Chapter 1 — Old Dreams on the Dragon Bed

On the day of my coming-of-age hairpin ceremony, my heart overflowed with boundless joy and anticipation, for I waited eagerly for my paternal aunt, the Empress, to formally grant me in marriage to the Crown Prince. Yet, what awaited me instead was a cruel betrayal: she ordered her trusted attendants to strip away my garments entirely and deliver my trembling body directly onto the imperial bed.

Thien Tuyet, His Majesty has lately taken to complaining that this old concubine is past her prime.

Your face resembles mine most closely from the days of my youth.

Tonight, serve His Majesty well and secure the future and glory of the Lam family in place of the Crown Prince.

Weeping bitterly, I begged her for mercy: Aunt, I no longer wish to be the Crown Prince’s consort; I implore you, do not force me to serve my own uncle by marriage. But she merely gestured coldly for guards to gag my mouth and had me carried away, completely bare, toward the grand dragon bed. When morning broke, the imperial palace had gained a new low-ranking concubine of the Lam clan. Straining to support my bruised and aching body, I waited desperately until the Crown Prince arrived for his morning audience, rushing forward to plead with him to rescue me. Yet he only reached out to gently pull my collar higher around my throat: Thien Tuyet, do not make a scene.

His Majesty favors you; that is the ultimate blessing for the Lam clan.

You must help me hold tightly to this hard-won imperial favor. Once I ascend the throne, I will naturally restore your proper status and dignity.

Only then did the chilling truth dawn upon me. The person who had pushed me onto the imperial dragon bed was never solely my aunt.

As the heavy doors of the Taiji Hall slowly closed behind me, the accompanying eunuchs and palace matrons let out collective sighs of relief. Along the way, I had struggled so fiercely against them that they had nearly failed to subdue my frantic resistance. Inside the vast, quiet chamber, I knelt on the cold stone floor, watching the majestic, imperial-yellow-clad figure step out from behind the silk folding screen. The embroidered yellow boots stopped directly before my eyes. After a long moment of silence, Yuan Lang Zhao bent down gently and lifted my chin.

Well, the Empress truly has a ruthless heart.

I shook my head desperately, weeping until my vision blurred with tears: Your Majesty, you are my uncle by marriage... He chuckled softly: Once you step inside the Taiji Hall, there are no more uncles here. The heavy bed curtains fell, shutting out the flickering candlelight. The night stretched endlessly, and I cried until my voice grew raw and hoarse. When dawn arrived, he draped a robe over his shoulders and stepped out of bed, casually tossing the jade pendant from his waist onto the edge of the mattress as a parting gesture:

You served me well. A reward.

Scarcely had Yuan Lang Zhao departed when the Empress’s personal attendants from the Phoenix-Worship Palace arrived. A senior palace maid carried an extravagant set of court robes, kneeling before the bed:

Consort Lam, Her Majesty the Empress commands that on your first night receiving imperial grace, you must come to the Phoenix-Worship Palace to express your gratitude.

Ah, a mere concubine of low rank. In the span of a single night, I had even lost the right to my proper name and station. I forced myself to stand, submitting numbly to their washing and dressing. The senior maid pinned an exquisite jade hairpin into my hair.

The Consort possesses such fresh and radiant beauty; when Her Majesty beholds you, she will surely be overjoyed.

Naturally she would be overjoyed. She had delivered me, and His Majesty had accepted me. How could she possibly be anything other than pleased? I knelt outside the gates of the Phoenix-Worship Palace for half an hour until my legs grew utterly numb, and only then did my aunt summon me within. Today she wore a deep crimson court gown, heavily and meticulously painted. At a glance, she remained the dignified and revered Empress she had always been. Yet I knew the truth: at night, she coughed violently, relying year-round on concentrated ginseng tonics to sustain the illusion of health. She beckoned to me with the familiar gesture of my childhood: Come here, let this old concubine look at you. I stood frozen in place. My aunt’s gaze fell upon my swollen, tear-stained eyes, and she let out a weary sigh:

Still harboring resentment toward me?

From the time you were a child, you favored the Crown Prince; I saw it all.

Yet had you married into the Eastern Palace, at best you would have merely borne him children and managed his inner courtyards.

Things are different now. Staying by His Majesty's side allows you to speak good words on his behalf.

When he ascends the throne in days to come, he will naturally remember your contributions.

