Chapter 3: The Emperor's Shadow
Wu Zhao went about her duties as always, head low, footsteps measured, heart guarded. She had learned early on that the best way to survive the palace, especially the tyranny of high-ranking consorts, was to pretend not to see or hear anything. Silence was not just golden; it was her shield.
One crisp morning, Wu Zhao and Lian were on their way to the temple, accompanied by other concubines. They were to accompany the Empress and the Crown Prince on a Buddhist prayer for the country's welfare. As they moved along the palace corridors, Wu Zhao's eyes briefly met the Crown Prince's. No words were spoken. Just a glance. A spark. Tension brewed in that moment, a whirlwind of emotions: excitement, fear, curiosity.
From that moment on, the Crown Prince, Li Zhi, began visiting the Taiji Palace more frequently, claiming different purposes each time. But Wu Zhao noticed. She always noticed. Yet she pretended nothing was happening.
One evening, as she was returning from her daily lessons, she bumped into him.
"You walk like a scholar, not a concubine," he said with a faint smile.
Wu Zhao quickly bowed. "Your Highness, forgive me. I didn't see you."
"This is the second time you didn't see me," he murmured, his gaze intent. "Yet your presence has a way of catching my attention."
Wu Zhao lowered her eyes. "I am only a Cairen, Your Highness. I have nothing worth noticing."
Li Zhi chuckled softly. "Then perhaps it is your silence that makes me listen more. Most in this palace speak too much. You don't."
She replied calmly, "Silence is safer,
especially for women who were not born with a voice that matters."
He stepped a little closer. "But not all voices are meant to be loud. Some are like a river, quiet, but strong enough to shape stone."
She looked up at him then, truly seeing him,not just as the Crown Prince, but as a man.
"Is that what you believe," she asked, "or just what you say when you meet a silent woman?"
He smiled slightly. "I believe it... especially when that woman's eyes carry more fire than her lips ever admit."
Wu Zhao flushed slightly, but stood her ground. "Words like yours could get a man in trouble,
and a woman worse."
"Then let this moment stay between the shadows... and us."
A soft breeze lifted the hem of her sleeves. She didn't move away. He didn't move closer. But something shifted in the air, a seed planted, undeniable.
"Be careful, Your Highness. The palace listens, even when it sleeps."
Li Zhi tilted his head. "And do you listen, Lady Wu?"
She smiled faintly. "Only when someone speaks with reason."
As she walked away, her heart pounded like a drum beneath her robes. Behind her, Li Zhi watched with a look that mixed curiosity with danger. The shadows of the corridor swallowed them both, but something between them had already begun to burn.
A few nights later, the palace was silent. The moon hung low, veiled behind drifting clouds. In the deserted courtyard behind the library pavilion, lanterns glowed dimly. Wu Zhao walked slowly, guided by a secret message slipped between her scrolls earlier that day.
Li Zhi stepped out from the shadows, his voice low and amused. "I was beginning to think you'd choose safety over curiosity."
"Curiosity is dangerous," Wu Zhao replied. "But some risks whisper louder than reason."
He smiled lightly. "Then we're both fools for following whispers."
They stood a few steps apart, the night thick around them.
"This place watches," Wu Zhao said. "Walls have ears. Even shadows betray."
"Then let tonight be one where the shadows guard, not betray," he said.
He stepped closer, his gaze unwavering. "I see you, Wu Zhao. Beyond your rank. Beyond their judgment."
She whispered, "And if they saw us now?"
"Then let them see. I'd rather live truth than fear."
His hand rose slowly, not demanding, but asking. He brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again, meeting his gaze boldly.
"Kiss me," she said softly, "and let the shadows keep our secret."
And he did. His lips met hers, gently, like testing a flame. Then firmer. Deeper. She responded, not as a concubine, but as a woman unbound. The kiss was sweet, intense, and dangerous.
Then, footsteps echoed faintly in the distance. They parted quickly, eyes wide, lips tingling.
Li Zhi whispered, "This is the beginning of everything. And it can't stop now."
Wu Zhao smiled faintly. "Then let history remember, it began with a kiss no one saw."
The next day, the imperial garden bloomed with color and quiet tension. Concubines gathered under a silk-draped pavilion, sipping tea, laughter dancing in the air like fragile porcelain. But beneath the smiles were sharp edges.
Consort Wei sipped her tea and glanced toward Wu Zhao, who sat nearby, composed, fingers resting lightly on her lap.
"The garden path seems livelier these days, doesn't it, Sister Yin?" she said casually.
Consort Yin smirked, playing along. "Oh? What makes you say that?"
"Just curious how the Crown Prince, who once kept strictly to the eastern corridors, now often strolls past the Taiji Palace. Don't you think?"
Several heads turned subtly toward Wu Zhao.
"Quite unusual," Consort Yin added. "Perhaps he finds the plum blossoms in that area more fragrant."
Consort Wei chuckled. "Or perhaps there's a different kind of flower blooming there. One with very watchful eyes and a quiet mouth."
The other concubines giggled under their breath.
Wu Zhao raised her head slightly and met Consort Wei's gaze. "Some flowers bloom where the light touches them. Others survive in the shade, and still turn toward the sun."
There was a beat of silence.
Consort Yin's smile faltered for just a moment.
Consort Wei's lips tightened, then curved into a mocking grin. "How poetic. Let us hope such flowers don't grow too bold... or they'll be plucked before spring ends."
Just as Wu Zhao's heart began to taste the sweetness of forbidden affection, a chill spread across the empire. The Emperor was gravely ill. Some whispered poison, others blamed age. But everyone knew, change was coming.
In the Hall of Harmony, Empress Zhangsun's voice rang cold and sharp:
"There will be no disorder. No rebellion of tongues or hearts. Lock all back passages. Restrict movement. Double the guards. The future of the empire demands discipline."
That night, Wu Zhao slipped into the hidden chamber where she and Li Zhi usually met. He was already there, robe half-loose, eyes shadowed with worry.
She rushed into his arms.
"They are saying he might not last the week," she said, voice muffled against his chest.
"I know," he said softly. "The ministers are circling like vultures. My mother... she's hardening by the hour."
She pulled back slightly, her eyes searching his.
"What happens if he dies?"
"The palace will change. So will we. I'll have to stand where he once stood."
She asked quietly, "And what about us?"
He cupped her face gently. "Then I'll stand... with you."
That night, she couldn't sleep. Her thoughts drifted far beyond the silken canopy of her bed.
In the emperor's shadow, even the smallest candle can grow into a flame