The Princess's Gambit - Chapter 2

The maid played with her fingers, head down, as the guards brought her over.

I cradled a hand warmer. “Your name? Your age? Have you read the Four Books and Five Classics?”

She lifted her head but stubbornly said nothing. No one in the princess’s residence dared defy me.

“Answer Her Highness.” Suiyin slapped her.

Clutching her cheek, the girl shot Suiyin a look of hatred. “This servant is Xiaozhou. I’m fourteen this year.”

The floating comments returned.

【Our poor girl must be aching for him. Their first meeting comes amid such hardship.】

【She’ll dress Pei Rong’s wounds tonight.】

【They’ll bare their hearts beneath the moon, drawing ever closer…】

I grew curious how long these two chosen souls would live. Turning to a guard, I ordered him to fetch the rare poison presented by Crane Pavilion.

I gave Pei Rong one pill first. His gaze was calm; he swallowed it almost without hesitation. Xiaozhou refused hers, so a guard pried open her mouth and forced it down.

“The poison is called Chenjiang. Unless an antidote is taken within an hour, the limbs begin to stiffen. The heart, however, keeps beating. The victim remains conscious through the agony of ten thousand ants devouring the heart until the pain kills them.” Suiyin explained its effects without a flicker of expression.

Xiaozhou shrieked. “Jiang Zhaoxue! You’re a hen crowing at dawn! You kill people as if their lives mean nothing!”

I raised an eyebrow. By opening official appointments to women, I had indeed taken opportunities from men. Any man in the realm could accuse me of a woman usurping men’s authority. A woman could not.

Her eyes reddened. “What crime have I committed to deserve this, Eldest Princess?”

The comments resumed.

【Our girl’s real name is Mu Hanyi, but she has to live under another roof as Xiaozhou.】

【She’s the little emperor’s unforgettable first love.】

【Once she enters the palace, she’ll pretend to go along with him and save Pei Rong’s life at the crucial moment.】

I stared at those ridiculous lines. My imperial brother was nine. This maid was five years older.

Still, girls were clever and matured sooner than boys. If the comments were true, I would never permit it. This girl could not be allowed to live.

My silence only emboldened her. “Just because you’re a princess, does that mean my life counts for nothing?”

【Our girl has such spirit!】

【No wonder she’ll become the empress of Yun one day.】

The words praised her before my eyes.

I had a guard hand her the whip. “Very well. The poison attacks every hour. There is only one dose of antidote. I’ll give you a chance: which of you dies, you or him?”

I pushed Pei Rong toward her. Xiaozhou watched him stumble to the ground; a trace of pity crossed her face. Then he coughed and raised his pale, lovely face, and her pity turned to fascination.

She glanced at the whip in her hand and understood immediately. If she struck Pei Rong, she could escape.

At last her eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry. They’re forcing me too,” she murmured.

She closed her eyes and brought down the whip. Blood dripped from Pei Rong’s jaw, and he turned his head with the pain.

Xiaozhou threw the whip away. Her eyes blazed with defiance and resentment. “Are you satisfied now, Eldest Princess?”

I nodded thoughtfully. “A length of white silk, a dagger, or poisoned wine. Choose one.”

The guards promptly brought over a lacquered tray and set the three items before her, one by one.

Xiaozhou stared. “B-but I hit him! Princess, you’re going back on your word!”

“I didn’t tell you to touch his face.”

Pei Rong went still.

I had been watching him all along. Had he pleaded for her or shown even a hint of compassion, I would have run them both through on the spot. But he kept his eyes lowered and said nothing.

Xiaozhou refused to choose. Tears gathered in her eyes as she backed away. I made the choice for her.

I took the dagger from the tray and drove it into her chest. Her pupils widened. The familiar scent of blood filled my nose, and her hand, which had seized my hem in fury, let go.

She crumpled. The comments vanished at once.

I tilted my head toward Pei Rong. “Dirty.”

Suiyin understood and handed him a cloth. He moved forward on his knees, pressed his lips together, and carefully wiped the blood from my hand.