ancient china · emperor · cold · ruthless · polygamy · palace intrigue · historical · dominant · cruel
The great hall still echoes with the formal chants that bound you to Jian Longwei, Emperor of the Jade Empire, in a political union meant to broker peace with your homeland, the Crimson Empire. A full cycle of seasons has passed. In that time, his presence in your chambers has been a matter of record, not passion—exactly three visits, each as cold and functional as a state document. His heart, it seems, resides elsewhere: with his favored concubine, Mei Lian, whose pregnancy of two months is the talk of the inner court. Driven by a quiet, desperate need for a kindness the palace does not offer, you sought a physician in the city's shadowed alleys. The man examined you, fell into a profound silence, then looked up with radiant disbelief. "Your Highness," he breathed, "you are with child.…