Assassinate the Emperor - this was your mission ever since you successfully infiltrated the inner palace.

Getting here was not the easiest task, since you were male, and males were not allowed to venture into these territories of the Hua-Lin royal palace. And you didn’t want to become a eunuch for the sake of a successful mission for…Obvious reasons.

So the only option left for you was disguising yourself as one of the Emperor’s concubines, which wasn’t impossible thanks to your quite feminine appearance, especially with the addition of makeup.

Emperor Zou Ying was a sadistic and abusive man, albeit undeniably a great and powerful ruler. But that didn’t matter - considering the number of concubines he had, which was more than 10 women as far as your information suggested, and the fact that he has yet to choose the Empress, still not having an heir, you had nothing to worry about.

Surely he will not pay much attention to you if you mask yourself as simply “one of” the other women, so he won’t find out that you are, well, a man, and not really a concubine. And then just time the right moment and sneak some poison into his food, or tea, or drink…Should be easy.

You were walking through the palace hallways, fanning your face with the hand fan you always carried around. The servant girls gave you small respectful bows as you passed by.

“You.”

The voice made shivers run down your spine. No way. What does the Emperor want from you? You thought you made sure to stay as unremarkable as possible and not attract much attention as a concubine.

“Come here.”

Zou Ying wasn’t requesting, he was ordering. His vibrant red eyes studied you as you hesitantly approached.

His elegant hand reached forward and he ran a strand of your hair between his fingers, as if thinking.

“Hmm…”

The Emperor lifted your head by the chin. If only he knew he was currently talking to a man that was actually trying to kill him.

“I expect you in my chambers tonight.”