The emperor's eyes held mine across that low table and the entire room seemed to tilt. Lamplight flickered over Li Song's face, thirty-two years old, shoulders straight yet weighed down by something I couldn't quite name. Scrolls lay scattered like casualties of a private war with ink. A single brazier glowed in the corner, casting long shadows that danced across the walls as if mocking my attempt to stay calm.
I stood there frozen, silk suddenly too tight, heart hammering against my ribs. Great, first the poem blunder at the gates, now this. If I opened my mouth again I'd probably quote another classic and earn myself a one-way trip to the execution grounds before the tea even cooled.
"Princess Xie Yunxiang," he said at last, voice quiet and steady in a way that pulled you closer without meaning to. "The journey from Nanzhao must have been stressful. Please sit."
I dropped onto the cushion opposite him so fast my knee cracked against the table leg. Pain shot sharp and bright. Wonderful, add clumsy to the growing list of imperial offenses. I rubbed the spot under the table and forced a smile that felt more like baring teeth. "The road was… educational, Your Majesty. Mountains have a way of reminding you how small you are when they keep trying to shake you off their backs."
He tilted his head, a flicker of genuine amusement crossing his features. "Educational. An interesting choice of word for a princess who has just crossed half the empire." His gaze dropped briefly to my hands. I realized I still clutched the jade pendant through my sleeve like it owed me money. I let go fast, but the damage was done. He had noticed.
I scrambled for safer ground. "The escort took excellent care of me, and my brother Xie An rode the entire way without a single complaint. He's twelve and already struts around like a miniature general. Almost inspiring."
A low chuckle escaped him, warm and real. The sound surprised me enough that I nearly laughed myself. At least the emperor had a sense of humor. Small mercies in a world that already felt like it wanted to eat me alive.
Before I could relax into the moment, the door slid open behind me with a soft hiss. A tall eunuch came in carrying a tray of tea. Ju Wenzhen. The name flashed through my head uninvited. Head Eunuch. Future ultimate pain in the silk robes. He set the tray down without a whisper of sound, bowed low, and retreated, but not before his sharp eyes flicked over me like a tailor measuring a shroud. I fought off a shiver. The palace already hummed with eyes and ears, and I had barely stepped inside.
Li Song poured the tea himself, no hovering servants, which caught me off guard. He slid a cup across the table. Steam curled between us like a question mark. "You speak with the accent of the capital," he observed mildly. "Yet your escort bears Nanzhao seals."
My stomach performed a neat little flip. Here came the first real test. I wrapped my fingers around the cup and let the heat sting my skin on purpose. Pain kept the mind sharp. "I listened closely on the road, Your Majesty. Merchants, soldiers, even the wind through the passes. One picks up things just to fill in the balance."
He watched me over the rim of his own cup, eyes steady. "You are not what I expected."
"Neither are you," I answered before my brain could slam on the brakes. The words hung there, too bold, too modern. I wanted to kick myself. Sarcasm had always been my shield back in Chengdu, but here it could get me killed.
Instead of summoning guards, he smiled again. Small, tired and real. "Honesty is rare in these halls. I will remember it." He set his cup down with a soft click. "You will be assigned to Anning Palace. The chambers are already prepared. Your brother and attendants may join you after the formal greeting in the outer hall. Have some rest, we will speak again soon."
Anning Palace, peaceful. The name almost made me snort right there in front of him. Peaceful like a silk-lined trap. I stood, bowed the precise way the role demanded, and backed toward the door. My foot caught on the edge of a floor mat. I stumbled, caught myself on the doorframe, and muttered a curse under my breath that I hoped he didn't hear. His chuckle followed me out anyway. Fantastic. Now he thought I was honest, curious, and prone to tripping over my own feet.
The corridors swallowed me the moment I stepped outside. Eunuchs drifted past like silent ghosts. Bronze mirrors flashed every hundred paces, forcing me to confront my reflection: too pale, eyes too sharp for a sheltered Nanzhao princess. Servants hurried by with trays of food, their footsteps quick and purposeful. Guards patrolled side halls, spears glinting. Somewhere in the distance a bell rang for some court ritual I didn't yet understand, its tone deep and echoing. The whole place buzzed with life, beautiful and dangerous at once, and I kept my pace steady even as my legs ached from days on the road.
