for a purpose, and it wasn't to be married and content with milling around in some prince's back yard. For what they had done to her, Ru-an, Meiyan and that stepmother of hers would all need to pay the price.

"Her Majesty the queen will be arriving shortly," a lady-in-waiting announced, and the ladies immediately lowered their voices, all eagerly anticipating the queen's arrival.

Meiyan slowly inched her way to the front into a position where she knew she would be able to be seen. Some of the other noble daughters thought the same way, each of them jostling to get the best position.

"Does someone like you think you're worthy of becoming the crown princess?" a snooty voice appeared beside Meiyan. It belonged to a young girl dressed in emerald green, her long, silky lack hair pulled back in a sleek up-do, held in place with an intricately-carved jade hairpin. This was Ouyang Sangya, only daughter of Minister and Lady Ouyang, and she clearly shared her mother's disdain for Meiyan and Lady Min. It was an open secret that Minister Ouyang and his wife hoped for their precious daughter to become the crown princess and this was the perfect occasion for them to parade Sangya in front of the queen.

"It would be inappropriate to be discussing something like that," Meiyan replied calmly, although a look of displeasure flashed across her eyes. "The decision lies in hands of the king and queen, and not someone like you."

"Continue pretending to be all prim and proper. We all know what you're really thinking inside," Sangya said.

Zi-ning watched as Meiyan pursed her lips tightly together, ignoring the other girl. Despite Meiyan's carefully curated image, there were still some girls who looked down on her because of her mother's previous concubine status, such as Sangya.

Not long after, the queen's entourage entered the imperial gardens. Queen Yuanji was already approaching forty and had given birth to a prince and two princesses, yet she looked barely a year over thirty. As she walked down the pavement, her deep purple silk skirt sashayed gracefully across the pebbles. Accompanied by her most trusted lady-in-waiting, Lady Ru, the queen walked over to the main pavilion, smiling at her many noble guests.

"Your Majesty," everyone curtseyed respectfully, lowering their gaze in the presence of the queen.

"Please, dispense with the formalities," the queen said, waving her hand in the air. The young girls who had earlier been jostling in the front were all wearing demure smiles on their faces, each one hoping to be able to impress the queen with their beauty and grace.

In the background, Zi-ning was watching this entire scene with contempt.

She could understand why all these girls were so eager to earn the queen's favour, after all, the position of crown princess was an extremely tempting one. In her previous life, Ouyang Sangya had been the one who had eventually been chosen as the crown princess. Unfortunately for her, Crown Prince Ru-quan fell gravely ill not long after their royal wedding, eventually passing on at the young age of twenty-two. Queen Yuanji had been devastated by her son's death, retreating into her palace and refusing to partake in matters of the harem any further. Subsequently, the race to become the next crown prince started to heat up and that was when the fifth prince, Ru-an, started putting his ambitious plans into motion.

If all these girls knew that the crown prince would not have long to live, would they still be so eager to become his wife?

The queen took her seat at the front of the pavilion, gesturing to everyone to take their seats. "Now that spring has arrived and all the flowers are in bloom, the imperial garden is quite the sight to behold, is it not?" she said. The queen glanced at Lady Ru, and her lady-in-waiting immediately summoned the maidservants to serve tea to all the guests.

"Today's tea has been brewed with the fresh flowers and dewdrops from the gardens," Lady Ru explained.

"Look at all of you," the queen said to the young girls present, "more beautiful than all these flowers we have here. I should really have invited all of you here earlier. The imperial gardens look all the more vibrant with you here." She looked towards Sangya, who was sitting quietly beside her mother with a shy smile on her oval-shaped face. "This must be Minister Ouyang's daughter?" she asked.

Sangya's eyes lit up with delight. "My name is Sangya, Your Majesty, Ouyang Sangya."

"Sangya is still young and there is much she needs to learn," Lady Ouyang said, looking at her own daughter proudly.

"Nonsense, I'm sure you have taught her well. I remember seeing her once when she was still a child—look at how she's blossomed since," the queen said with a smile. Just as her eyes were scanning across the pavilion, she caught sight of a single butterfly fluttering in, landing on one of girl's hairpins. Everyone gasped in surprise, all eyes staring at the purple butterfly that was now resting on the silver peony hairpin.

The left corner of Zi-ning's lips tugged upwards mockingly as she watched her sister put on a perplexed expression on her face, as if she didn't know why everyone was looking her way. Meiyan had definitely done something to her hairpin to attract the butterfly to her, just so that she could gain the queen's attention.

In her previous life, Zi-ning hadn't attended the queen's gathering because Lady Min had insisted that it would be a boring affair that she wouldn't be interested in. Back then, she had trusted everything that Lady Min said and never questioned her stepmother's decisions. Lady Min had only brought Meiyan into the palace, and not long after the gathering everyone in town was praising Meiyan and calling her a fairy descended from the high heavens. Today she would finally get to witness what sorts of tricks her sister would pull in order to earn herself such a good name.

"A butterfly attracted to a beautiful flower," the queen murmured, an unreadable expression in her eyes. "What is your name, child?"

"Han Meiyan, Your Majesty," Meiyan replied bashfully. Beside her, Lady Min was beaming from ear to ear, as if the title of crown princess was already in the bag. Seeing the displeased looks on the face of Lady Ouyang only made her smile widen even further.

"Minister Han's daughter? Such a beautiful young lady," the queen remarked. "What are your hobbies?"

"I enjoy painting and playing the zither in my free time, Your Majesty."

"Well since everyone is gathered here today, we should give you a chance to show us your talents, shouldn't we?" The queen looked towards the rest of the crowd. "Since all the flowers are in bloom, how about having each of you paint a painting of your favourite part of the imperial gardens?"

Lady Ru had already instructed the maidservants to bring in the rolls of rice paper, inks and brushes, laying them out on each of the tables. The young ladies present immediately started whispering to one another in excitement. The queen clearly wanted to assess their talents through this little activity and all of them were more than eager to showcase what they had. If they were able to win this competition, then there was a high chance that they would be selected as the crown prince's consort.

The queen and the madams of the noble households continued to chat over tea and cakes, while the young ladies fanned out across the gardens in search of inspiration for their paintings. Zi-ning and Zhenzhu walked around the garden together leisurely.

"What do you think the others will paint? Did you see the way Sangya was glaring at Meiyan earlier? I half thought she was going to rip that butterfly from Meiyan's head!" Zhenzhu giggled.

Zi-ning shrugged her shoulders. "This painting contest matters a great deal to all of them. If they manage to shine, then there could be a bright future waiting for them."

"Are you really not interested? My family isn't influential enough but your father is one of the most respected ministers in the imperial court. Compared to Meiyan, I would much rather you become the crown princess."

"Shh. You shouldn't be saying these sorts of things in the palace," Zi-ning chided. "Besides, my name is practically rotten in this circle. All the queen needs to do is ask around and she'll find out all the awful things I used to do."

"But that's all in the past! Things are different now, aren't they?"

Zi-ning patted her friend affectionately on the back of the hand, saying nothing. She simply looked towards the lone willow tree in the middle of the lake, reminiscing on the days that she had once lived.