Chapter 1 — Palace of the Moonlit Tower

The Noble Consort could simply not endure the fact that my beauty surpassed her own. Right then and there, she decreed a forced marriage: "Bai Zhi, this palace hears that not long ago, you were secretly dallying with Eunuch Cao in the Imperial Garden."

"Since the two of you share mutual affections, there is no need to conceal it. I shall petition His Majesty to grant you a marriage."

The Noble Consort flashed a sharp glance at Eunuch Cao. He immediately dropped to his knees: "This humble servant begs His Majesty to fulfill this union!" As he spoke, he produced a personal trinket belonging to me. Though I had a hundred mouths to argue, I could not clear my name, forced to become the bonded partner of a eunuch. That man possessed a venomous heart and danced to the Noble Consort's tune, tormenting me until I met a miserable death. Opening my eyes once more, I found myself thrust back to the exact moment the Noble Consort issued her decree. Kneeling before the sovereign, I lifted my head so he could behold my face clearly, tears streaming down like torrential rain.

"Your Majesty, this servant is wronged! This servant and Eunuch Cao have never even been acquainted. I cannot fathom why Her Ladyship the Noble Consort would frame and entrap me like this."

I understood all too well what the Noble Consort feared. It was merely that I bore a striking resemblance to the emperor's ill-fated moonlight, and possessed an even greater capability of usurping her exalted position!

1

"Bai Zhi, this palace hears that not long ago, you were secretly dallying with Eunuch Cao among the rockeries of the Imperial Garden."

The affected, delicate tone of the Noble Consort struck me like a heavy blow. Just a moment prior, I had set fire to Eunuch Cao's quarters, choosing to perish together with him in the flames. The instant I opened my eyes, I had returned to the very inception of that living nightmare. I knew precisely what words would next escape the Noble Consort's lips. Without waiting for her to finish, I dropped to my knees before Emperor Yan almost immediately. I did not cower or shrink away. Nor did I attempt to hide my features. Instead, I exposed my face entirely to the gaze of Emperor Yan. Tears fell from my eyes like pear blossoms drenched in rain, weeping in a manner that stirred profound sympathy in the beholder. After all, the emperor's departed moonlight had possessed a pair of autumn-water eyes. Word had it that whenever she shed a tear, the emperor's heart would shatter along with it. Within the span of a breath, I had formulated my defense.

"Your Majesty, this servant is wronged! This servant and Eunuch Cao are complete strangers; I cannot understand why Her Ladyship the Noble Consort seeks to frame me."

"Furthermore, not long ago, someone stole a personal belonging of mine. I have spent these past few days searching high and low—when would I ever have the leisure to meet anyone in secret!"

Would Eunuch Cao still dare to produce my personal trinket as evidence a moment from now? At that instant, Emperor Yan's deep, fathomless eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze never leaving my face for a single fraction of a second, his thumb slowly stroking his jade ring. The atmosphere grew deathly still. Life or death hung upon a single thought. In my past life, I had failed to seize the initiative. A flicker of panic crossed the delicate, charming face of the Noble Consort.

"Bai Zhi, you are a palace maid, and solitude is inevitable within these deep walls. Since you harbor feelings for Eunuch Cao, why conceal it? This palace will..."

Before she could finalize the decree, I cut her off instantly. Death awaited me either way, so I might as well wager everything on a single throw.

"Your Ladyship, this servant has already stated that I am unacquainted with Eunuch Cao; where could any affection come from? I was only recently assigned to serve before the imperial presence. Aside from serving tea to His Majesty on ordinary days, I remain in the duty quarters to rest, and have never once met Eunuch Cao."

I was gambling. Gambling on the sentiments Emperor Yan held for me. In my previous life, after catching a glimpse of me by chance, Emperor Yan had transferred me from the Imperial Kitchen to serve directly before him. It was precisely because of this that the Noble Consort had targeted me. The more eager the Noble Consort was to eliminate me, the more it proved my conjecture correct. The emperor's departed moonlight had accompanied him through ten grueling years in the cold palace when he was still an unfavored imperial prince. Their bond was profound. At this moment, Emperor Yan's gaze remained fixed upon my countenance. With such striking resemblance and identical humble origins as palace maids, even a mere seventy percent likeness was enough to stir his yearning for the past. The Noble Consort carefully observed the emperor's expression. One look was enough to throw her into a panic. She immediately signaled Eunuch Cao with her eyes. Eunuch Cao hesitated for a long while before extracting a pale pink embroidered bodice. Because the situation had altered so abruptly, he lacked the composure of my past life and was visibly flustered.

"Yo... Your Majesty, this is the proof! It was given to this servant by Bai Zhi!"

The Noble Consort hurriedly chimed in.

"To present something so intimate as a gift, how can you dare claim there is no affection between you?"

I remained entirely unruffled, calmly staring straight into Emperor Yan's eyes. I surmised that the moonlight who had stayed by his side to protect him through ten years in the cold palace could not possibly have been a weak, spineless creature. Thus, a cold, mocking smile curved the corners of my lips.

"Proof? Based merely on a single bodice? Your Ladyship, could it be that you have been deceived by Eunuch Cao? As I said just moments ago, my personal belongings were stolen."

"Though Eunuch Cao is young and handsome, I am, after all, an ordinary woman. How could I ever bestow my heart upon a eunuch? Back in my hometown, I already have a childhood sweet-heart pledged to one another, and I am merely waiting to leave the palace so I may marry him."