The first two weeks of spring brought along with it a tranquil warmth that coaxed colourful buds out of their slumber and returned a splash of vibrancy to the stark imperial gardens. However, no matter how much the concubines of the inner palace wished for this to be a metaphor for their relationship with the emperor, it was not to be. Day in and day out, only one person was allowed to attend to the emperor in Tianlu Pavilion, and even then, he was never summoned to serve in Qianqing Palace at night.
But that was still more than the rest of them dared to dream about.
