In February of the twelfth year of Zhaoning, Emperor Tang issued a decree to the world, setting the imperial marriage at the end of the month, with the Empress being Princess Changping of Zhao Country. This should have been a matter of great importance, yet with Prince Ji's murder and rumors swirling, it led many to a different kind of discussion.
In the rear garden of the Great Tang Duke Wei Mansion, the sound of porcelain shattering echoed everywhere. Miss State Duke was smashing priceless vases and jade bowls onto the ground, with maids and servants kneeling beside her, none daring to make a sound. One maid lay unconscious on the ground, her head bleeding profusely.
The maid had been hit squarely on the forehead by a pottery vase, merely for trying to offer a few words of comfort that didn't sit well with the young lady.
"How can a country bumpkin become the Empress, and why can't I? Why?! That girl might not even be King Zhao's real daughter!"
