Morning light poured over the rice fields, gilding every stalk with soft gold.Ran was helping Chen bundle the last sheaves of harvested paddy, while Fei sat on the edge of the stream, her toes wiggling in the cold water.Achu, carrying a basket of herbs, paused when a hawk's cry broke the stillness.
The bird swooped low, a glint of crimson silk tied to its leg.Her heart sank even before she untied the seal.
The royal insignia of the Zhuang Empire — a phoenix and dragon intertwined.The wax shimmered faintly with old spiritual power.
Achu unfolded the parchment slowly.The handwriting was elegant, cold, and painfully familiar.
"To Lady Achu of Anning Village,
By decree of the Empress, you are invited to attend the Celestial Birthday Banquet at the Imperial Palace this coming full moon.
The Empress herself wishes to see the beloved daughter she has missed for six years. Furthermore, your promised return upon reaching marriageable age is now due. The court eagerly awaits your presence — and your decision."
Signed, High Steward Wen, on behalf of Her Majesty the Empress."
For a long moment, only the wind answered.
The Weight of Return
Lin found her still standing in the field, the letter trembling between her fingers."What is it?" he asked, though the seal already told him everything.
"The Empress's birthday," Achu said quietly. "And my reminder that I'm no longer a child hiding in the countryside."
She laughed softly, but it was a hollow sound."I promised my mother I'd return when I turned eighteen. I thought I'd find peace before that day came."
Lin looked at her, eyes shadowed."You knew this would happen. They wouldn't forget someone like you."
"No," she murmured. "They never forget what they think they own."
Village Preparations
That night, the family sat around the low wooden table.The air smelled of fresh rice and the faint sweetness of roasted barley.Fei played with a spoon, tapping it against her bowl in rhythm.
"Mom, are we going somewhere?" Ran asked carefully.
Achu nodded. "To the capital. For a few days. It's… a royal matter."
Chen frowned. "But what about the scouts? The Order?"
"I've already made the wards strong enough to hold for a moon's cycle," she said calmly. "The land will watch over you."
Lin studied her face in silence.He could see the composure — and the storm behind it.
At dawn, Achu packed lightly: only her medicine satchel, a simple robe of pale green, and a thin dagger hidden in her sleeve.Lin insisted on accompanying her; the children, too young to be left alone, would stay under the care of the village elders.
Before leaving, Achu knelt in the field and pressed her hand to the soil."Watch over them," she whispered. "Let no shadow step inside while I'm gone."
The wind stirred, carrying the scent of mint and sage — a quiet promise.
By evening, the capital shimmered before them — an ocean of gold rooftops and silken banners, the scent of incense thick in the air.The streets buzzed with preparations: lanterns being strung, petals scattered across marble steps, music echoing through the courtyards.
Inside the palace walls, servants whispered Achu's name with awe and fear.The lost princess who lived as a peasant.The Emperor's defiant daughter.The healer who stopped a plague with no alchemy at all.
Lin kept close behind her, his expression unreadable.
At the grand entrance, an attendant bowed low."Lady Achu of Anning, His Majesty and Her Majesty await your arrival."
The Empress
In the throne hall, time itself seemed to slow.The Empress sat high upon the dais, her beauty still flawless, her eyes unreadable.Gold silk cascaded around her like sunlight.
"Achu," she said softly — her voice warm, but too measured. "You've grown."
Achu bowed. "Your Majesty. Mother."
A faint smile. "Six years you've hidden yourself among peasants. Six years we have watched. And now, the empire's daughter finally remembers her duty."
Achu's gaze hardened. "Duty? Or obedience?"
The Empress's smile didn't falter."You made a promise, child. You would return when the time came. That time is now. You are of marriageable age — and the Empire has plans for its healer."
For a heartbeat, the hall was utterly still.Then Achu straightened, her eyes as calm as the still surface of a pond.
"I came as I promised. But I didn't come to be caged again."
As Achu and Lin walked back through the moonlit corridors, musicians began to play the opening song of the celebration.Laughter, perfume, and the glint of wine cups filled the night.Yet beneath it, Achu felt the pulse of something colder — the same quiet current that had followed her since Anning.
"They're moving again," Lin whispered. "The Apothecary Order."
"I know." Her hand brushed against the hidden dagger. "Let them come."
From the highest tower, the Empress watched her go — her smile serene, her thoughts unreadable.
"Run, my little healer," she murmured. "Run as far as you wish. The world still turns by the order I created."
And somewhere beyond the palace walls, the wards of Anning trembled.