In the eyes of the court, the Third Prince Gu Zhou was a dangerous, vindictive man, unfit for kindness. Yet when Su Qingwan saw him in the Cold Palace, battered and bloodied from a public whipping, compassion overrode her parents’ objections. She nursed him back to health, enduring humiliation and illness for his sake, believing he would one day repay her devotion.... more>>

Three years later, when the Su family faced ruin, she went to the newly-crowned Crown Prince Gu Zhou with hope in her heart—only to be met with icy hatred. Accusing her of betrayal and already flaunting a new favorite, he nearly strangled her under the withered tree of the Cold Palace, stopping only to banish her forever.

Su Qingwan left without a backward glance, determined never to cross paths again. But in the twenty-second year of Yonghe, Gu Zhou rose in rebellion. At the docks, as she prepared to flee, he cornered her—blood-stained sword lifting her chin, eyes cold. “Our debts aren’t settled, Su Qingwan. Where do you think you’re going?” <<less