The Mad Concubine's Secret
Deep within the Cold Palace stood an abandoned hall, encircled by bamboo groves and withered trees that seemed to cut it off from the outside world—silent, eerie. This was the domain of the Mad Concubine.
Her name had long become taboo within the palace walls. No one dared speak of her lightly—not the servants, not the officials, not even the Crown Prince. All regarded her with a strange mixture of fear and reverence. She was the forgotten one, a withered vine hidden in the darkest corner of the palace, her true nature unknown to all.
Stepping into the desolate courtyard, I felt both curiosity and unease. This was my first time coming here alone. Every corner seemed to whisper stories of the past, the silent walls murmuring of her former glory and ruin.
"You've come."
A frail voice suddenly drifted through the air, like a whisper disturbed by the wind. I startled, turning to see a gaunt woman standing at the entrance of the hall. Her eyes were hollow, her expression distant, her tattered robes a testament to a shattered spirit.
She seemed mad—yet not in the way ordinary people understood madness. Her gaze was deep, bottomless, as if concealing countless secrets.
"You... are the Mad Concubine?" I couldn’t help but ask, hesitation lacing my voice.
The woman smiled faintly, gliding toward me with unsettling grace. Her grin was both eerie and indifferent, like a shadow long abandoned by time.
"You think I’m mad?" She stopped just before me, her gaze locking onto mine. "No. I see more clearly than anyone in this palace."
A chill ran down my spine. This woman’s madness was not born of broken emotions—but of her intimate knowledge of the court’s darkest schemes.
"Do you know of the struggle between the Crown Prince and Xiao Jing?" she asked abruptly, her eyes sharpening.
I froze. How could she know of such things?
The Mad Concubine’s smile never wavered. "I know everything. Because I was once one of their most trusted." Her voice was light, almost careless, yet it sent a shiver through me. "They both needed me—the Crown Prince, Xiao Jing. But in the end, I was discarded. They decided I was no longer useful... so I was locked away here, turned into a laughingstock."
She let out a soft laugh, laced with bitterness. "But what they don’t know is—the secrets I hold could destroy them all."
Her words struck me like a blade. This woman, whether mad or calculating, was far more dangerous than she appeared.
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.
A flicker of something unreadable passed through her eyes. "Because you are the next piece on the board. Willing or not, this game will claim you. But if you choose the right opponent... you might just change your fate."
Her smile deepened, as if waiting for my decision—yet there was something unfathomably dark beneath it.
A suffocating pressure settled over me, as if her gaze alone had ensnared me, leaving no escape.
"Will you tell me more?" My voice was barely a whisper, as if this moment would decide my future.
Her eyes darkened with something unreadable. Finally, she spoke, slow and deliberate:
"This palace hides more than just the Crown Prince and Xiao Jing. There are greater schemes at play. To survive... you must learn to walk in the dark."
Her words were a detonation, reshaping everything I thought I knew.
This was not just a game of power.
It was a gamble with fate itself.
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