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He nodded, dismissing me with a flick of his hand. Pity for someone like me was something he could comprehend.

I bowed and excused myself, my steps lighter than a gliding feather. I was no deluded fool; it would take a miracle for me to win. But there was a deep satisfaction in reaching out to grasp this opportunity. Even if I lost. Even if I was turned out of the Golden Lotus Mansion. This sliver of hope was a breath of fresh air in my stagnant existence. Spurred by new resolve, I walked back with my head held a little higher. I was no longer a child willing to drift with the tide—I would steer against the current if I had to. And if I won, by some miraculous stroke of luck, I would never be helpless again.

4

I found no rest in sleep, my mind plagued by visions of failure. Throwing the covers off, I rose to ready myself. All the candidates had been given a set of garments and a sandalwood tablet engraved with our names. I slipped on the apricot silk robe, tying the yellow brocade sash around my waist. Then a diaphanous coat, the shifting hues of dawn. Flowing sleeves grazed my wrists, the skirt coming down to my ankles. My fingers ran over the material, light and soft, with a subtle shimmer in its threads. I had not worn such fine silk since my home. Lacking the skills to try anything more elaborate with my hair, I pulled it into a tail that swung across my back.

Picking up the wooden tablet, I fastened it to my waist, tracing the characters of my name carved into it:

星银

Silver star, the constant companion to the moon. Mother, I thought, I’ll make you proud of me today. I made my way to the doors, eager to escape the stony stares from the other girls who were just rising from their beds.

“Don’t get too used to the Jade Palace. You’ll be back here soon enough,” Jiayi called out tauntingly.

I halted by the entrance, not turning around. “Thank you for your kind wishes, Jiayi,” I said, in as pleasant a tone as I could muster. “When I return, it will be to pack my things. Do take care of Lady Meiling’s garments better, in the meantime. For your own sake, be sure to keep them away from the inkstone.”

I strode away, my back pulled straight—yet glad she could not see my face. Despite my bold words, a part of me was certain her mean-spirited prediction would hold true. However, since the day by the river, I was no longer content to feign indifference nor hold my tongue against insult.

Outside the mansion, it struck me that I did not know the way to the Jade Palace. Even if I could bring myself to ask Lady Meiling, she would never aid me. I raised my head to search the skies. The Jade Palace floated on a bank of clouds above the kingdom. It would not be hard to find.

Whenever I’d ventured outside before, I’d never had the time to linger. All around were the magnificent estates of the most powerful immortals of the realm. Some were built from rare woods with tiered roofs of glazed tiles, while others were crafted from polished stone with elegantly upturned roofs. Trees and shrubs abounded in jeweled tones of crimson and amethyst, emerald and vermilion. The Celestial Kingdom was like a garden in eternal spring; the flowers did not wither and the leaves did not brown. Today, the ground gleamed a brilliant blue, mirroring the clear heavens above as though earth and sky were one.

The stairway of pure white marble leading to the palace disappeared among the clouds. As I walked up the steps, gripping the railing, my eyes were drawn to the intricate phoenix carvings on its balusters. Reaching the top, I stilled at the sight. Amber columns held up a magnificent, three-tiered roof of grass-green jade. Gold dragons perched majestically in each corner, luminous pearls clutched within their jaws—so lifelike, I could almost feel the wind rippling through their manes. The white stone walls were flecked with crystals which glittered like stars against a sea of clouds. Flanking the entrance were bronze incense burners studded with precious gems, from which tendrils of sweet smoke curled.

An enormous plaque of lapis lazuli hung over the entrance, etched in gold with the characters:

玉宇天宫

Jade Palace of Immortal Heaven

As a waiting attendant gestured at me, I followed him through the red-lacquered doors, trying not to gawk at the ceilings painted with flowers in cobalt, scarlet, and persimmon. We crossed winding corridors and large pleasure gardens, golden pavilions and lotus-filled ponds, before emerging in a courtyard teeming with immortals. I craned my neck to read the wooden plaque painted with the name of this place:

恒宁苑

Courtyard of Eternal Tranquility

Although today, the residence of the Crown Prince was anything but tranquil. While the sun was not yet high, the air thrummed with immortal auras. All the other candidates had already gathered—cultivated and plucked from the most illustrious families in the kingdom. All eager to be planted in the Crown Prince’s garden, just as I was, I admitted to myself. Although I felt as out of place here as a weed among the orchids, just as whenever I compared myself to my mother.

Beyond their lineage, the other candidates were undoubtedly bright, cultured, accomplished. Powerful. While we were all attired similarly, jade and gold gleamed from their hair, jeweled ornaments dangling from their waists. Their slippers were thickly embroidered with silk thread, some encrusted with lustrous pearls. Many stared at me curiously and when my eyes met Lady Meiling’s, her lips puckered as though she had bitten into a sour plum. She turned away with a forced laugh, her words drifting to me as she made no attempt to lower her voice.

“That girl over there, the one who looks like a mortal peasant. She used to be my attendant.” Lady Meiling paused, letting the gasps quieten before she continued. “The worst one I ever had, both stupid and dull.”

“How did she get selected?” a slender man asked, glancing at me.

Her nose wrinkled. “She begged Prince Liwei for the chance, and he took pity on her. He probably only allowed it because he knew she could not win.”

My fingers dug into the skirt of my robe, crumpling the delicate silk. She meant to wound me, to shake my confidence, perhaps. Little did she know how deep her jibes went. But I would give her no satisfaction, my desire to win hardening instead. I would feel no remorse for my supposed temerity in climbing above my station to reach for the prize. What did I care for such rules anyway? I was not brought up to revere their titles or rank, and I would certainly not start now—not when winning would transform my life, not just gild an already bright future.

A gong was struck, its brassy tone reverberating loudly, silence trailing in its wake. Attendants hurried into the courtyard, clearing the path to the raised dais in front of the pavilion where thirteen desks were arranged. An odd number, and I guessed I was the late addition. Whispers rustled through the crowd as the immortals sank to their knees, touching their foreheads to the ground. I followed suit hastily as the Crown Prince entered, accompanied by his mother and their attendants.

“All may rise.”

The familiar sound of his voice calmed my nerves. As I rose, I glanced eagerly at the dais. Was this the same young man who had cleaned the dirt from my hairpin and listened to my troubles? A collar of gold gleamed at his neck, beneath a blue brocade robe embroidered with yellow dragons. A silvery glow emanated from their jaws, as though they were breathing mist and cloud. Flat links of white jade clasped his robe around his waist. His hair was drawn into an immaculate topknot, encased in a gold crown set with a large oblong sapphire. How grand, he looked. Majestic, even. And yet he was also just as I remembered, with his thoughtful expression and dark, intelligent eyes.

My gaze shifted to the brilliant vermilion robes of his mother beside him. The scarlet phoenixes on her garments stretched their graceful heads, their crests almost entangled in the long necklace of jade beads around her throat. As my gaze drifted up to her face, my blood froze to ice.

The Celestial Empress.