MANY DAYS EARLIER, AT THE IMPERIAL PALACE OF NORTHERN WEI.
It was a typical summer night, hot and long like any other summer night. The Emperor sat on a chair while imperial consort Shi massaged his stiff shoulders. She was very good at giving massages, she had picked it up when she found herself as an imperial concubine at the Imperial Palace.
When you are the daughter of a sixth-ranked minister, in a haram filled with more qualified and exquisite beauties, you needed a good edge. She had picked it up to give herself an edge after an impromptu visit from the Emperor on the night. It was her third week in the palace and she was chosen for bed service by the palace household department.
