Wanyun looked at Yongjia, her tone growing heavy. "No, Yongjia. The one you've wronged isn't me—it's yourself."
Yongjia gazed at the pine tree in the courtyard. "Perhaps. I've never met Sheng Xin. I know he already has a woman he loves, and I know he has two daughters, but I still have to marry him.
"In truth, I've wronged him and your sister even more. Could you let me meet her? I want to tell her that I will never treat her unfairly."
"That won't be necessary," Wanyun said. "My sister couldn't accept being a concubine, not even one with an elevated status."
"Why is that?" Yongjia asked.
Wanyun explained, "When we were little, my sister told me that she would one day find a man completely devoted to her. If a woman can give her heart to one person, why should a man be allowed to love many different women?"
"But look at my Imperial Brother," Yongjia countered. "He will certainly take other concubines in the future. Are you saying you can't accept that either?"
