To someone who's peaked my interest in learning more about the Edo era in Japan.

Thanks for adding White Dove to your reading list! Enjoy!

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https://youtu.be/1NTO6P_u7Po

POUND. KNOCK. THUD.

"Come out this instant!", yelled the Oriental Masked King from the other side of the door.

"Your Majesty, the dawn has barely passed. She's surely sleeping at this hour," replied a eunuch as he reverently bowed his head.

"Wake her anyway. She missed the wedding dinner after all," hissed His Majesty. He had stayed up the entire night waiting!

"Well, she did take dinner rather early. Perhaps it would be best..."

The eunuch was interrupted by the Princess Consort's voice. "It is not yet time for breakfast, your Majesty. Why would your Majesty let yourself be troubled by a servant such as me when you surely are preoccupied with much greater affairs?"

He snorted, then made up his mind. "You know that I have been days without a proper meal while fighting, many soldiers also experience lack of food as I do. Perhaps it would be wise to leave her without food for a few days. See how she feels about promptness then."

With a humph, the King strode off, a trail of dust in his wake as the eunuch scampered off after the sovereign.

"Who does he think he is?", whispered Princess Consort, indignant at having food taken away from her.

Then, she pounded on her forehead repeatedly, and muttered, "Greater question would be who do I think I am? I'm in a foreign kingdom here to fix an alliance...and yet I ruin it on my first full day here? Am I crazy?"

Realizing that being deprived of food probably served as a light punishment compared to what the rules stated for insubordination as well as that she was of a lower rank than most of the nobles here, she resolved herself to repair her first impression to her future husband someday.

If she could make it a week, that is...the head lady servant seemed certain she would not.

Stepping out the door of her living quarters, she wandered through the palace, ending up in the gardens outside after getting lost. There was a palace lady that had been assigned to tend to her education, but sadly seemed preoccupied with chores for now. Alas, it would be a day until her etiquette tutor arrived to teach her the basics of palace life here so she figured strolling around the outside gardens would not hurt. After all, the King had not mentioned anything about being locked in her room during the punishment.

Peering at the flowers, she bent down, smelled one, and nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a "Lovely, aren't they?" right next to her.

"Oh, sorry. Did not mean to frighten you," said a tall gorgeous man as he straightened his back, grinning at her with eyes that twinkled with delight.

"You are?", she asked, still marveling at the gorgeous man before her.

"The Fourth Prince. You must be the new concubine my brother brought in as I have never seen you before," he answered. "Want some fruit?", he asked, pointing to a basket lying on the ground.

"I can't. Undergoing discipline right now," she replied.

He tssked. "Aiya, my brother does not know how to treat the ladies. I apologize on his behalf," he responded back with a slight bow. Why couldn't she be wed to a man like that instead?

Suddenly, a vibrant woman dressed in all white with gold lining the sleeves entered the fray, glaring at the newcomer with disdain.

"Who is this?", she inquired, her grimace otherwise ruining a quite lovely face.

Assuming the fine clothes meant she was someone important, she curtsied, folded her hands, and stated, "Eighteenth Princess of the Jurchens' Jin Dynasty, Oriental Masked King's new concubine."

"Oh, another one," she remarked. The Princess Consort observed that the Fourth Prince seemed taken with her, obviously smitten from the huge smile revealing his pearly whites that he sent her way.

Other servants crowded around, murmurs spreading like wildfire that the Fourth Prince, a handsome specimen even when frowning, had smiled once again. Nearing them, they were shooed away by eunuchs before they reached the trio. However, one would have to be a fool to notice that the Fourth Prince dropped his blinding smile the instant his line of sight left the beauty.

Even she, who had only spent a little while in this kingdom, had to admit that smile brought her to burst out in a bout of giggles. Oh, how adorable was the Fourth Prince when he smiled!

Ignoring him, the vain beauty added out of the corner of her mouth, she added, "Too bad her looks don't seem to be on the fairer side."

Still with her hands folded, she quipped, "Not everyone can have their looks match their personality."

"Why you!", she cried out. Quickly, the Fourth Prince moved to console her, sending an apologetic frown before whisking her away from the concubine.

"Please excuse my wife, she can be...she means well," he said, then sauntered off to find the Royal Concubine once again.

"Wife?", she echoed. Internally, she sobbed. Why did seemingly nice men like him be stuck with shrews like her?

Stuck in her internal monologue, a hard THUD alerted her that she had bumped into another man wearing an all-black outfit.

"Hello?", she squeaked.

"Princess Consort, what are you doing here?", asked one of the King's bodyguards. She happened to recognize this one as he had helped her the other day.

"Strolling through the gardens," she replied without hesitating.

"Would you like to see his Majesty?"

"I actually have a meeting with...", she started as she speed-walked her way out of there. Currently, it would be best to avoid colliding with her irritated partner, at least for a while.

Tipping his head, he wondered what a strange woman this new concubine appeared to be until his lively twin brother smacked his ear.

"Ow," he cried out.

"Brother, what are you thinking?", asked the other bodyguard.

"What else could I be thinking except how to find the one behind the concubine's murders?", he nonchalantly responded back.

"Now that is a good question," stated their King, goosebumps now raising on the back of the pair's necks.

"Your Majesty," started the second bodyguard.

Lifting a hand to quiet him, the Masked King motioned them over, touched his finger to his only working eye again, and muttered, "We have determined it always occurs the third full moon after a new concubine comes. Even if it's different methods every time, we can work our way from there."

"Sire, does that mean the ghost stories are true and it really is the first concubine out to get...", said the second bodyguard.

The first bodyguard, the eldest twin slapped him on the back. "Ghosts are not real. We must prove the King's innocence no matter what."

The King turned to face an old gnarly tree, muttering, "Whomever it is, the court are already wavering in their trust for my leadership, and other kingdoms doubting whether or not I have involvement in killing off their gifted daughters."

"We know you don't," stated the eldest twin.

"Then let us prove it," the Masked King boldly proclaimed while internally doubting the success of their mission. Should they fail this time, the Conqueror's sister would be in jeopardy.

War would be inevitable then.

In another corridor, the aforementioned Conqueror's sister, the Princess Consort, continued wandering around the palace.

Suddenly, a eunuch called out to make way for the Empress Dowager. Pondering over the meaning of such an announcement, as she had never heard of an Empress Dowager for Western Xia, she pulled herself to the side of the hallway and bowed deeply.

"Why will you not move, wench?", remarked an older lady resting on a heavy golden chair which she glanced at from the corner of her eye. 

Refraining from furrowing her eyebrows, the Princess Consort lay prostrate against the wall, and kneeled. Even still, a servant slapped her.

"Do you not know who it is you are privileged to lay eyes upon?", asked the servant.

Coming out of the carriage, the older lady slapped her, and yelled angrily for her to make way.

"Are you too blind to not recognize me as the Empress Dowager?"

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History note: Xi Xia, and Western Xia will be used interchangeably in this story because Xi means West. I have researched, and find various scholars use either one on maps, so I'm keeping it this way.