Feathers of Vengeance
In the winter of the 27th year of the Southern Dynasty, Shang Que, the disgraced daughter of the Prime Minister’s household who had feigned madness for ten years, suddenly regained her senses during the imperial consort selection. With a mesmerizing display of butterflies, she captivated the court and secured her place in the palace—revealing that her entire ordeal had been part of an elaborate scheme. A decade earlier, Shang Que and her mother, Concubine Jiang, endured humiliation under the cruelty of the Prime Minister’s wife, who despised Jiang for her beauty and lowly origins as a dancer. When the Prime Minister’s wife sought to eliminate them, Shang Feng, the legitimate eldest daughter, intervened—only to deceive Jiang into teaching her the legendary "Feather-Skirt Dance." Once she mastered it, she shattered Jiang’s legs and beat her to death before Shang Que’s eyes. From that day on, Shang Que survived by pretending to be mad, even using her act to accompany Shang Feng into the imperial selection. On the eve of the selection, the Prime Minister’s wife forced Shang Que to consume her mother’s ashes to test her sanity—only hardening Shang Que’s resolve for vengeance. I
