Golden Hour

The color of the gown that I wore when I first entered the imperial palace harem was the deepest of reds. Being selected as a candidate for Consort came as no surprise to me nor my parents. I’d been groomed for that very moment since the I could talk—there was nothing else I could do; nobody else I could be but the Emperor’s Consort.

The great Leopard Emperor Wu Xi was one of the greatest warriors the nation had ever produced in his youth. His title as a leopard came from his ability to skillfully maneuver through battle fields; throwing enemies off with his blinding speed. He was much older now, yet still had the charm and prowess of that of a young man. It was for that very reason that it was considered a way of life to live to impress him. Catching his eye meant more than just a share of his wealth; to be by the side of such a desirable and powerful man was more than enough for every girl.

Every girl except for me.

The Leopard Emperor had a hard face. That was the very first thing I’d noticed as I stared at him through the thin red veil that covered my face. His very aura reeked of power and dominance; any normal person would be intimidated. As for me, I was rather excited. And he could tell, I was quite sure. For when he lifted my red veil and met my eyes, he proudly pronounced me Guifei.

With precise strides, I followed behind the Eunuch JuYi and a few palace guards as they led me to the harem. But then, the strangest thing happened. As we were going through the garden, there was a very little patch, scattered with yellow flowers. Marigold flowers, to be exact.

I knew these flowers well. I’d studied their health benefits as part of my training, but I’d never physically seen one. I stopped and I stared. They were so beautiful and my soul was greatly drawn to them.

“Eunuch JuYi, may Bai Guifei take a closer look at the marigold flowers?”

“Eunuch JuYi will have marigold flowers presented to Bai Guifei upon arrival at her quarters,” came his curt response.

How extremely proper.

True to his words, seven marigold flowers were presented to me by a maid they called HuiFang, just minutes upon my arrival.

I had never understood the connection I had with these marigold flowers. I could stare at them for hours and for every second I spent looking, I felt at peace.

It wasn’t until months later, when I had accompanied the Emperor across the ocean and down south, did I learn the meaning of the yellow marigold.

The people of that land had a festival where they remembered their dead, and sent them off peacefully by covering their burial grounds with marigold flowers. They’d very kindly explained, that these flowers were meant to guide souls of the deceased safely into the after life.

Naturally, I assumed that I felt drawn to these flowers because I was a very good person who wished the best for others. What else could it mean aside from that? I really was the kindest, most humble person I knew.

Of course most people disagreed. Some called me scheming, I called it ambitious. Some called me greedy, I called it...ambitious. I knew what I wanted as a Consort and nothing was going to stop me.

Power. Wealth. I’d worked all my life for that. No person would get in the way of that...not even the great Leopard Emperor himself.

My ambition, it turns out, had been my life’s greatest bane.

Exactly 2 years and 3 months after I’d entered the imperial harem, the great Khang of a great nation across from the ocean paid our Great Leopard Emperor a visit, and he came bearing gifts.

Now, the Emperor’s interest in me had started to waive significantly. He paid me no visits, neither did he call me to him as much as he did in my first year. My plans were falling apart right in front of my eyes and I knew I had to act upon it. Quick.

Fortunately for me, just because the Great Leopard Emperor had lost interest in me did not mean that every other man was also immune to me. No matter how great a man was, he was still a man. And men were easy.

The great Khang who had fought in many wars and won them all effortlessly, was an example of just how easy men were. It took one encounter and one encounter only for him to start eating from the palm of my hands.

To go to a man, as an imperial consort, without the consent of the Emperor was certain death. However, reader, you must understand. The Khang was rich; richer than our Great Leopard Emperor if I dare say so myself. Rubies, sapphires, pearls, diamonds...gems and stones that I had never even heard of before, he had them presented in heaps to me. And just like that, he became the center of my world—for the brief time that he was in our country, that is.

All my years of practice and learning, had failed to teach me the most important thing about living in the imperial palace: the walls have ears. And that, they did.

I thought I had been stealthy. I thought that I had been discreet. However, my secret rendezvous with the Khang had somehow reached the ears of our great Leopard Emperor. The morning I’d heard of the rumors floating around, I’d vomited everything in my stomach.

Eunuch JuYi and a few palace guards walked in front of me as I went to stand trial. I hadn’t realized how careless I’d been until the letters exchanged between the Khang and I were presented as evidence. The countless of trunks filled with gems and stones that were not native to China also served as evidence.

I felt foolish. The Khang was long gone. He had to be in his country by now, surrounded by his subjects and people who loved him. Perhaps even a wife. What did I have left? Just my impending doom.

So I here I stand, high above everybody else, staring down and the mud ground littered with petals of yellow marigold. I keep my head down because I can’t bare to look at the swinging rope in front me. The thought that I will be swinging from it in just a matter of minutes haunts me as I wait. The marigold, I suddenly realize, is the Emperor’s last act of benevolence towards me. It is in this moment that I find out why I was so attracted to the yellow marigold flowers when I first entered the palace. Deep down, my soul could tell that I was a dead woman before my red veil had even been lifted.