The woman before my eyes was the aunt who had cherished and doted on me for more than a decade. Yet at this moment, she genuinely believed that compared to becoming the Crown Princess, climbing onto the imperial dragon bed was the way to maximize my greatest utility. My voice was raspy and broken: If Aunt puts it this way, then Thien Tuyet has no choice but to kneel and thank you for your favor, is that it? The smile on my aunt’s face froze, and the gentle warmth in her demeanor evaporated:

Thien Tuyet, you must remember your place. You are now His Majesty’s concubine, and being able to serve him is your supreme fortune.

The rules of the inner palace do not permit you to speak to me in such a tone.

The atmosphere turned glacial. I was about to speak further when the shrill voice of a eunuch suddenly pierced the air from outside.

Her Majesty the Empress, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived to pay his respects.

I instantly looked toward the doorway, and my aunt’s expression shifted accordingly:

Never mind for now. You are exhausted; return to your Chamber of Fragrance Palace and carefully reflect upon the words I have spoken.

I knew she was guarding against any reunion between the Crown Prince and me that might stir up improper thoughts or longings. Biting my lip, I performed a formal prostration to the mistress of the Central Palace. Outside the hall, the attendants moved to escort me back to the Chamber of Fragrance Palace, but I shook my head.

You may return first; I wish to walk alone for a moment.

A flash of pity crossed the servants' eyes as they exchanged glances, and they quietly withdrew. Just outside the Phoenix-Worship Palace lay a narrow, secluded corridor. Every time Yuan Zhaoyu came to offer his greetings, he was forced to pass through this exact path.

I waited for what felt like an eternity before finally hearing those familiar footsteps approaching. Yuan Zhaoyu walked down the corridor, visibly startled when his eyes fell upon me.

Thien Tuyet? Why are you here?

I leaned back against the wall, standing as straight as possible, and asked with reddened eyes:

Your Highness, did you know about what happened last night?

He did not deny it, his gaze lingering briefly upon my ornate court garments.

Thien Tuyet, I could not allow ordinary, trivial romantic feelings to ruin my mother’s grand arrangements.

Do not look at me like that; my own heart is far from at ease.

His voice carried a measure of melancholy. And suddenly, I understood completely: this entire orchestration had likely possessed his full approval and consent.

So, Your Highness also feels that I should be the one to serve His Majesty?

Yuan Zhaoyu stared at me, his brows furrowing as he reached out a hand to wipe away my tears:

Since matters have already reached this point, what good is it to investigate whose idea it was?

Remaining by my Imperial Father’s side, you will at least be in a position to speak favorably on behalf of the Eastern Palace.

Realizing his tone had grown somewhat heavy, he moved his hand closer to brush away the tear glistening on my cheek. At that precise moment, a woman’s voice drifted in from the corner of the corridor:

Your Highness, so this is where you have been hiding.

His hand paused mid-air, then quietly retreated as if nothing had happened. Lifting my gaze, I watched as Ha Mong Lam drew near. She was the granddaughter of the Grand Tutor Ha, a revered statesman of three reigns, and renowned throughout the capital as a virtuous and accomplished maiden. Upon catching sight of her, the severe lines of Yuan Zhaoyu’s brows instantly softened into deep affection.

My mother rarely grows close to outsiders, yet she kept you by her side for so long today; it seems she truly favors you.

Those words caused Ha Mong Lam’s cheeks to flush a delicate pink: Your Highness, please do not tease this humble maiden. Only then did she pretend to notice my presence, gracefully dipping into a formal curtsy.

This humble maiden pays her respects to Consort Lam.

In earlier days at imperial banquets, Yuan Zhaoyu had explicitly remarked to me:

That woman is far too rigid with rules and propriety, like a wooden jade statue worshipped in an ancestral shrine.

Thien Tuyet is the only one who possesses such boundless vitality.

So it turned out that someone filled with boundless vitality, once thrown onto the imperial dragon bed, became the easiest tool to exploit. At that very second, I knew that if I continued to stand here any longer, I would truly become a pathetic joke. I forced a stiff smile upon my lips: Lady Ha is too kind.

You and His Highness are a match made in heaven; naturally, Her Majesty the Empress adores you.

Without another glance in their direction, I turned sharply on my heel and walked away. Earlier, I had found these imperial garments utterly repulsive. Now, lowering my gaze to inspect them once more, they did not seem quite so hideous after all.

