Chapter 1

The cool morning breeze lightly brushed over the pastel pink silk of Jiang Yin's dress, creating slight ripples in the fabric. She stared at the leaves in her tea absentmindedly as conversations buzzed around her.

"I heard he ran away with a prostitute." someone from the other side of the table whispered. "Such a shame, he could have married the daughter of a marquis if he tried."

"Stop it Ling," another voice hissed, "Her majesty the princess will hear you."

Jiang Yin looked up from her teacup and tilted her head to the side, causing the small dangling accessories on her hairpin to sway back and forth.

"Prostitute?" She asked, wide eyed. "What's that?"

Concubine Ling, who had been the source of much gossip for the better half of the morning, stiffened.

"Nothing princess. Don't worry about such things." She forced a smile, her lips a carefully painted shade of crimson that matched her ruby studded hairpins, a set that Yin had gifted her a month prior.

Breakfast had never been a quiet occasion in the East palace. Yin never liked eating alone, so she made sure her table was always fully seated. Like every morning, it was filled with rows of concubines and surrounded by of servants rushing to and from it with refreshments. Clusters of vibrantly colored fruits and pastries were surrounded by delicately painted porcelain. The setup was seemingly disorganized at first, but everything was in the right place.

The table was louder than most days, but that wasn't a bad thing. If anything, Yin preferred it this way.

"Here," Concubine Ling walked to her seat. "Have some rice cake."

She took the dessert in hand as the Concubine returned to her seat. She took a bite and mentally squirmed while swallowing. The center was filled with black sesame paste. She hated black sesame.

Nevertheless, she forced a wide, unsuspecting, smile. The concubines visibly relaxed, as if they had just let out a breath they had been holding.

"So your highness," An assertive yet gentle voice to her right said. "Has your majesty mentioned the method for empress selection as of late?"

The voice belonged to Consort Fu, the daughter of one of the more prominent Marquis families in North Jiang. If the harem had any sort of leader at the moment, it would be her. In age she was little over twenty, but she had been in the harem the longest out of all of them. She had married into the household before anyone else and was granted the "consort" title shortly after the wedding. She was intelligent, composed, and every bit the match for a king. It was a mystery to the masses why the emperor hadn't appointed her as empress.

The concubines leaned in, eager to hear the princess' reply. The air was thick with tension, as it was a touchy subject. The concubines had waited years and behind them, were impatient families who had political careers on the line.

"How should I know?" Yin let out a giggle, the sound almost piercing. "Can't my brother just make everyone empress?"

"Truly," She continued her foolish bout, taking another bite out of the dreaded confectionery and almost choking on the taste. "I'll tell them to make a huge throne for you guys so everyone fits. Won't that solve everything?"

"You're too kind, your highness." Said a hesitant voice to her left.

Consort Fu's disappointment hid behind her carefully curated smile.

"It's alright." She said. "After all, it hasn't been too long since the coup."

"Hasn't it though?" Concubine Ling frowned, halting the soft murmurs of agreement that often ensued whenever Consort Fu set a stance. "My family is getting impatient. The aristocracy wants answers."

"The race for the empress seat is a dangerous political game." Consort Fu interjected, her voice slow and deliberate. "Perhaps it's better not to play for now."

"It's one thing to not want to play," Concubine Ling retorted, "But another to not be able to at all."

"If you want to play games so badly Concubine Ling," Consort Fu smiled, but her voice dripped with disdain. "You are always welcome in my residence for a game of chess."

Concubine Ling glared across the table at the consort, who had not once adjusted her steely gaze. Silence had fallen onto the table of concubines, who were all too familiar with stand offs between the two. They were a pair that took to an instant disliking of each other when they met two years ago. It didn't help that their families were bitter rivals in the textile industry.

"Oh calm down you two." Yin sighed. "I'll ask my brother."

"Thank you Princess." Concubine Ling smiled. "We'll look forward to hearing from you."

Consort Fu remained silent as she took a sip from her teacup.

"I have a dress fitting session soon ladies," Yin smiled as she stood up. "Let's end our meal here."

The concubines bowed their heads and waited for her to take her leave. She strode out of the dining room, her servants at her side as the concubines and their maids scattered out into the courtyard outside.

The transition to autumn had begun. In Northern Jiang however, it would not be here to stay. Before anyone would be able to realize it, scattered piles of ember colored leaves would succumb to 4 months of bitter winter storms and a landscape blanketed in white.

Yin took a deep breath. The air tasted almost sweet as the scent of cooked rice billowed out into the courtyard. Yin enjoyed that her wing was not too far off from the palace kitchen. It was perpetually abuzz in a way she found endearing.

Pastel blues and purples lined the concrete path towards the palace lake. Yin dismissed her servants and made her way through rows of bushes and potted hydrangeas. She came to a gradual halt before throwing out a knife that she slipped out of a hidden layer in her dress. The blade buried itself in the tree behind her with a thump, but not before leaving a thin cut on the shirt of the man behind her.

"Did you visit a brothel or something last night?" Yin teased. "Your legs are slower than usual."

"You still missed." He replied grumpily.

Yin grinned as she walked over, yanking the knife out of the thick tree bark and cleaning it off with a handkerchief.

"Did I?" she replied playfully. "You know me well enough, Hui."

Hui smoothed over his robe. He was dressed in the all black uniform of the emperor's personal guard. The finely woven hemp was comfortable and light, the work of numerous palace artisans from years past.

"I do." He sighed. "If only the harem knew, they'd be horrified."

Yin knew what a prostitute was. She also knew that, to her dismay, her brother had not spared a thought for empress selection and had no intention of doing so soon. But the harem didn't need to know what she knew.

"They're careless with what they say around me." She smiled. "It's better that way."

"Indeed."

Yin inspected his face. His eye bags were particularly dark and his forehead glistened with sweat, making him look unusually haggard.

"Something happened." Yin approached. "What is it?"

Hui cast his eyes at the concrete floor below him.

"There was another attempt on your brother today."

"When is there not an assassination attempt on the Emperor?" Yin scoffed. "I assume you handled it accordingly."

While the Jiang family had ruled the kingdom since its founding days, the Zhao ducal family, through secret alliances with enemy kingdoms and elaborate extortion schemes, managed to amass an army large enough to overthrow Yin's father, who was emperor at the time. After spending years in hiding, they took back the throne three years ago.

However, peace was never fully attained. Zhao loyalists, along with other noble factions had filled the last three years with assassination attempts. The emperor's somewhat secret personal guard cohort had gotten used to preventing them from becoming cause for concern.

"He's injured. He was running away from a drowning attempt." Hui replied hesitantly, "Alive, but they got his shoulder."

"Arrow?"

"Sword."

"Stabbed?"

"Cut."

"How many?"

"Four."

"That's not enough to kill him in your presence." Yin pursed her lips. "He did something stupid again didn't he?"

They had been comrades for years and there was no one Yin trusted in more with her brother's safety. Hui stood noticeably taller than most people, even other men of his profession. However, thanks to his rather awkward expressions, he was seemingly harmless. That is, of course, until he picked up his sword.

"His majesty the emperor tripped while running," Hui hesitated, "...and fell backwards onto one of the assassin's swords."

Yin stared back at him for a moment, not knowing whether to be amused or concerned.

"Who was behind it?" She asked, barely holding in her laughter.

"Minister Cao of the treasury department." Hui gestured to the western gates of the palace. "The others thought you might like to deal with this one yourself."