Drunken Bones

Enemy troops pressed against the borders, yet the emperor—seated upon the dragon throne—remained indifferent to the world outside. With a beauty in his arms, he indulged in pleasure as if nothing were amiss. Even more outrageous, he intended to send the nation’s empress, Yan Zhaozhao, to the aging emperor of the enemy state as a political bride in exchange for peace. The emperor and empress loathed each other; there was no affection between them. He despised her, and Yan Zhaozhao felt the same. With nowhere left to turn, Yan Zhaozhao—still in the prime of her youth—donned a thin red dress on a night heavy with darkness and quietly pushed open the door of the regent, Xie Ciyan. Rumor ha...