Chapter 1 — Destined for the Phoenix Throne, I Refuse the Crown Prince

My mother once went on a pilgrimage into the deep mountains to pay homage to the Buddha, and upon her return, she brought back an orphaned young maiden who was profoundly skilled in the ancient arts of the Book of Changes. The very moment they met, this girl took one look at me and declared that I possessed the peerless, inborn countenance of a phoenix, a majestic nobility that words could hardly capture. From that day onward, she began to plot and calculate day and night, determined to guide my steps straight into the imperial household. At first, she forged my handwriting to exchange tender, poetic letters back and forth with the crown prince. When night fell, she would employ arcane dream-manipulation spells, casting her own phantom presence into the slumber of the prince so that their souls might commune intimately in the realm of dreams. This continued unabated until the auspicious day of the grand consort selection. The crown prince walked before her and personally bestowed upon her the peerless jade pendant that had been strictly reserved for his future primary consort. She collapsed onto her knees right before my eyes, weeping bitterly as though her heart would shatter.

I know quite well that the young lady is blessed with the sublime destiny of a phoenix, and my original intention was merely to weave a lasting bond between you and the crown prince. Who could have possibly foreseen that last night my dream-weaving sorcery would suddenly fail, exposing all of our past secrets directly to the crown prince. I never intended to ruin the predestined union of the young lady, and now I must humbly return this jade pendant to His Highness.

All the noble young ladies gathered around immediately began to murmur, condemning me for bullying the innocent with my high status and forcefully pressing down upon others. The crown prince himself went even further, loudly declaring that even if he were forced to take an eighty-year-old crone as his wife, he would never, under any circumstances, consent to marry me. I merely wore an expression of mild confusion. After all, my marriage had already been settled long ago. According to proper familial generation and rank, the crown prince would actually have to address me as his esteemed aunt.

This marital alliance had been decreed by the late emperor himself while he was still alive. At that time, both Luc Van Hac and I were still tender of age, and very few people were privy to this arrangement. The formal betrothal documents and the imperial decree of marriage had always been safely guarded within the inner palace by the grand empress dowager. For the past half year, I had been staying at my maternal grandfather’s estate down in Jiangnan, intending to wait until the Double Ninth Festival had passed before traveling northward in the company of my uncles. Never did I expect that the empress, eager to select a proper consort for the crown prince, would issue a strict decree demanding that every single maiden of eligible age within the households of capital officials must attend today’s flower-viewing banquet.

My grandmother sent an urgent letter to me down south, stating that the rumors concerning myself and the crown prince had already spread through the capital like wildfire, growing too intense to suppress. Fearing that our marriage might suffer unexpected changes, she commanded me to return to the ancestral mansion without a moment's delay. Having barely celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival at my maternal home, I hurriedly packed my belongings and rushed back to the capital. Only upon making discreet inquiries did I finally understand the full scope of the matter. Throughout the past six months, the entire capital had been circulating tales that I and the crown prince, Luc Bac Uyen, had long shared a deep mutual affection and had secretly pledged our hearts to one another. These fabrication were told with such vivid detail and plausible certainty that even my own grandmother had begun to believe three parts of it, prompting her hasty summons.

I found the whole situation both laughable and exasperating. The crown prince and I had not even met more than a handful of times in total; where on earth could any private affection have blossomed? On the contrary, it was this very Tuyen Khanh Khanh. Before I ever departed for Jiangnan, I had encountered her on two separate occasions, and both times she had chattered endlessly in my ear about the peerless phoenix countenance and the boundless nobility of my destiny. Thinking back on it now, it was clear that the entire elaborate scheme had been meticulously orchestrated by her from the very beginning.

I suppressed these calculations deep within my heart, deciding it was best to secure the formal marriage first and deal with the rest afterward. Therefore, on the day of the flower-viewing banquet, I first made my way to the palace of the empress dowager to pay my respects. Seeing me arrive, the empress dowager was exceedingly overjoyed. After exchanging a few warm pleasantries, I clearly stated my purpose. Having already caught wind of the absurd rumors circulating of late, the empress dowager readily and cheerfully instructed her trusted wet nurse to fetch a delicate box made of dark sandalwood. Upon opening it, there lay a brilliant, bright yellow imperial edict alongside the official betrothal document. Fearing that I might face unnecessary harassment, she even specially dispatched her personal attendant to accompany me into the banquet grounds.

