Zi-ning lifted the curtain of her carriage and peered outside. She could already see Ryoko mountain coming into view, with the solemn stone walls of the temple perched halfway up the slope. In front of the temple stood a large statue of the Guanyin buddha, meditating peacefully atop her lotus bed.

It had been a long time since she had come to Ryoko Temple. As the largest temple close to the capital, Ryoko was the temple of choice for members of the royal family when they wished to pray to the gods. When she had been the eighth prince's consort in her previous life, she had also made many trips to the temple, accompanying the queen and the king's consorts as they went about their prayer rituals.

But this particular trip was destined to be a troublesome one.

From the moment she received the invitation from Consort Song, Zi-ning already knew that she was walking into a wolf's lair. She had never had much interaction with the consort, so the only reason why she would be invited was because of the princess's impending engagement to Situ Zhiren.

No matter, whatever the consort and princess had in mind, they would be sorely disappointed. She was not about to let them dictate her life, the way it had been dictated previously.

"Ahri, I apologise in advance," she said, lowering the curtain and turning towards her new maidservant.

The girl merely looked at her and blinked, as if to ask "why?". Ahri was a girl of few words. When spoken to, her replies were either stiff nods and shakes of the head, or one word answers. Perhaps it was the discipline that Du Zhenghuan had instilled in all of his Shadows.

"This trip will not be smooth-sailing, I'm afraid," Zi-ning continued. "I may need your assistance when the time comes."

"Why? What's going to happen, Miss?" Hana, who was also accompanying her for the journey, asked.

"I don't know," she replied with a smile.

It was the truth. She did not know what trap lay ahead, but she knew there would be one, if not more.

Other than Consort Song and the princess, there was also Meiyan and Lady Min lurking in the background. The day after the invitation arrived at the Han manor, Lady Min had proposed to bring both Meiyan and Meisi to Ryoko temple to pray, citing the need to ward away the troubles that Meiyan had been facing in recent days. A few gentle tears from Meiyan had convinced the old madam to agree. At the end of the day, Meiyan was still her granddaughter, and had been the most precious granddaughter of the family for many years.

Zi-ning didn't believe in coincidences, especially not when it came to Lady Min and Han Meiyan. Their hatred of her ran deep, but what they didn't know was that hers was even deeper.

#

"Ah, Zi-ning, I'm so glad you could join us," Consort Song said when she saw Zi-ning enter the temple's main prayer hall. The consort had been in the middle of a conversation with the head abbot of the temple, Abbot Wulin. Beside her, Princess Xuan had been idly looking around, but her gaze immediately narrowed upon Zi-ning the moment the latter stepped in.

"Your Highness, Your Grace, Abbot," Zi-ning greeted. "I apologise for my tardiness. We took a wrong turn along the way and had to do a detour."

"How dare you arrive later than us?" Princess Xuan snapped, her pink lips set in a pout of displeasure. "Clearly someone thinks she is of great importance, with all the attention that she's been receiving."

Zi-ning fell to her knees, pressing her forehead against the wooden floor. "I did not mean to offend you, Your Highness. Please forgive me," she said. Even while she was apologising, her voice remained calm and unafraid.

"Why should I—"

"Xuan-er, it's okay. Don't frighten the poor girl. If anyone should be punished for this, it should be the driver of the horse carriage who made a wrong turn," Consort Song interrupted. Bending over, she gently helped Zi-ning back up to her feet, like a caring mother would. "No need to kneel, child, it's not your fault."

Still looking disgruntled, the princess stormed away, disappearing through a side passageway that led towards the temple's inner quarters.

Consort Song did not seem disturbed by her daughter's behaviour. Instead, she took Zi-ning by the arm and led her in the same direction. "You may not know of this yet, but my Xuan-er is to be married to the crown prince of Hua very soon. It saddens me greatly to part with her, but it is also something to rejoice, for she will be the next queen of Hua and that is a great honour," the lady said.

"That is wonderful news indeed!" Zi-ning replied, pretending to be surprised. "I must congratulate the princess later. Only someone as virtuous and dignified as Princess Xuan is deserving of the queen's crown."

Deep down, Zi-ning was laughing, for she knew that her words would cut through the consort's heart like a knife, yet the woman would not be able to show the slightest bit of offense if she intended to carry on this charade. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that the princess and Situ Zhiren would make a perfect couple. They were both arrogant and self-absorbed to a fault, believing themselves to be superior to everyone else.

As expected, Consort Song merely smiled and patted the back of Zi-ning's hand, as if she were genuinely heartened by the praise. As the second most powerful woman in the king's harem, it was no surprise that the consort was far more adept at hiding her true emotions than the likes of Lady Min and Meiyan.

Once upon a time, Consort Song had also treated her so kindly, making her believe that the woman truly loved her like a daughter. When she was arranged to be married to Ru-wen, the consort had called for an audience with her in the palace, and hugged her tightly while expressing her regret for the sacrifice that Zi-ning was about to make. She still remembered the exact words Consort Song had told her back then: "My dear child, your sacrifice is only temporary. When all this has come to an end and Ru-an takes the throne, you shall stand proudly by his side as his only queen. I will make sure of that."

