Spring of the eleventh year of the Minghui era. Within the palace walls, willow branches unfurled tender yellow buds, while the ice on Taiye Pool quietly melted, sending ripples across its surface. Yet an undercurrent concerning the very foundation of the state surged even earlier than the spring tide. Debates over succession and official selection systems intensified in the court. Led by Chancellor Lin Wenzheng, officials repeatedly petitioned for a "special examination for commoners" to break the aristocratic monopoly on official positions. This turmoil inevitably reached the harem, even affecting Gu Liang's studies in Zhilan Pavilion, which now carried a stronger emphasis on practical governance. One day, while reviewing Gu Liang's studies, Emperor Minghui Gu Heng remarked, "The influence of aristocratic families is deeply entrenched. To break this pattern, we must cultivate new talent. Liang'er, beyond your old servants, you should also have companions for reading who come from scholarly families and possess refined manners. Only then can you broaden your horizons."
These words sent ripples through the calm waters. Soon, an imperial decree was issued: Select companions for the Imperial Granddaughter, of comparable age and upright character, with particular emphasis on those from families of literati officials.
The news spread, and factions everywhere sprang into action. Everyone understood this was more than just selecting tutors—it was shaping the nascent inner circle of the future female sovereign, an unparalleled opportunity to gain proximity to the seat of power.
Emma learned of this news immediately. She was ironing Gu Liang's new spring attire when she overheard palace servants discussing it. The iron paused slightly in her hand before she resumed her work as if nothing had happened, though her gaze grew deeper. She knew what was coming would inevitably arrive. Gu Liang's world would expand, and the people around him would grow increasingly complex.
Yet when the preliminary list of candidates for companion readers was presented to Zhilan Pavilion by the Imperial Household Department, a familiar name leapt into Emma's eyes—Su Wan.
Daughter of the Su family of Linzhou, aged thirteen. Her father served as the Linzhou Education Commissioner, belonging to the scholarly elite. She possessed a gentle disposition and was well-versed in poetry and literature.
Upon seeing the name, Gu Liang gasped in delight: "It's Sister Wan!" Genuine joy instantly lit her eyes—a rare warmth from her troubled years, untainted by political scheming. "Grandfather Emperor, your granddaughter has met the Su family's daughter several times outside the palace. She has always been very kind to me!"
Emperor Minghui observed the rare, age-appropriate exuberance in his granddaughter's expression and pondered for a moment. Though the Su family was not among the most prestigious clans, her father held a crucial official post within the Lin faction. Su Wan herself enjoyed a good reputation and shared a prior bond with Liang'er. She was indeed a suitable match. He finally nodded his approval.
Several days later, a group of carefully selected young women from official families entered the palace. The main hall of Zhilan Pavilion soon filled with the tinkling of jade ornaments and the fluttering of silk robes. Gu Liang sat upright in the seat of honor, striving to maintain the dignity befitting the Imperial Granddaughter, yet his gaze kept searching the crowd.
When he spotted Su Wan—dressed in a simple spring gown, her gentle features unchanged, yet now radiating a newfound dignity and composure beyond what he remembered from the Su residence—Gu Liang felt a warmth welling in his eyes. Su Wan looked up as well, their gazes meeting. She performed the formal bow with proper decorum, yet her eyes betrayed uncontrollable excitement and a hint of barely perceptible nervousness.
"Wan... Miss Su, please rise." Gu Liang corrected himself promptly, his voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor.
Emma stood behind Gu Liang, observing everything. She looked at Su Wan—the third young miss who had once offered Gu Liang kind shelter—now reappearing as his companion reader. Su Wan also noticed Emma, giving her a slight nod. Her gaze was complex, holding concern, gratitude, and perhaps a hint of shared nostalgia as fellow "old acquaintances."
