King Shunde paced up and down his study, his thick brows knitted with rage. Waving his hands agitatedly in the air, he said, "How dare that miserable official send assassins after you? Who gave him the gall!"

"Your Majesty, this is the hundredth time you're repeating the same thing. If you have nothing else to say, then may I take my leave?" Zhenghuan got up from his seat, turning towards the doors.

"Why you little rascal!" The king looked around, then picked up a folding fan that was lying on the table, using it to smack Zhenghuan across the head. "Can't you just listen to your uncle grumble for a bit?"

"I have important things to do."

"What important thing could you possibly have to do in the capital? I don't remember giving you any tasks."

"I need to go hunt a pair of geese."

The king blanched, then hit Zhenghuan on the head again. "Now I see where your priorities lie. So eager to seek the young lady's hand in marriage? In case you've forgotten, I have yet to issue the marriage decree. On second thoughts, maybe I won't. After all, Ru-quan has also asked for me to betroth Han Zi-ning to him."

Zhenghuan spun around. "Uncle! You already promised!"

"I am the king. I am free to renege on my promises if I should so wish."

"You can't do that!"

King Shunde took one glance at Zhenghuan's expression of dismay, then burst out laughing. "I never would have imagined that one day that would be someone who would be able to affect you in this way," he said, sounding extremely pleased with that discovery. He patted Zhenghuan on the shoulder, then walked over to his desk and picked up a brush. "I'll write the decree right away. Best tie you down as quickly as possible, before you change your mind."

Zhenghuan's heart settled back down. "It's not funny," he grumbled. He knew that the likes of Ru-quan and Ru-an were all eyeing Zi-ning, so if he didn't settle this engagement soon, he feared that there would be unnecessary obstacles thrown his way. He arched his neck, trying to steal a glimpse of what the king was putting down onto the decree.

The king suddenly looked up. His eyes creased into merry slits. "Look at you. Do you need to be so anxious? It's very unbecoming of the Shadow Lord," he remarked. Picking up his royal seal, the king promptly stamped it onto the royal decree. "There you go. The decree can be issued today, but you'll still have to wait for your mother to arrive to formally begin the betrothal procedures. You can get the Ministry of Protocol to begin preparations though. Get them to choose a date for the wedding—the sooner the better."

The sooner the better—that was exactly what Zhenghuan hoped for as well. He picked up the silk scroll and carefully rolled it up, tucking it up his sleeve.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he said, a little more respectfully than usual. "I'll wait until Mother arrives in Huangcheng before delivering the decree." If he went ahead and announced the king's decree without the proper betrothal gifts and processes, it might seem as if it was the king who was unilaterally forcing this marriage upon them. That would not do. He wanted everyone to know that he, Du Zhenghuan, was the one who wished to seek Zi-ning's hand in marriage, and he would not allow anyone to think any less of her.

"Is that all? A simple thank you? Surely you should tell me more about what happened during this trip back to Anyang, especially after giving me that scare with the assassination." The king gestured at the empty chair, beckoning for Zhenghuan to sit back down.

"Did you not read Bai Shengwu's report?"

The king scowled. "I'm not asking about the border situation. I'm asking about what happened with you!" he scolded. "I had expected General Du and Lady Du to have something to say about your decision to seek Han Zi-ning's hand in marriage. What of Yu Zixi?"

"Like you say, it's my decision to make. Not theirs. The engagement with Zixi was null and void to begin with. If I had gone through with it, then it would have been unfair to her as well. Zixi has always been a reasonable person. She understands that."

"I'm sure she has to understand it, even if she doesn't agree," the king replied drily. "I, on the other hand, can't confess to understand what it is you see in the Han girl. She is very intelligent, for sure, considering your mother was willing to take her in as a disciple, but other than that, her background and situation in the Han household... seems lacking. You can do far better when it comes to choosing a principal wife, especially since your wife may well become queen in the near future."