It had all been a pack of lies.

Like her son, Consort Song only viewed her as a tool. A means to an end. All those kind words and affection had merely been a façade to trick her into doing their bidding.

Beside her, the consort sighed.

"Even though it is something to be happy about, as a mother I still worry about Xuan-er. After all, the capital of Hua is a long way from Duan, and I fear that she will not be able to acclimatise to the culture and habits of a foreign land. That is why I thought to come to the temple to pray—for Xuan-er's well-being, as well as for our kingdom's good fortune in the years to come."

"The gods will hear your pious heart, Your Grace." And they will also see the wickedness that is buried inside you.

#

The first day at Ryoko Temple passed by uneventfully. After an afternoon of meditation and prayers with the temple monks, Zi-ning had accompanied Consort Song and Princess Xuan for a vegetarian meal of luohan zhai before retiring to her own room for the night. Throughout, she never saw any sign of Lady Min or her two sisters, which was just as well.

Unfortunately, sleep did not come easily to her, because her mind was too preoccupied with trying to predict when and how the impending danger would strike. Annoyed with her own tossing and turning, Zi-ning slipped out of her room, heading towards the eastern gardens of the temple. As one of the largest temples in the kingdom that frequently played host to members of the royal family, Ryoko had extensive grounds and there were several sizeable gardens situated within the compound. The eastern garden, which had a small bamboo grove and a miniature lake that was covered with lotus leaves and flowers, was her favourite.

At this hour, with the crescent moon hanging high in the sky, the garden seemed even more picturesque and serene than she remembered. Squatting by the lake, Zi-ning picked up a small pebble and tossed it across the water, watching as it skipped twice before sinking. A deep sense of melancholy gripped her heart.

The last time she had been here was with Ru-wen, in her previous life. Newly married, they had accompanied the king and queen to the temple for the new year's prayer rituals, but back then she had only been annoyed and disgruntled with having to be here. The old Zi-ning did not have the patience for meditation, particularly not when it involved a multitude of protocol that she had to abide by. Sensing her low spirits, Ru-wen had brought her here, and the sight of a lake full of vibrant lotuses in bloom had brought a smile to her face.

I'm so sorry, Ru-wen. I let you down...

This time, she would return him the life he deserved. One that would she would not be a part of.

"You do realise that sneaking out alone in the middle of the night is not the wisest thing to do, especially when there are vultures lurking around?"

Zi-ning spun around, startled by the sudden intrusion. In her haste, her left foot wobbled and her centre of gravity shifted towards the direction of the lake.

A strong arm circled around her waist, pulling her to safety. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest as she stared into a pair of dark irises hidden behind a silver mask. Their noses were barely a finger's width apart, so close that she could feel his warm breath tickling her cheeks.

She pushed him away.

"What are you doing here!" she demanded.

Du Zhenghuan was making a habit of showing up in front of her uninvited, and it grated on her nerves. Although he did not seem to mean any harm—in fact, he had rescued her on several occasions—his constant appearance made her worry that he would eventually interfere with her plans for revenge.

"Situ Zhiren decided on a whim that he wanted to visit the famous Ryoko Temple and seek the blessings of the abbot. I volunteered to accompany him."

"What?"

She felt a headache coming on. It wasn't only Zhenghuan that was at the temple. Situ Zhiren, the capricious Hua prince, was here as well. Somehow she suspected that this whim of his was not as straightforward as it seemed. Consort Song was trying to sell her to Hua in place of the princess, so it was too much of a coincidence for the prince to be here as well.

"You shouldn't have agreed to come to Ryoko. Don't you know that Consort Song has a hidden agenda for inviting you here? And to think you're wandering around without bringing Ahri with you," Zhenghuan said, a hint of disapproval in his tone.

Zi-ning pressed her lips into a hard line. This man was being absolutely absurd.

"What business is it of yours whether or not I come to Ryoko? Also, I already told you that I don't need a bodyguard. I am more than capable of protecting myself. You're the one who refuses to take Ahri back!"

If Du Zhenghuan wanted to keep an eye on Situ Zhiren to uncover whatever plot it was that the latter was planning, then he was free to do so. Why did he insist on meddling in her affairs?

He scoffed. "Really? You think you can fend them all off by yourself?"

"Of course."

A moment of silence passed between them, and Zi-ning braced herself for his irate response. But there was none. Instead, Zhenghuan simply took a step back, and his entire demeanour became distant and frigid.

"In that case, I apologise for overstepping my boundaries," he said coldly. "Goodnight, Miss Han."

Zi-ning watched as he turned on his heels and walked away, his dark silhouette disappearing between the sea of bamboo.

"Good riddance," she muttered.

Picking up another pebble, she flung it angrily into the lake, pretending it was Zhenghuan. It sank right to the bottom with a soft plop.