News about the phoenix prophecy that Meiyan received at Ryoko Temple spread across the capital like wildfire. Within a week, everyone was talking about how Han Meiyan was destined to be a queen, and that whoever married her would become king. Zi-ning had little doubt that her sister had a hand in fanning these rumours, in order to push her marriage prospects in the direction that she was hoping.

Ever since they returned from the temple, Meiyan had received invitations from both the queen and Consort Song to come to tea in the palace, and the latter had come home laden with gifts of jewellery, expensive fabric and snacks courtesy of the palace kitchens after. Needless to say, Meiyan had been on cloud nine. Gone was the fear and shame of losing her mother, replaced by brimming confidence and hubris.

Confidence built upon a lie.

Zi-ning didn't care. She was happy to allow Meiyan to have her moment of glory.

"Miss! Miss!" Shujin came running into the room, her face flushed with excitement. "You must come to the front hall immediately!"

"What's the matter?" Zi-ning asked, looking up from her calligraphy.

Shujin pointed towards the front of the manor. "The betrothal gifts! They're being brought in right now. There are so many boxes, so many!" she exclaimed.

Zi-ning blinked, confused by what her maidservant was saying. "What betrothal gifts?" she asked. "For Han Meiyan?"

Shujin shook her head. "They're for you, Miss!" she replied.

"Me?" Zi-ning frowned. Could it be that the crown prince was still

Still unsure about what was going on, Zi-ning followed Shujin to the front hall, where sure enough, there were dozens of boxes bearing all manner of gifts stacked upon the floor. There was even an intricate silver cage bearing two wild geese, flapping their wings with vitality. Sitting at the front of the hall, chatting with Old Madam Song and Minister Han over a cup of tea, was none other than her mentor, Lady Li.

"My Lady," Zi-ning greeted, unable to disguise her surprise. "What brings you here? Should you not be at Shandu?"

"Someone insisted that I hurry back," Lady Li replied with a sideways glance.

It was then that Zi-ning realised Zhenghuan was seated beside Lady Li. All at once, it struck her what this was about. Lady Li was here on Zhenghuan's behalf, to formally seek her hand in marriage.

She exchanged a glance with Zhenghuan, and her face immediately went bright red. She had known that this was coming, but when it actually happened, she was still caught unawares. Perhaps a part of her had believed that Zhenghuan had only been speaking in jest, that he did not actually intend to marry her. After all, what use was a girl like her to someone like him? Or perhaps she had finally met someone who did not seek to use her like a tool?

Zi-ning took another look around the hall. The countless boxes that filled the room spoke volumes of the importance with which the Shadow Lord viewed this engagement. It was a betrothal fit for a princess, and even more.

"Since Zi-ning is here, then I shall announce the royal edict," Lady Li declared, getting up on her feet. Her lady-in-waiting handed her the golden scroll, which she promptly unfurled. "Zi-ning, kneel to receive the decree."

Zi-ning went on her knees.

"By decree of King Shunde, Han Zi-ning, Princess of the third rank and daughter of Han Hao, Minister for Agriculture, has demonstrated exceptional intelligence, courage and grace, and is a role model to all young ladies across the kingdom. I hereby decree her hand in marriage to Du Zhenghuan, the Lord of Shengzhou, as principal wife, with all my blessings," Lady Li recited. Smiling, she rolled the scroll back up, placing it in Zi-ning's hands. "Congratulations, Zi-ning. May the both of you be blessed with everlasting happiness." She gently helped Zi-ning back up to her feet, then gestured for the girl to take a seat. "Come, there is still much we need to discuss. A wedding is an important affair, and we must ensure that every single detail is attended to."

"Indeed!" Minister Han said, beaming from ear to ear. "What an honour it is, to be able to form such a union. Zi-ning, do you know how lucky you are, to have the king personally bestow this marriage upon you?"

"It is an excellent match," Old Madam Song added, though she did seem slightly less enthused than her son. Maybe she had still be holding on to hope that Zi-ning would be able to marry into royalty, and as noble as the Shadow Lord was, he was not a prince.

The one person in the room who was visibly unhappy about this development was Meiyan, who was sitting sullenly at the side. "Even if this marriage was decreed by the king, surely it's not necessary to have such a lavish betrothal. It's not as if Zi-ning is a real princess, nor is she getting betrothed to a prince," she remarked snootily.

"I will give my betrothed what I think she deserves, and if I think she deserves the best, then she deserves the best," Zhenghuan replied coldly.

Minister Han laughed awkwardly. "Of course! Who dares question a betrothal that has been decreed by the king?" he said.

"We've already asked the royal astrologers to surface a few auspicious dates for the wedding. The earliest is in two weeks' time, but that would be too soon to allow for the necessary wedding preparations, so we've settled on two months' later as the best possible date. Is that alright with you, Minister?" Lady Li asked. "That would also give sufficient time for General Du and Lady Du to make the journey down from Anyang to preside over the wedding."

