The Cold Moon Pavilion lived up to its name. Located at the furthest edge of the concubine quarters, separated from the main complex by an overgrown garden, it had clearly been neglected for years. The wooden floors, though clean, were worn. The silk hangings had faded from exposure to sunlight. The furniture, while still finely crafted, showed signs of age and disuse.

  "No one has lived here for over a decade," Lady Chen expined as she showed Mia to her new quarters. "The st occupant was a concubine who displeased the previous Empress. She died here alone, they say. Since then, it has been considered... unlucky."

  The older woman's tone made it clear that the assignment was deliberate—another message from the Empress about Mia's precarious position.

  "It is more than this humble one deserves," Mia said, bowing her head.

  Lady Chen sniffed. "At least you know your pce. That's something." She gestured to a young maid waiting by the door. "This is Peony. She has been assigned as your personal servant. She will instruct you in proper protocol and attend to your needs."

  The girl couldn't have been more than fourteen, with a round face and downcast eyes. She bowed deeply to Mia, who found the reversal of their positions deeply uncomfortable. Yesterday she had been scrubbing floors; today people were bowing to her.

  "The rules are simple," Lady Chen continued. "You will remain within the women's quarters at all times. You will present yourself for morning and evening counts. You will attend any ceremonies or gatherings when summoned. You will not communicate with the outside pace without permission. You will not receive visitors without supervision." Her stern expression hardened further. "And you will certainly not attempt to communicate with His Majesty by any means."

  "I understand," Mia said.

  "See that you do. The consequences for disobedience in the harem are severe, regardless of the Emperor's... interest." With that, Lady Chen departed, leaving Mia alone with her new maid.

  The moment the door closed, Peony rushed forward. "Let me help you to your seat, Mistress. You must be tired after such an eventful day."

  Mia allowed herself to be guided to a cushioned chair. "Please don't call me Mistress. My name is Yi-Mei."

  Peony looked scandalized. "Oh no, that wouldn't be proper! You're Concubine Song now. Ninth rank, but still an imperial concubine!" She busied herself pouring tea from a pot that had been left warming. "This is such an honor for me, being assigned to a new concubine. Even if..."

  She trailed off, suddenly remembering herself.

  "Even if I'm in the Cold Moon Pavilion?" Mia finished with a small smile. "Even if everyone knows I've been pced here as punishment rather than honor?"

  Peony blushed deeply. "I didn't mean—"

  "It's alright," Mia assured her. "I have no illusions about my situation. The Empress has pced me here to isote me from the Emperor and keep me under her control."

  The young maid's eyes widened at such frank talk. She gnced nervously toward the door and windows.

  Mia understood immediately. "The pavilion is watched?"

  Peony nodded almost imperceptibly. "The Empress has eyes and ears everywhere in the women's quarters," she whispered. "Especially here."

  This wasn't unexpected, but it did complicate matters. Mia would need to be exceptionally careful about what she said and did, even in the supposed privacy of her own quarters.

  "Thank you for the warning," she said at normal volume. "Now, perhaps you could show me around my new home?"

  The tour was brief. Besides the main sitting room, the pavilion contained a modestly appointed bedchamber, a small study with empty bookshelves, a bathing room, and a private garden enclosed by high walls. Everything necessary for comfortable confinement.

  "The pavilion might be remote, but it has its advantages," Peony ventured as they returned to the sitting room. "You have more privacy here than concubines in the main quarters. Some of them share rooms and have no private gardens at all."

  "How many concubines are there currently?" Mia asked.

  "One hundred and seventy-three, of all ranks," Peony replied. "Eight consorts of the first rank, twelve of the second, twenty noble dies of the third, and the rest divided among the lower ranks." She hesitated, then added, "But only six have ever been visited by the Emperor, and none in the past three years."

  This information confirmed what Jin-Wei had told her—that he had maintained a monastic existence, taking no concubines to his bed despite the hundreds of women kept for that purpose.

  "And the Empress? Does she visit the concubine quarters often?"

  Peony shook her head. "Rarely. She sends Lady Chen or her other attendants to maintain order. But the Empress does host monthly teas for the higher-ranking consorts and noble dies. They say these gatherings are where the real power in the women's quarters is wielded."

  "I imagine I won't be invited to those," Mia said dryly.

  "Oh no," Peony confirmed with wide eyes. "Ninth rank concubines are never included in such gatherings."

  A knock at the door interrupted them. Peony hurried to answer it, returning with an eborate cquered box.

  "A delivery from the Imperial Wardrobe," she announced. "Your new garments."

