Songs of Insurrection by JC Kang EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
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- Author: JC Kang
- Language: English
- Genre: Asian Myth & Legend eBooks
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2 MB
- Price: Free
Not-So-Chance Meetings
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If marriage were a woman’s grave, as the proverb claimed, sixteenyear-old Kaiya suspected the emperor was arranging her funeral. Entourage
in tow, she shuffled through the castle halls toward the garden where
General Lu waited. Given his notorious dislike of the arts, the selfproclaimed Guardian Dragon of Cathay had undoubtedly envisioned a
different kind of audition when he requested to hear her sing.
After all, she was dressed like a potential bride.
She buried a snort. The Guardian Dragon—such a pretentious
nickname. The only real dragon, Avarax, who lorded over some faraway
land, might make for a more appealing audience. A quick trip down his
gullet would spare her a slow death in a marriage with neither love nor
music.
And she wouldn’t have to wear this gaudy dress. It compensated for
her numerous physical imperfections, but stifled the only thing that made
her special. How was she supposed to sing with the inner robe and gold
sash squeezing her chest, in a futile attempt to misrepresent her woefully
underdeveloped curves? The tight fold of the skirts concealed her lanky
legs, but forced a deliberate pace. At least the short stride delayed the
inevitable, while preventing her unsightly feet from tripping on the hanging
sleeves of the vermilion outer gown.
At her side, Crown Princess Xiulan glided across the chirping
floorboards. Kaiya suppressed a sigh. If only she could move with the
nonchalant grace of her sister-in-law, or even the six handmaidens trailing
them. She dug her nails into clammy palms. Through this choreographed
farce, appearances had to be maintained, lest she embarrass her father, the
Tianzi.
Chin up, back straight. A racing heart threatened to ruin her already
meager semblance of imperial grace. Eyes forward. Servants knelt on either
side of the looming double doors, ready to slide them open. She forced a
smile, with her best approximation of feminine charm. If only she’d lived
before Dragon Songs had faded into legend, she could’ve sent the realm’s
victorious hero fleeing with the song he supposedly wanted to hear.
An aging palace official stepped into her line of sight.
Singular focus on the doors broken, she blinked. Her fluttering
pulse lurched to a stop as she blew out a breath.
His blue robes ruffled as he tottered forward with averted eyes and
a bobbing head. He creaked down into a bow. “Emergency, Dian-xia,” he
said, using the formal address for her rank. “The Tianzi commands you to
greet a foreign delegation in the Hall of Bountiful Harvests.”
Her heart remembered to beat again, and she looked first toward the
doors and then down at the man, whose insignias marked him as a secretary
for the Ministry of Appointments. Outlandish excuses had mercifully cut
short each of her previous meetings with eligible young lords: six times in
all.
But a foreign delegation? Before even meeting the suitor? That was
a first. Her expression slipped as much as it could beneath the layers of
pearl powder caked to her face. Mouth dry, her voice came out hoarse.
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