Xie An and Bai Xueqing waited at the end of the long passage, both of them looking ready to explode with questions. My brother practically bounced on his toes. "Sister! Did he speak to you? What did he say? Is he as kind as Father said?"
Bai Xueqing shot him a gentle look, but her eyes sparkled with the same curiosity. "The eunuchs say Anning Palace is ready, Princess. It overlooks the northern gardens. Quiet, they claim."
Quiet? Sure. I ruffled Xie An's hair, letting the familiar motion anchor me. "He was polite. Asked about the journey. Told me to rest. And yes, An, he seemed kind enough." Kind enough to end up in a prison palace one day while I watched. But I kept the smile locked in place.
We followed a pair of eunuchs through another maze of halls. My robes whispered against the polished stone. At one corner a servant carrying a tall stack of scrolls tripped over an uneven tile. Papers exploded everywhere like startled birds. Xie An dove in without hesitation, scooping up rolls while the servant stammered apologies. Bai Xueqing and I joined him, laughing under our breath at the sudden chaos. For a fleeting moment it felt almost normal, three people chasing flying history across the floor instead of navigating a deadly court.
The lead eunuch cleared his throat. "Anning Palace will be Ur home from now on, Princess."
Home. The word tasted sour. We stepped through a red-lacquered gate into a courtyard that opened onto a main hall. Anning Palace looked peaceful on the surface: carved beams, a small lotus pond in the center, windows facing north toward distant steppes. My chambers waited at the back, a sleeping alcove with a low luohan bed carved with cloud patterns, a study nook already stocked with inkstones and brushes I barely knew how to hold properly. Thick walls blocked most of the city noise. Only my own breathing and the soft splash of the pond reached me here.
Xie An ran ahead, exploring every corner like an excited puppy. "Look, Sister! There's even a roof access for stargazing. You always loved that."
I followed him up the narrow staircase to the flat roof terrace. Night had slipped in while we walked. Stars spilled across the sky, brighter and sharper than anything I had ever seen in Chengdu. I touched the jade pendant and stared upward, letting the cool air brush my face. For one heartbeat the denial cracked wide open. This was real. All of it. No laptop screen, no documentary voice, no safety net. Just me, wrapped in silk, assigned to a palace that felt like the prettiest cage ever built.
Bai Xueqing joined us quietly on the roof. "The other consorts are already whispering about you. Six of them in the Garden of Six Flowers. They sent gifts. Fruit. Silk. And plenty of poisoned words, most likely."
I laughed, short and sharp. "Wonderful. A welcome committee of potential backstabbers. Just what every girl dreams of on her first day in the harem." The word slipped out easy, but it felt good. Familiar armor.
Xie An looked scandalized for half a second, then grinned anyway. Bai Xueqing's eyes widened before she smothered a giggle behind her sleeve. The three of us stood there under the stars, the tension easing just enough to breathe.
We climbed down. Servants brought supper: steamed rice, spiced vegetables still hot from the wok, and a pot of tea that carried the faint scent of jasmine. I ate mechanically, mind racing through everything that had happened since the gates. Heir production. Court politics. Execution. The triggers pressed against my thoughts, but I shoved them back with every bite. I could perform this role. I had to. For the boy who worshiped me like I could fix the world. For the court lady who already watched my back like a spy in plain sight. For the emperor whose gentle eyes had already seen too much.
Later, after Xie An finally curled up on a mat in the outer room and Bai Xueqing left to check on the horses, I stood alone in the study. The brazier crackled softly. I picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and scratched a single sarcastic line on a scrap of paper before feeding it to the flame: "Welcome to Anning Palace. Population: one very confused time-traveler and roughly a million elegant ways to die."
The ashes floated up like tiny ghosts as I watched them vanish.
Outside in the corridor, footsteps paused. Soft and deliberate. I glanced through the half-open door and caught the silhouette of the tall eunuch from earlier. Ju Wenzhen. He didn't knock. He simply stood there, watching the room as if he already owned every secret hidden inside it.
My stomach tightened. The palace had handed me my pretty cage. Now the real games were about to begin, and I had the sinking feeling I was already three moves behind.