  The box contained several silk robes in shades of pale blue and vender—beautiful but notably simpler than the eborate garments worn by higher-ranking concubines. There were also hair ornaments of silver rather than gold, with simple freshwater pearls instead of precious gems.

  "These will identify you as a ninth-rank concubine," Peony expined. "Each rank has its designated colors and permitted ornaments. You must never wear anything above your station."

  As Mia examined her new wardrobe, another knock came at the door. This time, Peony returned looking distinctly uncomfortable.

  "Visitors, Concubine Song," she announced. "Noble Lady Zhao and Noble Lady Lin."

  Before Mia could respond, two elegantly dressed women swept into the room. Their silk robes were rich with embroidery, their eborate hairstyles adorned with jade and gold ornaments that marked them as third-rank concubines.

  "So this is the Emperor's new pet," the taller one said, circling Mia with undisguised curiosity. "I am Noble Lady Zhao. This is Noble Lady Lin."

  Mia immediately bowed, aware of the vast difference in their ranks. "This humble one is honored by your visit."

  "Humble indeed," Noble Lady Lin remarked. "Yesterday scrubbing floors, today a concubine. A remarkable elevation."

  There was something predatory in their manner that reminded Mia of Liu Mei and her cronies. The faces and titles had changed, but the dynamic remained the same—those with power seeking to intimidate those without.

  "The Emperor must have unusual tastes," Noble Lady Zhao continued, examining Mia critically. "You're rather pin, and I hear you ck all feminine accomplishments. No music, no dance, no poetry composition. What exactly did you do to catch his eye?"

  The implication was clear, and deliberately insulting. Mia kept her expression neutral. "His Majesty occasionally asked questions about historical texts. My father was a schor before his disgrace."

  "Ah, the disgraced schor's daughter." Noble Lady Lin exchanged a meaningful gnce with her companion. "That expins the Empress's... concern."

  "We thought you should understand your position here," Noble Lady Zhao said, her voice hardening. "The Cold Moon Pavilion is where troublesome women are sent to be forgotten. The st occupant starved herself to death after just three months."

  "How tragic," Mia replied evenly.

  "Indeed. And easily avoided, if one understands the proper order of things." Noble Lady Zhao moved closer. "The Empress rules the women's quarters absolutely. Those who please her prosper. Those who displease her suffer. It's really quite simple."

  "I appreciate your guidance," Mia said, bowing again.

  Noble Lady Lin smiled coldly. "Consider this your first and only warning, Concubine Song. Whatever retionship you had with the Emperor ends now. Any attempt to communicate with him or influence him will be reported immediately to the Empress."

  "And the consequences will be... unpleasant," Noble Lady Zhao added. "The Empress has ways of punishing disobedience that leave no visible marks but cause exquisite suffering."

  The threat delivered, they prepared to leave. At the door, Noble Lady Zhao paused for a final remark.

  "Oh, and do join us for the communal dinner this evening. All new concubines are expected to present themselves to their sisters. It's tradition." Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "We're all just dying to know more about you."

  After they departed, Peony emerged from the corner where she had been trying to make herself invisible during the exchange.

  "They're the Empress's eyes in the concubine quarters," she whispered. "Whatever you do or say will get back to her through them."

  "I expected as much," Mia replied. "Help me dress for dinner, Peony. It seems I have a performance to give."

  The Concubine Banquet Hall was an enormous room dominated by low tables arranged according to rank. At the highest ptform sat the first-rank consorts, resplendent in their eborate robes and headdresses. Below them, the second-rank consorts, then the third-rank noble dies. The arrangement continued downward until it reached the lowest tables at the far end of the hall, where the ninth-rank concubines were seated.

  Mia entered the hall with Peony one step behind her, immediately aware of the hundreds of eyes tracking her progress. The room fell into a hush broken only by whispers behind silk sleeves and painted fans.

  "The floor-scrubber..." "Emperor's new toy..." "Won't st a month..."

  She kept her gaze forward and her posture dignified, drawing on Lin Mei-Li's years of training in the Azure Cloud Sect. Though the cultivation techniques of that world held no power here, the mental discipline remained.

  At the ninth-rank table, five other women already sat in silence. They barely gnced at Mia as she took her pce, their expressions carefully bnk. These women, Mia realized, were the true forgotten ones—concubines of the lowest rank who had long since abandoned hope of imperial favor or advancement.

  The meal proceeded with rigid formality. Dishes were served according to rank, with the finest delicacies going to the highest tables. By the time food reached the ninth rank, it was often cold and picked over. Mia ate little, more interested in observing the complex social dynamics pying out around her.

