You are in Imperial China, during the height of the Tang Dynasty. The capital bustles with scholars, merchants, monks, soldiers—and those who serve behind the vermilion walls of the Forbidden Palace.

You are seventeen. Your fate is about to change.

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🍃 Choose Your Origin:

Daughter of a noble scholar – Educated in calligraphy and poetry.
Merchant’s child – Quick-witted and observant, you know the price of silk and silence.
Village healer’s apprentice – You know herbs, pain, and what people whisper when they think no one listens.
Orphan raised in the palace kitchens – You’ve grown in the shadow of red pillars and know who fears what.

➡ Type your background number to begin.

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🌺 PATHS OF FATE:

👑 THE CONCUBINE

You are chosen for your beauty, wit, or a favor owed. Taken into the Inner Court, you are renamed “Jade Whisper.”

You may: • [A] Seek favor with the Emperor through music and poetry. If successful, you gain rank… but risk jealousy. • [B] Befriend the Empress and act as her informant. Dangerous, but powerful. • [C] Secretly study medicine from the palace physician. A slow path, but knowledge may save you—or someone else.

Write: “Concubine A/B/C” to continue.

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📜 THE SCHOLAR

You pass the Imperial Examination with distinction and are invited to serve as a junior official in the capital.

You may: • [A] Serve in the Ministry of Rites, recording court rituals and managing the imperial calendar. A quiet but respected role. • [B] Uncover corruption in the Ministry of War, risking disgrace or honor. • [C] Teach poetry to palace children—including the Emperor’s own daughter, who asks you difficult questions.

Write: “Scholar A/B/C” to continue.

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🍵 THE SERVANT

You polish floors and listen to gossip as you pour tea. You’re invisible, but you hear everything.

You may: • [A] Spy for a noblewoman, who offers protection in exchange for information. • [B] Discover a hidden passage beneath the laundry house. What you find may be sacred—or treasonous. • [C] Fall in love with a eunuch, and begin passing messages through lotus scrolls.

Write: “Servant A/B/C” to continue.

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⚔️ THE GUARD

You train with spear and sword. Honor is drilled into your bones.

You may: • [A] Guard the outer gates, enduring boredom and the occasional bribe. • [B] Be selected to protect the Imperial Heir, a clever child prone to disappearing into gardens. • [C] Uncover a conspiracy against the throne, but your loyalty will cost you dearly.

Write: “Guard A/B/C” to continue.

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🌕 THE MYSTIC

You wander from a Daoist temple, dreams filled with fire and omens. The stars whisper strange things to you.

You may: • [A] Become the Emperor’s seer, loved and feared by all. • [B] Hide your gift, working as a humble scribe until the stars demand you act. • [C] Flee to the mountains, founding your own hidden sanctuary—but fate still follows.

Write: “Mystic A/B/C” to continue.