Upon my return to the Chamber of Fragrance Palace, A Thuong hurried forward anxiously to greet me.

Consort, where on earth have you been?

His Majesty has selected your jade tally; Grand Eunuch Liang already came by earlier to announce the decree.

Hearing those words, the excruciating pain of the previous night seemed to crawl back out from deep within my bones. A Thuong caught the flicker of my reaction, a trace of complacent satisfaction flashing deep within her eyes. She believed I was terrified. That was ideal; only when I was sufficiently fearful would my aunt feel entirely secure. Hot water had already been prepared. The palace maids assisted me in bathing and changing into fresh attire, while A Thuong brought over a small bowl of plain white rice porridge.

Before attending the imperial couch, one should avoid heavily seasoned dishes; Consort, please line your stomach with this first.

She was a personal maid dispatched directly by the Empress, and her role in monitoring my every move far outweighed her duties in serving me. The palace kitchens prepared countless light and delicate delicacies, yet she served me nothing more than plain white porridge—undoubtedly not by her own initiative alone. Once I finished eating, the maids dressed me in a light sleeping robe. The material was sheer and clung closely to my form, offering virtually no concealment. Compared to the previous night, when I had been violently forced down and stripped utterly bare, tonight I at least retained a single layer of fabric to cover myself. Darkness descended, and the rustle of servants paying their respects sounded outside the bedchamber. My heart seized, and I hastily scrambled to the edge of the bed to pull myself upright:

This concubine pays... pays her respects to Your Majesty.

The imperial-yellow boots halted right before my eyes, and a moment later, a soft chuckle vibrated above my head:

Why are you not crying today, hmm?

I kept my gaze lowered, heat slowly flooding my cheeks. My voice emerged muffled and aggrieved: Crying never accomplished anything anyway, since no one cared. He paused for a beat, seemingly amused by my demeanor. Reaching out, he forcefully pulled me directly into his embrace:

Did you go to the Phoenix-Worship Palace today?

I bit my lower lip and gave a slight nod. The warm, soothing scent of dragon-saliva incense washed over me, and I heard him speak with a mocking cadence: Let me guess.

Did she tell you that being able to serve me is the supreme blessing of your life?

I lifted my gaze, feigning profound grievance:

Her Majesty the Empress said that she has paved the smooth road for this concubine.

And commanded me not to be ungrateful.

The amusement in the depths of his eyes hardened into frost: Throughout all these years, the Empress has truly never changed.

Whatever passes through her hands must invariably be counted as an act of her personal benevolence.

I remained silent. He was not speaking these words for my benefit; he was openly ridiculing my aunt. Having reigned as Empress for so many years, she was still driven into such desperate corners by his casual remarks. The Lam clan behind my aunt had once risen alongside the founding Emperor amidst the chaos of war. At the height of their glory, the entire household bristled with generals, and even the stone lions guarding the imperial gates recognized the thundering hooves of the Lam family's warhorses. But in this era of peace, the northern frontiers had known no major conflicts for years, leaving warriors with no battlefield to prove their worth. The voices that truly commanded authority at court nowadays were the scholarly literati wielding writing brushes within the Hanlin Academy. The Lam family retained the empty title of an aristocratic military lineage, but their actual political foundation had long since eroded. If not for my aunt occupying the imperial throne, how much longer the Lam family could hold its ground was something no one dared to guess. And as luck would have it, over the past few years, the Third Imperial Prince had rapidly risen to prominence. Today he compiled classical texts for the Imperial Academy, tomorrow he debated philosophy alongside the Hanlin scholars, and the day after he paid respects to retired veteran ministers. Though His Majesty said little on the surface, whenever the Third Prince completed a task, the Emperor invariably offered words of public praise during court assemblies. Yuan Zhaoyu gnashed his teeth in fury every time this younger half-brother was mentioned. While the Prince lacked grand ambitions, he also lacked fatal flaws; such a man made for the most stable and secure choice of Crown Prince. Yet what an Emperor detests above all else is a son who excels too well at playing the long game of patience. The stronger the Eastern Palace grew, the deeper the thorn in His Majesty's heart embedded itself. Once a rift existed, everything else became effortless to manipulate. My aunt and I both originated from the Lam clan. By pushing me onto the dragon bed, she sought to cement the Central Palace's hold on imperial favor. But what she never anticipated was this: what if I refused to play my assigned part, and instead insisted upon fighting her for that supreme power?