The Red Phoenix Crown

chapter:2

RED PHOENIX CROWN: I MARRIED THE EMPEROR TO KILL HIM

Chapter Two: The Emperor's Bed

The imperial summons arrived just after midnight.

"His Majesty commands Lady Lin to attend him in the Hall of Eternal Peace."

Qing'er nearly dropped the hairpin in her hand.

"Lady Lin! His Majesty has summoned you to his private chambers!"

Lin Yue sat before the bronze mirror, calmly fastening the final button of her robe.

"I heard you."

"But why you? You've only just entered the palace!"

"Perhaps His Majesty has excellent taste."

Qing'er stared at her.

Lin Yue rose, smoothing the folds of her pale blue silk dress. Beneath her sleeve rested a slender dagger, its handle wrapped in black thread. Another blade was hidden inside her hair ornament.

She never went anywhere unarmed.

Especially not to meet the man she intended to murder.

"Wait here," she instructed Qing'er.

"But, my lady—"

"Lock the door. If anyone asks about me, you know nothing."

Her tone left no room for argument.

Qing'er bowed her head.

Lin Yue stepped into the cold night.

The palace corridors were quiet, illuminated by rows of red lanterns. Two imperial guards escorted her through the eastern passage, past a pond covered in floating lotus leaves and beneath an archway decorated with golden dragons.

Every step brought her closer to the emperor.

Every step brought her closer to revenge.

---

The Hall of Eternal Peace was warmer than she expected.

A fire burned in the bronze brazier. Several candles illuminated a low table covered with documents, while a half-finished cup of tea rested beside the emperor's writing brush.

Zhao Yu stood near the window, his black imperial robe loosely fastened at the waist.

He did not turn when she entered.

"Your Majesty, Lady Lin has arrived," the eunuch announced.

"Leave us."

The eunuch hesitated.

"Your Majesty, should I—"

"Do you require me to repeat myself?"

The man immediately retreated.

The doors closed.

Lin Yue knelt.

"This concubine pays her respects to Your Majesty."

"Come here."

She rose and approached him.

Zhao Yu finally turned.

His gaze traveled over her face, lingering on her eyes.

"Are you afraid?"

"No, Your Majesty."

"Most women would be."

"Perhaps they have more to lose."

He regarded her for a moment.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"And you entered the palace willingly?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Lin Yue had prepared a dozen answers.

She chose the simplest.

"Because my family needs money, and serving Your Majesty is an honor."

"An honor?"

His lips curved faintly.

"You speak as though someone taught you every word."

Lin Yue lowered her eyes.

"Should this concubine speak differently?"

"That depends." He stepped closer. "Are you always this obedient?"

"Only when obedience benefits me."

Silence.

Then Zhao Yu laughed softly.

It was the first time she had heard him laugh, and she disliked how effortlessly the sound unsettled her.

"You are an unusual woman, Lady Lin."

"So I have been told."

He gestured toward the table.

"Sit."

She obeyed.

A servant entered with tea and small dishes of fruit, then withdrew. Zhao Yu poured a cup and placed it before her.

"Drink."

Lin Yue looked at the tea.

A faint, bitter scent rose with the steam.

Poison.

Not enough to kill immediately, perhaps, but enough to make her weak.

Interesting.

Was the emperor testing her, or had someone attempted to poison him and accidentally served the wrong cup?

She lifted the porcelain cup.

"Your Majesty, may I ask a question?"

"Ask."

"Why did you summon a low-ranking concubine when you have so many beautiful women in your palace?"

"Because you interest me."

"That is unfortunate."

His eyebrows lifted.

"Unfortunate?"

"For this concubine, Your Majesty's interest may bring trouble."

Zhao Yu watched her carefully.

"Perhaps I enjoy trouble."

Lin Yue smiled and set down the tea without drinking.

"Then I hope Your Majesty enjoys disappointment too."

His gaze dropped to the untouched cup.

"Why haven't you drunk?"

"The tea smells strange."

"Does it?"

"Yes."

He picked up the cup and examined it.

Then, without warning, he drank from it.

Lin Yue's eyes narrowed.

He swallowed once, placed the cup down, and stared at her.

"Well?"

She said nothing.

"If I had been poisoned, would you have saved me?"

"No."

The answer came so quickly that even Zhao Yu seemed amused.

"At least you are honest."

He walked back to the table and poured the remaining tea into a silver bowl.

Then he rang a small bell.

A moment later, a palace physician entered.

Zhao Yu pointed to the cup.

"Examine it."

The physician obeyed. After a brief inspection, his face turned pale.

"Your Majesty, this tea contains a poisonous substance!"

The room fell silent.

Lin Yue studied the emperor.

He had known.

Or suspected.

The physician dropped to his knees.

"Your Majesty, please forgive this servant for failing to discover it sooner!"

"Find out who prepared the tea," Zhao Yu ordered. "And keep this matter secret until I decide otherwise."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The physician hurried away.

Zhao Yu turned toward Lin Yue.

"You noticed the poison."

"It smelled bitter."

"And you said nothing."

"You drank it before I could."

He stepped closer.

"Would you have warned me if you had been faster?"

Lin Yue met his gaze.

"No."

A dangerous silence followed.

