Episode 1 – The Fragrance of Ashes

The first thing Lin Xie felt was the weight of silk over his body.

Heavy. Familiar. Wrong.

He opened his eyes slowly, greeted by the canopy of golden drapes and the scent of burning sandalwood—sweet, overwhelming, like a lie disguised as comfort.

For a moment, he thought he was dreaming.

But dreams didn’t come with such vivid hatred.

Not after what happened.

Not after dying with his name torn apart by scandal, his heart was crushed by betrayal… and his only title — the Crown Prince’s official consort — spat on by the very court that once praised him.

He sat up.

The silk robe fell to his waist, and his fingers trembled slightly as he reached for the edge of the bedding. The warmth in his chest wasn't fear. It was rage, curled like a serpent, hissing.

“This room…” he whispered, voice smooth but cold. “I’m… back?”

He knew this chamber. The golden canopy. The peach blossom embroidery. The pillow he cried into when he first heard about the pregnancy scandal.

Lin Xie had died here.

So why was he alive again?

A sharp knock interrupted his thoughts.

“Consort Lin?” a voice called. “Are you awake?”

His eyes narrowed. That voice.

“Enter,” he replied, with none of the softness he once carried.

The door creaked open, and Xu Mian — his most trusted servant — entered with cautious steps, holding a folded robe.

“Thank the heavens!” Xu Mian gasped. “You collapsed yesterday. The physician said it was heatstroke, but I feared—”

Lin Xie cut him off. “What day is it?”

Xu Mian blinked. “Third day of the Blossom Moon… Year of the Gold Serpent.”

Lin Xie froze.

Two months before it all began. Before the palace would be poisoned with rumors of a woman pregnant with the Crown Prince’s child. Before he would be accused. Before he would die.

A smirk tugged at his lips.

He wasn’t just back.

He had time.

“Xu Mian,” he said slowly, “have the red robe prepared. The one with the phoenix embroidery.”

Xu Mian looked startled. “But Your Grace, that robe is reserved for public court appearances—”

“And?” Lin Xie’s violet eyes glinted. “I plan to attend court tomorrow. They’ll be delighted to see a ghost.”

This time, he would not be silent.

This time, he would not fall.

Let the palace shake. Lin Xie had returned — not for forgiveness, not for love…

But for war.

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The palace thought him broken.

The ministers thought him silenced.

The Crown Prince thought he would stay hidden behind brocade curtains and swallowed tears.

They were wrong.

Tomorrow, the consort they buried in rumors walks into court — not with grace, but with venom behind his smile.

Draped in crimson and defiance, Lin Xie won’t just be seen.

He’ll be remembered.

And when eyes fall on him,

they won’t see a victim.

They’ll see the beginning of their end.

“Let them stare. Let them whisper. I want their fear to taste like wine.”

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