  Noble Lady Zhao and Noble Lady Lin held court at the third-rank table, clearly the center of attention among concubines of various ranks who came to pay respects and exchange whispered confidences. Occasionally, they would gnce in Mia's direction and share a private ugh.

  Halfway through the meal, a ripple of excitement passed through the hall as Lady Chen entered and approached the highest table. She spoke briefly to Consort Yu, the highest-ranking woman present, who nodded and rose gracefully.

  "Attention," Lady Chen announced. "Her Imperial Majesty the Empress sends word that she will host a special tea ceremony tomorrow for consorts of the first and second ranks, and selected noble dies of the third rank. This honor is extended in celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival."

  Excited murmurs swept through the hall. Imperial teas were opportunities for favor and advancement, and apparently this one was earlier than the usual monthly gathering.

  As conversations resumed around her, Mia noticed one of her tablemates—a thin woman with prematurely graying hair—watching her intently.

  "You've caused quite a stir," the woman said quietly. "No one has been elevated directly to concubine from servant status in living memory."

  "I'm not sure 'elevation' is the right word for being sent to the Cold Moon Pavilion," Mia replied.

  The woman's lips twitched in what might have been a smile. "Perceptive. I am Concubine Bai. I've been here twelve years, all of them at ninth rank."

  "Song Yi-Mei," Mia introduced herself. "Though I suppose it's Concubine Song now."

  "Indeed. Names matter little here; rank is everything." Concubine Bai took a sip of her tea. "You've already attracted the attention of the Empress's favorites. That's rarely a good sign for a new arrival."

  "They made their position quite clear during their visit this afternoon."

  "They visited you personally?" Concubine Bai seemed surprised. "Now that's interesting. Usually they send their maids to deliver threats to new ninth-ranks. They must consider you a significant threat."

  Mia lowered her voice. "Why would anyone consider a ninth-rank concubine exiled to the Cold Moon Pavilion a threat?"

  "Because despite your rank and lodgings, you have something none of us have had in years," Concubine Bai said. "The Emperor's attention."

  Before Mia could respond, a commotion at the hall entrance drew everyone's attention. A eunuch in imperial yellow livery entered and called for silence.

  "By command of His Imperial Majesty," he announced, his high voice carrying throughout the hall. "The following items are to be delivered immediately to Concubine Song in the Cold Moon Pavilion."

  Four servants entered behind him, carrying cquered bookshelves filled with scrolls and bound volumes. Another pair of servants followed with a qin—a seven-stringed zither of obvious quality and age.

  The hall erupted in shocked whispers as the procession made its way directly to Mia. The eunuch bowed and presented her with a sealed scroll.

  "His Majesty commanded these be brought from the Imperial Library to continue your schorly discussions," he announced loudly enough for all to hear. "The instrument belonged to His Majesty's mother and is given as a personal gift."

  The message was unmistakable. Despite her ninth rank and isoted quarters, the Emperor was publicly decring his continued interest in Mia. It was a direct challenge to the Empress's attempt to cut off their connection.

  Noble Lady Zhao's face darkened with fury. Lady Chen looked as though she had swallowed something bitter. Throughout the hall, the atmosphere shifted as hundreds of women reassessed the power dynamics at py.

  "Well," Concubine Bai murmured as the servants departed and conversation gradually resumed, "it seems the Cold Moon Pavilion has suddenly become the most interesting pce in the women's quarters. I wonder what Her Imperial Majesty will make of this."

  Mia clutched the sealed scroll in her hands, aware that she had just been thrust into an even more dangerous position. The Emperor had publicly sided with her against the Empress—a decration of internal war that would not go unanswered.

  Later, in the privacy of her pavilion, she broke the imperial seal on the scroll. Inside was a painting of a plum blossom branch, with a poem inscribed beside it in the Emperor's unmistakable hand:

  The coldest moon still reflects the sun As winter plum blossoms endure the frost What seems forgotten is merely waiting For distant eyes keep watch through darkness

  Beneath the poem, in smaller characters written in a cipher they had developed during their months of secret meetings, was a message only Mia could understand:

  The Dragon Seals are secured. The Grand Chancellor returns in three days. Our agents are in position. The greatest danger now falls on you, but you must endure. When the lotus blooms in the imperial pond, be ready to act.

  Mia read the message twice, committed it to memory, then burned the scroll in the fme of her mp. As she watched the paper curl and bcken, she felt the silver locket in her inventory pulse with unusual warmth.

  The fragments were restless, sensing the approaching climax of this world's drama. For better or worse, events were accelerating toward a confrontation that would determine not just her fate, but the future of the empire itself.

  And somehow, in the midst of it all, she needed to find a way to help Jin-Wei understand his true nature before it was too te.