"No, she can do far better than to choose me," Zhenghuan replied solemnly. After learning about what Zi-ning had gone through, he was grateful that she was even willing to give him a chance. If he were her, he might not have the courage to trust anyone else again. "Also, we've been through this many times. I will not take the throne, Uncle. And neither will Zi-ning."

King Shunde pursed his lips together, a slight furrow appearing between his brows. "Fine, let's not discuss this matter now then. Regardless, I'm glad to see you willing to settle down. A young man your age should already have a few wives and children by now."

Zhenghuan hummed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the king's remark. He did not want to endure another bout of nagging from his uncle if he made clear his intentions only to ever take one woman as his wife.

"Your Majesty," the king's steward called from outside, "the crown prince would like an audience with you."

Ru-quan? A smug smile tugged upon Zhenghuan's lips. Patting the scroll that he had kept securely up his sleeve, he stood up and bowed to the king, saying, "Since the crown prince is here, I should take my leave."

Ru-quan would undoubtedly be very upset when he found out about the marriage edict that the king had just issued, and he did not want to waste time having to deal with the emotions of one of his many rivals. They could have the crown and the kingdom—but Zi-ning would only be his.

#

The Han household seemed to be plagued by bad news, because mere days after the sentencing for Lady Min was passed, they received word from the royal palace of Hua that Meisi had died from illness. According to the brief missive that was sent, the girl had been unable to acclimatise to the harsh climate of Hua, and had taken ill shortly after arriving in Wulihe. Despite the best efforts of the imperial physicians, she had eventually succumbed to the illness.

Sadly for her, other than her mother, Concubine Wan, no one else seemed to truly mourn her loss. Minister Han was irritated that she had dragged the family name through mud with her scandal yet not lived long enough to even make it worthwhile, while Old Madam Song was more concerned with the supposed spell of bad luck that had befallen the household than the death of a granddaughter. Meiyan had problems of her own to worry about, while Zi-ning found it difficult to sympathise with someone who had brought this upon herself. If Meisi had not tried so hard to climb into Situ Zhiren's bed in order to become a consort, then she might not have met with such an early end.

With this series of unfortunate events befalling the family, the old madam made the decision to take Zi-ning and Meiyan with her to Ryoko Temple to pray for better luck. It was almost ironic, considering that the temple had been the very setting where Meisi put into motion the string of circumstances that eventually led to her own demise.

Kneeling before the altar, Zi-ning shook the bamboo cannister in her hands until a single fortune stick fell out. The character for the number one was written in red ink on one end of the stick.

"Go get your fortune read by the priest," her grandmother said, still praying piously upon the cushion beside her.

Zi-ning took another glance at the stick in her hand, an icy sensation gripping her heart. Many things had changed from her previous life, yet some things remained the same.

Like this fortune stick.

Once upon a time she had come to this very temple and received this exact same fortune. She knew what the priest would say. This fortune stick was the most auspicious one that a girl could ever receive. A fate that the temple's priests had not seen in over fifty years.

The fate of the phoenix.

They told her that a woman who received this fortune was destined to be queen of queens, and that the man who had the phoenix would rule across all the land.

But it was all a cruel joke.

She had never become queen—only used and trampled upon, a tool in Ru-an's quest for power. In fact, it had perhaps been this very prophecy that had cursed her with that tragic outcome. Without this so-called phoenix fortune, perhaps Ru-an might not have gone through all that trouble to control her, and then destroy her when he became insecure that her destiny might eventually overshadow his.

"Grandmother, it is best to take such things with a pinch of salt," she replied.

"It is better to know what lies ahead, so that we may be better prepared for it. Go, there's no one in the queue right now."

On the other side of the old madam, Meiyan glanced curiously in Zi-ning's direction. She also had a fortune stick in her hand, and based on what Zi-ning saw, it looked like it had the black characters "forty-two" written on it.

Bowing to the altar thrice, Zi-ning picked herself up on her feet. Then she said, "Meiyan, do you want to get your fortune interpreted as well?"

Her half-sister blinked, looking surprised at the invitation.

