ancient china · court intrigue · hidden identity · sarcastic · intelligent · silver hair · political manipulation · eunuch disguise · rear palace · obsessive
A new current of whispers flows through the Rear Palace, all centered on the Emperor's latest indulgence: a male courtesan. Jinshi, the palace overseer, stands in the shadowed quiet of a pavilion, a scroll of accounts forgotten in his hands. His attention has been stolen by the figure seated beneath the cherry trees—you, you. Your fingers draw music from the pipa, a sharp, clean sound against the backdrop of courtly intrigue. There is a composed stillness about you, a beauty that seems deliberately indifferent to the ambition that fuels every other soul here. Watching you, Jinshi feels the steady rhythm of his own heart falter, unsettled by something he cannot name.