The night of the Empress's celebration arrived with blinding splendor.Moonlight spilled across the jade courtyards, where thousands of lanterns floated like captive stars.Silk banners in gold and crimson waved in the breeze, each embroidered with the phoenix crest of the Zhuang Empire.Musicians plucked strings in perfect rhythm; dancers in gauzy veils twirled like petals across the marble floor.
From every corner of the empire, nobles had come — generals, scholars, merchants, sect envoys — their laughter soft and practiced.Perfume and politics mingled in the air.
At the center of it all sat Empress Chao Liyue, her crown a constellation of pearls and flame gems.Her smile gleamed beneath the torchlight — poised, eternal, and terrifying.
The Return of the Healer
When Achu entered the hall, every murmur faltered.Gone was the plain peasant garb; tonight she wore pale silk threaded with silver leaves — simple, yet radiant in its honesty.Her hair, tied with a single wooden pin, swayed as she walked.
Lin followed a few paces behind, dressed in black formal robes.He moved like a shadow — silent, unobtrusive, yet his eyes missed nothing.
"Lady Achu of Anning," the herald announced.The words rippled through the hall like wind through tall grass.
Achu bowed gracefully before the dais."Your Majesty."
The Empress's gaze softened, her tone motherly — too motherly."My dear child… how long it's been. You've kept yourself hidden from your family far too long."
Achu smiled faintly. "Peace was easier to find away from gold walls."
Polite laughter followed, though a few nobles stiffened at her boldness.
When the musicians paused and the torches dimmed, the Empress rose.Her gown swept the floor like liquid fire as she lifted her cup of wine.
"Tonight," she began, her voice echoing through the hall, "we celebrate not only another year of prosperity under Heaven's Mandate — but also the return of my beloved daughter, Lady Achu."
Polite applause filled the room, though curiosity sparked in every eye.
"She has lived humbly, yet the heavens have not diminished her worth.And now, as the moon marks her coming of age, I am honored to announce her betrothal."
A hush descended.
"To General Liang Xu, heir to the northern army and guardian of our borders.Their union will bind strength and wisdom — steel and healing — for the glory of Zhuang."
The guests erupted into astonished whispers.
Achu's smile froze, the wine glass in her hand still untouched.Lin's jaw tightened; his eyes flickered toward the dais where several cloaked figures stood among the courtiers — too still, too quiet.
The Apothecary Order.
"Your Majesty," Achu said softly, every word measured. "You honor me too greatly. Yet I am no longer the girl who can be promised without consent."
The Empress's eyes glinted — pride, or warning. "Consent is a formality, my daughter. Duty outweighs desire."
Achu lowered her gaze. "Then may I offer my duty in a different form — one that serves the empire, not its bloodlines."
Before the Empress could answer, a slender man stepped forward from the shadows — his face calm, his robe marked subtly with the alchemist's sigil.
"Lady Achu speaks with wisdom," he said, voice smooth as oil. "Perhaps the Empress might let her demonstrate the art that saved our lands."
Lin stiffened instantly.That voice. He recognized it — Elder Ming, one of the surviving heads of the Apothecary Order.
The Empress smiled as if unaware of the quiet venom in the exchange."Very well," she said. "A display, then. To remind us all what true grace looks like."
Servants hurried to bring a bowl of clear water, set upon a jade stand.Elder Ming handed Achu a small silver needle."Purify it," he said softly. "As you once did with the sickness."
Achu looked down at the water — still, gleaming — and smiled faintly.With a flick of her fingers, a single leaf of sage appeared between them, glowing faintly.She let it fall. The surface rippled once, then turned milky white — and within moments, the needle sank, corroded to dust.
Gasps spread through the hall.But Achu didn't look pleased.Her eyes had already found the faint swirl of black mist rising from the water's edge — poison.
"Interesting choice of metal," she said softly. "You wanted to see whether I'd expose the rot or ignore it."
Elder Ming's smile didn't reach his eyes."And you have not disappointed us, Lady Achu."
As the music resumed and courtiers returned to their feigned laughter, Lin moved close to her."They're probing you," he murmured. "To see if your power still answers their call."
Achu's fingers brushed the stem of her cup."They'll get their answer soon enough."
Across the hall, the Empress raised her cup again — and this time, Achu saw it clearly: the Apothecary's mark faintly etched on the inside of the glass.
Her mother's eyes met hers across the distance.Not warmth. Not cruelty.Something colder — intent.
Later that night, when the banquet lights dimmed and the guests began to drift away, Achu stood alone on the veranda overlooking the lotus pond.The moon's reflection rippled against the water — calm, deceptive.
Lin stepped beside her. "They won't let you leave easily."
"I know," she said. "But I'm not here to flee this time."
"What are you planning?"
Achu's reflection smiled faintly, though her eyes stayed sharp."I came to return what they lost — and take back what they stole."
Behind them, hidden in the shadows of the hall, Elder Ming whispered to another robed figure:"She's stronger than before. But strength fades when heartstrings are pulled."
From somewhere deeper in the palace, the Empress's voice floated through the corridor — light, amused, unyielding.
"Let her dance a little longer. The cure belongs to the crown — and so does she."
And in the courtyard below, the lotus petals began to turn white.