Never did I imagine things would proceed so smoothly. After expressing my profound gratitude to the empress dowager, I had my personal maid closely guard the box before walking toward the imperial garden. Yet, the moment I reached the grand entrance, a chaotic clamor echoed from within. I paused in my tracks, and before I could even step inside, I saw Tuyen Khanh Khanh stumbling haphazardly toward me. With a dull thud, she dropped to her knees directly in front of me, tears streaming down her face like a sudden summer squall.

Young lady, it is all my fault!

Clutched tightly in her trembling hands was a piece of mutton-fat white jade of the highest possible quality, and she wept with such delicate, pear-blossom-in-the-rain fragility that anyone would feel a pang of pity. I knew full well that the young lady was destined for imperial greatness, and it was entirely out of a desire to unite you with His Highness the crown prince that I exhausted my mind and spirit to arrange those poetic exchanges. Who could have guessed that last night my dream-weaving art would fail, letting the crown prince discover every detail of our past. I never meant to sabotage the young lady’s happiness, and now I bring this jade pendant back to return it to His Highness!

With those words, she raised the pendant high above her head with both hands, weeping so violently she nearly lost consciousness. Within the span of a few brief sentences, I had successfully been cast as an unscrupulous woman who would stop at nothing to cling to the crown prince. The surrounding crowd broke into a flurry of whispers, the noble daughters exchanging covert glances loaded with undisguised contempt.

So those poems were actually written by Lady Tuyen.

Of course they were, I actually thought Lady Ta had composed them herself.

In that case, weren't the scandalous rumors running wild through the capital simply fabricated by Lady Ta herself because she desperately wanted to become the crown princess?

Well, look at things now. The crown prince has discovered the truth and publicly handed the jade pendant to the rightful person; where on earth is she supposed to hide her face?

I stood entirely motionless, watching this farcical performance play out before me, and instantly grasped the entire sequence of events. Tuyen Khanh Khanh had merely used my name to hook the crown prince, and then, on the eve of the consort selection, she had carefully guided the prince to discover the supposed truth. Filled with revulsion toward me—the deceitful impostor—and wishing to repay her supposed loyalty and righteousness, the crown prince had proudly bestowed the jade pendant upon the pure and unsullied Tuyen Khanh Khanh.

Facing the sea of gazes filled with shock and disdain, I felt only a profound sense of amusement. Before I could even part my lips, the clear, frosty voice of the crown prince echoed from behind the gathered crowd.

Whatever things she has given away, this prince has never taken back.

The onlookers parted to clear a pathway. Crown Prince Luc Bac Uyen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression deeply gloomy. He shot me a frigid glance, his tone dripping with utter contempt and loathing.

Such a petty person who schemes for fame and praise, how could she ever be worthy of serving as my primary consort? Even if this prince were to marry an eighty-year-old hag, I would never, under any circumstances, take such a woman as my wife.

As his words fell, absolute silence descended upon the garden. The eyes of the noble ladies turned toward me shifted into sheer pity, as though I were already a miserable outcast abandoned by the crown prince, doomed to spend the rest of my days in solitude. Tuyen Khanh Khanh, still kneeling upon the earth, was gently raised to her feet by the prince's own hands. Her shoulders continued to tremble delicately, perfectly mimicking someone who had suffered an injustice as vast as the heavens. Yet, beneath the veil of her lowered lashes, I caught a fleeting flash of absolute triumph.

I could not help the slight upward curve of my lips. Then, under the watchful gaze of every single person present, I leisurely retrieved the sandalwood box from my maid's hands.

Your Highness the crown prince is worrying far too much.

I offered a faint, serene smile.

This humble maiden has never once entertained the thought of marrying you.

I flipped open the lid of the box and drew forth the brilliant yellow imperial edict.

Because my marriage has already been settled long ago.