Fengyu stayed awake all night. After her unpleasant parting with Xie Xun, her mood was somber. She was prone to nightmares, and her troubled thoughts made rest even more elusive. The wind in Salt City carried a faint salty taste; leaning on the windowsill under the moonlight, Fengyu pondered her future. What should she do?
Sister, if it were you, what would you do?
The rumors were rife in the Capital City.
The news of the new emperor imprisoning the wife of a rebel in Yongning Palace spread like wildfire, known by all from court to common folk. There were even clandestine rumors accusing the new emperor of killing his father and sovereign, destroying the Marquis Mansion, all for the sake of stealing a court official's wife—rumors woven into ballads, spreading across every corner of the Capital overnight.
Emperor Yuan Hui, the usurper, slayer of the Marquis Mansion, taker of a courtier's wife.