Then Zhao Yu smiled.

"How refreshing."

She could not understand him.

Most men would have been furious to discover that a woman had watched them drink poison without lifting a finger to stop them.

But Zhao Yu seemed almost pleased.

He returned to his chair.

"Tell me, Lady Lin. Do you know what happens to concubines who attempt to harm the emperor?"

"They are executed."

"And what happens to those who merely stand by and watch?"

"They may be executed too."

"Then you should be careful."

Lin Yue bowed.

"I will remember Your Majesty's warning."

But inside, she was already reconsidering her plans.

The emperor was not careless.

He had noticed her hesitation, examined her answers, and watched her reactions as though searching for something hidden beneath her skin.

She would have to be more careful.

One mistake could destroy everything she had spent three years building.

---

"Come closer," Zhao Yu said.

Lin Yue approached his chair.

He caught her wrist.

Her muscles tightened instantly, ready to strike.

His thumb brushed the inside of her wrist, where a faint scar disappeared beneath her sleeve.

"Where did you get this?"

She looked down.

The scar came from the night she had escaped the burning Lin estate. A soldier had tried to seize her, and she had cut herself free with a broken blade.

"An accident."

"What kind of accident?"

"A kitchen knife."

"How unfortunate. Such a deep wound from a kitchen knife."

She pulled her hand away.

"Your Majesty seems unusually interested in my scars."

"I am interested in everything about you."

"Then you must lead a very exhausting life."

He laughed again.

Lin Yue hated that sound.

She hated the way he watched her, the way he seemed to see through her lies, and the way his calmness made her want to break something.

Most of all, she hated that she could not kill him yet.

Not without discovering who had betrayed her mother.

Not without understanding why the emperor had suddenly taken an interest in her.

Zhao Yu rose.

"You may stay tonight."

Lin Yue's fingers tightened beneath her sleeve.

"Your Majesty?"

"You heard me."

She looked toward the bed.

Her opportunity had finally arrived.

If she killed him now, she could escape through the western corridor before the guards discovered his body.

But what if he had deliberately summoned her to test her?

What if the palace was waiting for her to make a mistake?

She forced herself to bow.

"This concubine thanks Your Majesty for his favor."

Zhao Yu studied her expression.

"You look disappointed."

"Would Your Majesty prefer me to cry?"

"I would prefer you to tell the truth."

"Then Your Majesty may be disappointed for a very long time."

His eyes darkened with amusement.

"Very well. You may sleep in the adjoining chamber. I have work to finish."

Lin Yue blinked.

He was dismissing her?

After summoning her in the middle of the night?

"Does Your Majesty require nothing else?"

"Not tonight."

She bowed and walked toward the adjoining room.

At the doorway, his voice stopped her.

"Lin Yue."

She turned.

It was the first time he had called her by name without her title.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Do not mistake my kindness for trust."

She smiled faintly.

"I would never make such a mistake."

"Good."

He returned to his documents.

Lin Yue entered the adjoining chamber and closed the door.

Only then did she allow her expression to change.

Her first attempt to approach the emperor had failed.

Worse, someone inside the palace had attempted to poison him on the very night she was summoned.

There were other people who wanted Zhao Yu dead.

She could not allow them to reach him first.

Not because she cared whether he lived.

Because his death belonged to her.

She removed the dagger from her sleeve and examined its silver edge.

"Enjoy your borrowed life, Zhao Yu," she whispered.

"When I finally come for you, there will be no warning."

---

Before dawn, Lin Yue returned to her courtyard.

Qing'er hurried to meet her.

"My lady! What happened? Did His Majesty—"

"Nothing happened."

"Nothing?"

"He asked questions. I answered them."

Qing'er looked unconvinced.

Lin Yue removed her outer robe and sat before the mirror.

"Find out who prepared the emperor's tea last night."

Qing'er paled.

"Why?"

"Because someone tried to poison him."

"Then the palace is dangerous!"

Lin Yue looked at her reflection.

"The palace has always been dangerous."

She took a hairpin from the table and slid it into her hair.

"Also, find out which consorts have the greatest influence over the emperor's household. I want to know their families, their servants, their enemies, and what they fear most."

Qing'er swallowed nervously.

"Lady Lin, what are you planning?"

Lin Yue smiled.

"To climb."

"Climb where?"

"To the highest place in this palace."

She rose and walked toward the window.

Beyond the courtyard walls stood the imperial palace, vast and beautiful beneath the morning mist.

Somewhere inside it, powerful women were preparing their schemes. Ministers were plotting against one another. The emperor was searching for the person who had attempted to poison him.

And the Empress Dowager, the most powerful woman in the inner palace, had not yet learned that General Lin's daughter was alive.

Lin Yue would change that.

She would begin as a low-ranking concubine.

She would endure humiliation, defeat her rivals, and turn their schemes against them. She would make the emperor notice her, make the court fear her, and force every person who had laughed at her insignificance to bow before her.

One day, she would wear the phoenix crown.

And when that day came, the entire empire would remember the name Lin Yue.

Because the woman who entered the palace seeking revenge would not leave until she had taken everything.

Including the throne's peace.

Including the emperor's heart.

And, eventually, his life.

End of Chapter Two.