Can she do that? When the Emperor is sitting right beside her? I suppose it's true what Ciufan said, the Emperor really does not indulge himself with the harem. His mother is the real head, the one that makes all decisions relating to the harem. The Empress Dowagers power is beyond me. But the Emperor has given no rejection.

Nor has he given away any emotion.

My breath catches for a moment when his eyes pierce through me.

Gosh, why did I let curiosity get the best of me and looked to him for a reaction?

Remembering where I am, I bow down towards the Empress Dowager. "Nucai thanks Empress Dowager for her generosity. Nucai wishes Empress Dowager health and prosperity for many decades to come." I express my gratitude and politely exit center stage.

As I walk back to my table I almost miss Linghua's figure lurking in the shadows. She's practically swallowed by them, no one would notice her presence. I forgot she was to protect me.

I direct a small smile to her. There will be no fighting. The harems ploy was merely a defaced artwork — material value.

When I do sit down, how flustered I still am becomes apparent. I was so distracted by my surroundings that I didn't notice how fast my heart was beating. And now that the thought is coming to the front of my conscious, my heartbeats seem to be getting louder and louder in my head.

His eyes... so beautifully red, had punctured my soul then indulged. Through capture and seize it was taken against my will. But there will be no contesting, it is wholly his.

I have never met the man, nor seen his face, even less an expression, but his eyes told it all. My eternity — our eternity, I will never be alone. My soul will always long for his, breath for him, and even when he is no longer, it will hold a place for him.

It's strange, realizing that your life is indefinitely tied to someone else's. I never stopped to think about it. I'm not sure why I have come to this revelation now of all places.

Festivities continue late into the night, and I am, admittedly, absentminded for the majority of the time.

It isn't until I make it back to my residence that I reflect on today's events.

Sadly, their ploy forced me out of my act. I was supposed to be a brainless and ditzy country girl yet I forgot and acted with composure throughout today's events. Humph, no one is going to lower their guard now. They will only amplify their tactics. I escaped affliction today but this really does not help me in the future.

As festivities continue throughout the night and I am resigned to my resident on the premises of exhaustion, I think about the culprit. Who could've done it? I must be more careful in the future. I didn't pay much attention to the security of the painting and there were probably many instances where someone could have tampered with it. Sadly, because I overlooked it, I have no way of knowing.

Gossip circulated quite quickly to my residence as well. I learned that Zhong Ciufan was awarded the title of Imperial Concubine, as she comes from a very influential family. Her father is a prominent minister in the Emperor's court. She was also given her gold coin with an engraving of a sweet olive flower. Concubine Wu received hers as well; a lotus flower that compliments her auspicious nature.

A rumor was going around that supposedly, there will be three new additions to the harem, though they are not in attendance. The rumored are three girls from three of the most influential families; Lady Zhu, Princess Fei, and Lady Xue. Princess Fei was the talk of the party; well known for her unparalleled beauty. I heard many people referring to her as the Empires Lost Princess. I'll have to ask Noble Consort Hua about the princess's background later, she seems to know everything.

But even with the title of Princess alone, I know that the current harem won't be happy.

-

"Yanlin, Yanlin!" I yell towards the noble consort tending to her courtyard's foliage.

"Xiulan?" she laughs, "what has you in such a hurry?"

"A hurry to nowhere but to escape boredom," I sigh.

"You can be such a child sometimes; you know that Xiulan," she delightfully scolds. "My dwelling is named the Tranquil Garden, the grounds created by the very own last Emperess Lile." She angles one of the leafs to the sun. "And here you are disturbing my tranquility," she sighs and starts indoors.

I follow her.

"If it is event you seek, I have news that is sure to stir up the harem. Gosh! This is an exciting year."

Noble Consort Hua's enthusiastic nature doesn't suppress the stress in her eye folds and eyes as she sits down and orders tea to be brought in.

"Today, Princess Fei is visiting the palace. The harem is invited to a banquet in her honor. It is likely she will become a harem lady following today's events."

We are both silent for a second.

"Will the emperor be in attendance?" I inquire.

She grins and curiously expresses, "No. Today's scheming is reserved for just the ladies."

"Are you a participant?" I cautiously ask.

"Today? Perhaps. If you meant yesterday's events, I am not."

I chew on the insides of my mouth. I'm not sure how to approach this information so I am silent for a pregnant second. "Noble Consort Hua..."

Suddenly, she blurts out a laugh. "Relax, Consort Zhao! Gosh, you are really very uptightly righteous. It is almost infuriating!" she laughs. "I don't scheme. I couldn't execute it right even if I tried. Where is your trust, remember?"

"Noble Consort Hua, don't joke with me like that again. The harem is no place for jokes about schemes. You made me justifiably question trust." I point out, though relieved that Noble Consort Hua isn't participating in the mockery of a still innocent, for all we know.

"Always a debate with you," she sighs. "But Xiulan, you have never met the Princess. She is rather annoying. Although I hold no cause for what may happen today, I do know what Consort Qin is planning for our guest today," she grins and leans in, hushed by lurking eyes.

"A cat."

I pull back, confuzzled. "A cat?"

"Yes. A black one with razor-sharp claws. The princess is deathly afraid of cats." Her eyes gleam. "A big cat ate her family."

I flinch back. The way she emphasizes "ate" oddly reminds me of a spooky story around the campfire. "A tiger?"

The consort nods and elegantly sips her tea.

I don't want to ask. So I don't. However...

"Is that not a traumatizing bringing those memories back?" I caution my words.

Her eyebrows raise, and she smiles, like she knows something I don't, as if she is finding humor in my questioning.

"Are you blaming them for being too cruel?" Her brows raise even higher and her smile widens. "Do you want to stop them?"

I think about it, then slowly nodded.

She sets her teacup down, shaking her head but with a smile. "Xiulan, your sweet heart will be the death of you" she chides with underlying admiration.

"I don't think so" I space out my words to avoid offense. "The harem already hates me. I have no chance with them. Why not seek out a friend in Princess Fei?"

She scoffs. "Princess Fei will not be your friend. Someone can have my head for speaking ill, but what can she do, with her family six feet under and no noble blood to back her? She is a child, that one, spoiled rotten".

I remain observant, keeping Noble Consort Hua's perception in mind, although, I should not judge too quickly, just with some... guardedness.

"I do sympathize with her— a princess of the fallen dynasty. She has no real power to mobilize, only her title and scarce followers of her give her value. Pity, she was raised so sheltered. Empress Dowager kept her hidden and pampered all these years" the Consort continues.

I wonder if this is a backhanded ploy of Empress Dowager. One who has no knowledge of the world cannot independently survive.

The smile returns in my eyes. "Some people just need a little compassion. I would not want to remain prejudiced on the basis of how someone is raised to conduct themself. Their person, personality, is an inner quality that takes some patience and compassion to get to know".

The consort chides me, though, with a hint of a smile perched on her lips. "Xiulan, don't tell me what you plan to do. I'll just wait for a good show tomorrow."

-

Oh wow. Has it been a year? I feel so guilty to those who have been so sweet and patient for me. I know I was self-aware that this book would have very slow updates but I did not imagine it to be so slow! I understand if you don't want to stick with this book, as, it's mostly a creative outlet for myself now.. i don't know if anyones noticed my spontaneous editing updates throughout the year haha.

The last time I posted a chapter, school just ended. Now, I am a year older, and school has once again ended. Plot wise, not much happened in this chapter. Now that I have the time, I'm going to reread my book to understand 1) the pacing of the story, 2) to flesh out the storyline. I will do my best to get another chapter out afterward.

Thanks for reading :)