Old Madam Song frowned. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up, the two of you. We are due to have our meal with the head priest very soon," she chided.

The two girls made their way over to the hall entrance, where a priest clad in grey robes sat waiting with his shelf of dozens upon dozens of fortunes written on tiny slips of paper, kept in little slots that were labelled with the numbers on the fortune sticks. Suddenly, Zi-ning bent over, clutching onto her abdomen.

"I need to use the latrine," she said. Holding out her fortune stick, she shoved it into Meiyan's hand. "Could you go collect my fortune from me? I'll get it from you later." Without waiting for a response, she hurried away, leaving a confused Meiyan on her own.

Instead of heading for the latrines at the back of the temple grounds, Zi-ning stopped behind a large pillar in the main hall, where she was hidden from view but could still get a clear view of the fortune interpretation stand. She watched as Meiyan headed over to the priest, handing him both their fortune sticks.

A slow smile stretched across her face when she saw the colourful expressions displayed by her treacherous half-sister as she listened to what the priest had to say.

The fate of a phoenix. What a temptation.

Then, someone else stepped into the temple hall, with a whole entourage of palace servants trailing behind. It was Consort Song, Ru-an's mother, accompanied by her niece, Song Lanfang. They stopped beside the fortune teller's stand when they saw Meiyan seated there, exchanging a few words with the girl. All it took was Lanfang's look of utter dismay and incredulousness to know that Meiyan had done exactly what Zi-ning thought she would.

Zi-ning stepped out from the pillar and walked back towards the group. By now, Old Madam Song had also finished her prayers and joined them near the hall entrance.

"How incredible!" Consort Song was saying. "The rare fate of a phoenix... That is a very auspicious fortune indeed. Of course, these things should not be taken too seriously. While the will of the heavens is important, it is more often the will of man that makes a difference."

"Your Grace," Zi-ning greeted, curtseying to the consort. "Did I miss something?"

"Your sister drew the fortune of the phoenix!" Old Madam Song exclaimed, unable to disguise the elation in her voice. "It's the most auspicious lot that a girl can receive!"

Zi-ning smiled, though it did not reach her eyes. Back then, when she had drawn this exact same fortune, her grandmother had also reacted this jubilantly, announcing it to each and every person that she met. Her grandmother met no ill will, but her actions had inadvertently hastened Zi-ning's death in her previous life.

"Congratulations, Meiyan," Zi-ning said. The momentary flash of guilt across Meiyan's eyes did not go unnoticed by her.

Meiyan held out a fortune slip, handing it to Zi-ning. "This is yours," she said. "It's only an average lot."

Zi-ning took a brief glance at the fortune she had been given—Meiyan's actual fortune.

"The higher one climbs, the harder they fall." Average?

It was not merely average. It was a warning.

She wondered if Meiyan had also received this same fortune in the previous version of their lives, and if it had manifested itself in the end. She would never know, because when she died, Meiyan had been at her peak. However, given Ru-an's ruthless and cruel nature, she would not be surprised if Meiyan had also been disposed of eventually, once she was no longer of any use to him.

Consort Song had taken Meiyan by the hand, and was patting it affectionately as if Meiyan were her own daughter. "It is almost time for lunch, is it not? Come, Meiyan. You and your grandmother must join me. It has been such a long time since you entered the palace to speak with me. I've missed you very much!" the consort said.

Zi-ning leaned over and whispered into her grandmother's ear, saying, "Grandmother, since Consort Song has not invited me, then it would not be proper for me to join in. I shall carry on with the meal with the head priest, and send your apologies for not being able to join him like we originally planned."

Her grandmother nodded. "That would be best," she replied. "Not to worry about the fortunes. There are always ways to work around them. You must be destined for great things too."

Zi-ning watched as Consort Song's entourage headed towards the temple's dining hall, with her dear sister wearing the brightest, most victorious smile she had seen for a long time.

The higher one climbs, the harder they fall—sometimes the gods could be right after all.