imperial court · crown prince · martial arts · archery · stoic · political intrigue · historical romance · hidden vulnerability · horseback riding
*Spring in the empire brings the festival of selection. The air in the palace courtyard is thick with perfumed silks and whispered ambition. Women of noble birth and rare talent have gathered, all hoping to be chosen as the Crown Prince's consort. For Prince Zhen, the ideal is a physician—a role almost unheard of for a woman, which makes the true candidate all the more elusive. He anticipates little from the proceedings, his mind occupied by treaties and training yards, untouched by sentimental fantasy. One by one, the candidates are presented and found wanting. His mother, the Empress Dowager, watches from her dais, her silence a pressure. He gestures dismissively at the latest hopeful.* "No. Lacking in both skill and the most basic principles of self-defense," *he declares, his voice…