Chapter 1 (1/2)

Preface

Theto happen in my life was to meet you Even if all I could have was to breathe the air you breathed, never to hold you within e our identities, change our names…

With three thousand wo of ood wine that has been kept for a hundred years - ill you enjoy that drink with? I wonder, e ever be able to watch the flowers blossom in the courtyard, the clouds drift by?

Chapter One

An Execution

E Imperial Capital Snowfall

Toh the i with people, numerous shops and winehouses have already closed for the day, their owners choosing to stay up in anticipation of the new year In the streets, there re by selling odds and ends

Zhang Jin bought himself so footprints trailing behind hi bitterly to himself, he watched the snowfall increase in its intensity

In the streets, co Yet, amid the hustle and bustle, he invariably heard the whispers which fluttered fro by the roadside Though stricken with shock, their faces were lit with excitement and curiosity

He knehat the entire city was cla about At the junction of the streets, the walls were plastered with iently in the snowfall

The weather was about to change

Tomorrow, at the hub of the city, a person would be executed

If the person being sentenced were a criminal or a traitorous official, that would be acceptable, perhaps even a normal occurrence Yet the identity of this individual was exceptional:

Xuanji, of the Nian family

She was the reigning Emperor'sabsolute beauty, reat misfortune and disaster to the country

During the fifteenth year of En, she entered the iious title of an Ijia's reign, her father, Minister Nian, conspired a rebellion, causing her entire clan to be executed Though she escaped death, she was de, she reinstated her position where she continued to enjoy glory and splendour - until today

Legend has it that when she first entered the palace three years ago, the Eht, all for her To date, the reason remains a mystery

Fragh the corounds of Fengjiu Palace, of the shrill and despairing cries that eatory that night

Overseeing all of this was the E his favoured consort within his euards carried out his orders, execution after execution When the blood that flowed splattered across the wo his sleeves, helped her wipe away the bloody imprints

In present day, the reasons behind the sentencing of this once favoured consort to a cruel death remain shrouded in a veil of secrecy Traditionally, omen in the palace are sentenced to death, they would either be bestowed a silk fabric to hang themselves, or a cup of poisonous wine to end their lives Yet this consort would soon be subjected to such a cruel execution, carried out under the watchful gazes of millions of commoners

One can only remark that the heart of an emperor is unfathomable

As for the crime committed, rumour has it that Consort Nian escaped fron enee her fallen family and quench her hatred

Death by execution - a cruel torture where the sharp axe of the executioner would fall upon the sufferer's waist, severing their body into two halves Yet with their upper bodies pinned to the execution table, their blood would not be able to flow easily Such a sentence was designed to let the cri from the extreme pain

Hue creatures When one is in a position of fortune and bliss, others would often look at you with twinned looks of jealousy and adrace, the saood show, premised on your misfortune

Without exception, all the coathered in anticipation of the death of this fallen beauty

Zhang Jin laughed bitterly at hiood fortune? To actually be able to have dealings with this infauard the i recently been transferred to this inferior position At present, he had been tasked with the lowly job of being an errand-boy - to purchase pints of alcohol to help dispel the cold

Patting his shoulders to shrug away the accu Jin had just entered the prison cells when he heard the hoarse voice of a man from within

'Brothers, who ae to enjoy a fun few hours with this beauty?'

'Your Excellency, this - this isn't a good idea, is it?' A nervous voice replied hesitantly

However, he was quickly shushed down by a few other cla voices

'What are you afraid of? This wo her after we're done with her From then till the axe falls, she would not be able to make even the littlest of sounds'

'Brother Lu has a point I've had my fair share of women, but an imperial consort? Just think - ill it feel like to bed such a woman?'

Hearing these words, Zhang Jin could not help the treh hi his Majesty, the King!' Zhang Jin's thoughts were in a disarray Only when his words escaped him did he realise that he had already taken a few quick steps towards them

Under the diht of the oil laht, their expressions distorted

On the table, a few cups were overturned, wine spilling forth froently pool on the floor A few soy beans lay scattered across the table

Onehas returned'

That man was Mou Quan, one of the prison chiefs, and the person who had wantonly raised the earlier suggestion Mou Quan's sister had previously been rui's residences Soon after, Mou Quan was promoted to his current position With his elevated status, his audacity had also grown

Zhang Jin took a quick step forward He said, 'Your Excellency has had a few too estion, it cannot be permitted'

Mou Quan sneered, 'Brother Zhang once held a post at the Ministry of Rites How could us coarse and unrefined people be compared to you? However, if you would permit us in this one ss'

Hearing his words, a crowd of prison guards laughed uproariously

'And… If tomorrow there were to mysteriously materialise another corpse, then I can only report to our superiors that Brother Zhang had tooliberties with the imperial consort'

Zhang Jin's smiled faintly The temperature was bitterly cold, yet he could feel the da to his clothes

Abruptly, a faint, indistinct noise stirred across the still air

'Your Excellencies May I ask, ould like to go first?'

Froh devoid of cajolery, it was a voice which undeniably belonged to the woman who once commanded the devoted love of the Emperor

In this cold and bitter New Year's Eve, that soft voice brought a feeling of warmth and comfort to those who heard it

Dozens of prison guards exchanged glances, desire clouding their eyes

Fro a few flecks of snow to drift in The nextthe prison cells furled up gently

Zhang Jin clenched his fingers His eyes re

He recalled that this thin and flimsy silk curtain was bestowed by the Emperor's head attendant, Eunuch Xu, when Consort Nian was first banished to prison

As the curtains settled to a drop, the woain hidden

Could a person's features be co in March? Now, no one would ever know

As Zhang Jin was the uards, a number of odd jobs fell under his responsibility

Occasionally, she would ask for some water

Zhang Jin would pass it through the railings of the cells to her The hand which would then extend through the white silk was small and slender, its nails neatly trimmed and devoid of any polish

In the three days that she had spent in the cells, her silence was eerily reh, if one were to draw back those silk curtains, they would discover that no one lay within

Until now

All things considered, it could be said that Nian Xuanji had helped hi Jin only had one thought: that woman was insane

Abruptly, a sudden force pushed him aside Startled, he could only watch as Mou Quan hastened towards the front of the prison cells, brandishi+ng a key within his fingers One of his hands brushed across the hanging curtains His face was transformed with lust and desire

Zhang Jin was momentarily struck with shock As he recovered his senses and made to stop him, a sound echoed from behind him

His step faltered