"Certainly!" Minister Han agreed.

"Two weeks' is better..." Zhenghuan grumbled.

Zi-ning shot him a look of annoyance, yet there was also a warm glow inside her heart. Zhenghuan had done what he said he would do. He had never failed to keep his promises to her, not once.

If she married him, would this herald the true start of a new beginning for her? A future that she could actually look forward to?

#

"Mother, what is the meaning of this? How could Father have betrothed Zi-ning to Du Zhenghuan?" Crown Prince Ru-quan hollered, his face red with fury.

His steward had alerted him early this morning that the king had issued a royal marriage decree, bestowing Zi-ning's hand in marriage to the Shadow Lord. Lady Li had already taken the decree along with all the betrothal gifts to the Han manor, formally starting the engagement process. According to the steward, the Shadow Lord had paraded the betrothal entourage on an entire round around the capital, so everyone was aware of how elaborate and lavish this betrothal was.

When he had received news that Zi-ning had returned to the capital, he had wanted to pay her a visit in the first instance, but a bout of poor health had not allowed it. His physical condition had taken a turn for the worse ever since the poisoning incident, and he had yet to recover fully, despite the best efforts of the imperial physicians. It was a sore point for him that had led to him having regular mood swings, and he frequently lashed out at palace servants over the slightest transgressions. His mood had been raised significantly when he learned that Zi-ning was back, only to be sent crashing down again with this morning's revelation.

Empress Ci Yuanji set down her cup of tea, her narrow brows dipping in a slight frown of displeasure. "Sit down, Quan-er. Is there a need to create such an uproar in my palace because of one small betrothal?" she chided.

"I already told Father that I intend to make Han Zi-ning my crown princess, didn't I? How could he do this!" Ru-quan continued ranting, pacing up and down the queen's parlour as he did so. "Mother, you must do something. Get Father to rescind that decree!"

"Why would I do that? I've already told you many times that Han Zi-ning is not a suitable candidate for crown princess. It is just as well that the king has decided to betroth her to someone else, so perhaps you can let go of that silly idea for good."

"Mother! How could you say that? Zi-ning saved my life! Your son would not be standing here if not for her. She is beautiful and she is intelligent, exactly what a queen needs to be. I don't care, I will not marry anyone else. If you won't bring this up with Father then I will."

Ru-quan turned and marched for the doors, but the queen quickly stood up and grabbed him by the wrist. Then, she flung a slap across her son's face. The crown prince stared at his mother, eyes widened in shock.

"So what if she's beautiful and intelligent?" the queen said, eyes flashing with fury. "There are plenty of young ladies out there who are equally beautiful and well-versed in the four arts. Besides, Han Zi-ning is not the one that the heavens favour! Consort Song is already busy trying to win over Han Meiyan so that she can help Ru-an in his bid to take over your position, and here you are getting upset over the lesser sister!"

"Surely you don't believe a silly prophecy? There's no such thing as the fate of the phoenix," Ru-quan scoffed. He knew that his mother had also been swayed by the so-called fate of the phoenix, thinking that Han Meiyan was the "chosen one" who was destined to be queen, but he did not believe it in the slightest. He had long given up on believing in the gods ever since his brush with death. The gods would not save him, but Zi-ning had.

"There is no harm in believing in something, in case it does turn out to be true," the queen retorted. "I would still prefer Sangya as crown princess, but if Han Meiyan does hold the fate of the phoenix, then so be it. You can first marry both of them as consorts, and then elevate either one to the position of crown princess depending on how the situation unfolds."

"What about Zi-ning?"

"Enough with Han Zi-ning! Your father was right to have betrothed her to Du Zhenghuan. After they are married, she will leave with him to return to the border, and that little vixen won't be able to constantly appear in front of you and mess with your mind!" Queen Ci sat back down in a huff. "Quan-er, I'll only say this one time. Forget about Han Zi-ning, and don't anger your father because of this marriage decree. If you insist on carrying on this absurdity, then don't blame me for ensuring that Han Zi-ning never appears in front of you—or anyone—ever again."

Ru-quan froze. "You would kill her?" he whispered.

"I am the queen of this kingdom, and I am also your mother. If I need to resort to that in order to keep you on the right path, then I will. Not just her—I will kill anyone that stands in your way," the queen replied.

The crown prince pursed his lips in a hard line. After a long moment, he turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" his mother demanded.

"Back to my quarters."

Ru-quan knew his mother well enough to know that she would do as she said. The queen already disliked Zi-ning because of her relationship with Lady Li, so it had been foolish of him to have hoped for his mother to help him in this situation. If he wanted to stop this marriage from going through, then he would have to find another way.

Regardless, he would not sit by and let Zi-ning marry another man.

Zi-ning could only be his.