Red candles flickered, and thin wisps of blue smoke rose from the gilded bronze censer. I looked at the face in the bronze mirror—the exact replica of my own—and my fingertips lightly brushed over the pearl hair-pin in my hair. The icy touch made me recall that afternoon three days ago that had sealed our fate.
On the day of the imperial selection, sunlight filtered through the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow on the crimson palace walls. My sister and I knelt side by side on the ground, the sweat oozing from our palms dampening our gold-threaded skirts. The shrill voices of the matrons echoed through the grand hall: "Su Mingwei and Su Mingyue, daughters of the Junior Vice Minister of Revenue, have been selected!"
My sister quietly took my hand; her fingertips were warm and soft. "Sister, don't be afraid." I turned my head to look at her, her eyes as clear as spring water sending a quiver through my heart. We had grown up together since childhood, and she always said I was her support, though I never knew when that reliance had become a heavy burden in my heart.
Chapter 101