It was early spring in the capital, and the chill still lingered. Jiang Man wore a pin, light jacket over a slightly faded lic skirt. She was slouched zily on a cushioned couch by the window, dozing off. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a ttice of light and shadow across her face.

  Lianqiu entered quietly, holding a branch of blooming flowers.

  "The wintersweet is blooming again, huh?" Jiang Man hadn’t truly fallen asleep. She had woken up as soon as Lianqiu stepped in. Seeing the flowers in her maid’s hands, she realized with a start—another year had passed.

  Jiang Man had entered the pace in the spring of the 11th year of Yong'an’s reign. In just one more month, it would be four full years since then.

  In those four years, many had come and gone from the secluded Yufu Courtyard, yet only Jiang Man had remained.

  Yufu Courtyard was remote, situated right next to the Cold Pace’s Ganquan Hall. The Emperor rarely came here—sometimes not even once in several years. Living in this pce was basically a sign of having no imperial favor. To make things worse, someone had once died here. Anyone assigned to this courtyard did everything they could to move elsewhere.

  As for the one who had died in Yufu Courtyard—Jiang Man had known her.

  A total of 214 women were selected to enter the pace in the 11th year of Yong’an. Only 28 remained. Except for Song Jinrou, the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Song, who was immediately granted the rank of Third-Rank Jieyu, the remaining 27 were all given the uniform rank of Sixth-Rank Baolin.

  Jiang Man had moved into Yufu Courtyard alongside three others: Baolin Tian, Talented Lady Bai, and Jieyu Meng. The one who died was Baolin Tian.

  Baolin Tian had lofty ambitions and saw herself as no less than Song Jinrou. Yet while the tter was granted a high rank, she remained a mere Baolin. From the moment she arrived, she was full of resentment. Jiang Man, never one to court trouble, greeted her only when necessary and otherwise kept her distance.

  Of the original residents, Baolin Meng and Baolin Tian got along fairly well. They would leave the courtyard together every day. After about half a month, Baolin Tian caught a chill and took to bed.

  Soon after, Baolin Meng gained the Emperor's favor. She moved out of Yufu Courtyard and was promoted to Fifth-Rank Talented Lady.

  On the very day Meng’s promotion news arrived, Baolin Tian succumbed to her illness.

  After her death, Talented Lady Bai, disturbed by the courtyard's proximity to the Cold Pace and the lingering death, managed to get reassigned. Before she left, she kindly advised Jiang Man to do the same.

  Jiang Man thanked her but had no pns of leaving. She had no grand ambitions, only wishing for a peaceful life. She actually liked Yufu Courtyard. The word “Fu” (芙) in its name gave her a sense of familiarity and closeness.

  Originally, two pace maids had been assigned to serve her. One, Qingqiu, saw little future serving Jiang Man and bribed her way into another post.

  Lianqiu had once considered doing the same but stayed after weighing the risks. Jiang Man was easy-going and never took her frustrations out on her servants. While living in Yufu Courtyard didn’t promise glory, at least it didn’t cost one’s life.

  Lianqiu pced the pruned flower branch into a sky-blue vase. Seeing Jiang Man was awake, she asked, “The weather’s lovely today. Would you like to go for a walk, my dy?”

  Jiang Man gnced out the window at the sunlight, intrigued. “Bring out the shuttlecock I made the other day. Let’s go py.”

  Lianqiu fetched it. The chicken feathers for the shuttlecock were taken from the kitchen; they gleamed gold under the sunlight.

  “Ninety-seven… Ninety-eight… Ninety-nine…” Jiang Man counted aloud as she kicked the shuttlecock. Lianqiu and two young eunuchs watched it bounce at her feet, none of them noticing the figure in imperial yellow stepping into Yufu Courtyard.

  Only when Eunuch Zhao, who followed behind the Emperor of Yong’an, coughed lightly did everyone’s attention snap into pce.

  “His… His Majesty?” Lianqiu’s jaw dropped, stunned into silence.

  Jiang Man, equally shocked, had no idea why the Emperor would come here. The shuttlecock had fallen the moment Eunuch Zhao made a sound. Jiang Man took a deep breath, forced herself to stay calm, and knelt. “This concubine pays respects to His Majesty.”

  Lianqiu and the eunuchs quickly knelt behind her.

  “Rise,” came the Emperor’s emotionless voice. He strode into the room without pause.

  Jiang Man blinked, stunned. At Eunuch Zhao’s cue, she hurriedly followed. But Zhao and the others did not enter to serve. They even held Lianqiu back from entering.

  Watching the Emperor walk straight into her bedroom and sit on her bed, Jiang Man swallowed her questions and softly called out, “Your Majesty.”

  “Come here.” His voice carried a trace of displeasure. Jiang Man dared not hesitate. She stepped forward, drawing closer.

  When he suddenly pulled her over, Jiang Man instinctively tried to resist. But halfway through the motion, she remembered—he was the Emperor, and she was his concubine.

  She shut her eyes and tried to appear compliant. But… it was broad daylight! Was this what people called midday intimacy? Wasn’t the Emperor known for his diligence in court and rare appearances in the harem during the day? From what she heard, he wasn’t even that interested in women. So why was he in such a rush? Not even giving her time to bathe or change? She had just been sweating from pying earlier! Would he toss her off the bed in disgust?

  As Jiang Man's mind raced, she gnced up at the Emperor.

  Huh? His eyes… were red?

  But she had no time to think more—pain overtook her senses. Real pain. She clenched her teeth, but eventually couldn’t help sinking them into his shoulder.

  The Emperor seemed to frown—maybe, maybe not.

  Jiang Man had no energy left to notice.

  After enduring the ordeal, helping him bathe, and seeing him off, Jiang Man colpsed onto the bed, feeling half-dead, and fell into a deep sleep.

  “What time is it?” she rasped after pulling aside the bed curtain, her voice hoarse.

  “You’re awake, my dy? You slept over two hours. It’s already the hour of the dog,” Lianqiu replied, snapping out of her daze and handing her a cup of warm water.

  “Mmm.” Jiang Man took the cup and drank slowly. Her throat finally felt less parched. “Is there any food?”

  “There is. Xiaodouzi went to get supper from the kitchens.”

  After a quick wash, Jiang Man sat at the table and devoured the simple meal—one meat dish and two vegetable dishes.

  Between the physical exertion and missing her usual meal time, she was ravenous.

  When she was about 80% full and reaching for more, Lianqiu gently stopped her. “My dy, it’s te. You don’t want to get indigestion.”

  Jiang Man wasn’t stubborn. She gnced at the food, touched her belly, and reluctantly put down her chopsticks.