Thus began the life of a companion reader. Alongside several other carefully selected young women, Su Wan accompanied Gu Liang in his studies—reading, calligraphy, music, and painting. Their presence indeed brought a breath of fresh air to Gu Liang's world. Su Wan, in particular, with her gentle nature, considerable learning, and deep understanding of Gu Liang's past preferences, always knew how to ease the pressure of his demanding studies at just the right moments. After lessons, the two would often stroll side by side through the imperial gardens, whispering and laughing softly, as if they had returned to the courtyard of the Su residence in Linzhou.
Emma observed silently. She noticed that when Gu Liang was with Su Wan, his face would light up with a genuinely relaxed smile—one rarely seen even in her presence. She should have felt comforted by this; Gu Liang needed such a friend. Yet at the same time, a subtle emotion she herself didn't wish to examine deeply began to creep in, like a delicate vine quietly wrapping itself around her heart.
It was a feeling of being shut out.
The debate from the previous dynasty about "humble origins" versus "noble lineage" now felt to her like more than just a distant court rumor. Watching Gu Liang and Su Wan grow naturally close because of their similar backgrounds, a thought quietly surfaced: If even the companion reader for the Imperial Granddaughter required consideration of family status, where exactly lay the path forward for someone like her, utterly without roots?
The poetry, literary allusions, and ladies' chamber anecdotes Gu Liang and Su Wan discussed belonged to a world she had never entered; the tacit understanding born of shared origins and upbringing was something she could never possess. She remained Gu Liang's most trusted and relied-upon attendant, tending to her daily needs and reminding her of oversights. Yet within Gu Liang's inner world, a realm seemed to be opening up that she could never enter.
Once, while Gu Liang and Su Wan played chess in the pavilion, Emma waited outside as usual. The spring breeze carried fragments of their laughter from within.
"Liang... Your move was truly brilliant. I've lost again."
"Sister Wan was too kind. I remember when you taught me chess at the Su residence—I always cheated back then..."
"Yes, it's been so many years now..."
Emma listened quietly, her gaze fixed on a distant crabapple tree in full bloom, her expression as serene as ever. But when Gu Liang instinctively turned to seek her presence and share his victory, he saw only her bowed silhouette standing in attendance, blending seamlessly with the surrounding scenery. Gu Liang paused mid-sentence, ultimately offering Emma only a smile before turning back.
Emma distinctly felt the lingering gaze and its subsequent withdrawal. She knew the deliberate distance she maintained was working, yet when she truly sensed her exclusion from that ease and intimacy, an indescribable bitterness welled up deep within her.
Su Wan's presence acted like a mirror, reflecting the unbridgeable chasm between her and Gu Liang—not merely that of master and servant, but also the differences in their backgrounds, upbringing, and entire worlds.
She watched the two girls in the pavilion, laughing and chatting, one noble and dignified, the other gentle and refined, like figures in a painting. And she herself remained the silent shadow standing outside the frame, tasked with guarding this very painting.
The spring breeze remained warm, yet Emma felt a chill at her fingertips.
A sharp, isolating sensation pierced the softest part of her heart like fine needles. She recalled the warmth of clinging together in the snow, remembered Gu Liang's gaze that had once relied on her completely. That dependence still existed, yet now it seemed shared among many.
A faint, bitter taste—one she despised even in herself—spread silently through her heart like ink dropped into still water. Then, with fierce rationality, she crushed it and washed it clean. She would not allow herself to wallow in it.
'The old one'... 'Replacement'...
These words swirled in her mind, tinged with a cold, mocking edge. She refused to be a winter garment, easily discarded when replaced. She would become the foundation, the pillar—an irreplaceable, singular presence within this palace, indeed within this entire realm.
A thought ignited within her like a spark in the dark night: What if... what if there were a place where birth mattered not, only talent and ability? What if there were a path where women like her could stand on their own two feet, relying solely on their learning, without needing anyone's favor? How wonderful that would be! Then she would never again feel this taste of being so easily shut out, as she did today.
She knew she must find that path—her own path—as quickly as possible.
Su Wan's arrival at court brought the warmth of a long-awaited reunion, yet it also rippled through Emma's heart like a pebble tossed into water, sending out wave upon wave of reflection about her own situation. On this stage called the palace, the cast was constantly expanding. Where, then, was her place?