At the edge of the capital, beneath a waning moon, a messenger collapsed at the city gates—his robes torn, his face bloodied, and a black lotus clutched in his hand.
By dawn, the palace was sealed.
Xuanlong stood in the Hall of Whispered Winds, gazing at the lotus now floating in a silver bowl. Beside it lay a letter written in an elegant yet menacing script:
"To the True Son of Heaven—Come to the Winter Solstice Gathering.Or we shall come to you.—The Black Lotus Society"
It was a challenge. No seal. No courtly address. Just a threat dressed as an invitation.
Meanwhile, Shen lounged in the Plum Blossom Courtyard, receiving updates from his ever-loyal bodyguard Yun Fei. He twirled a jade pendant between his fingers, unconcerned.
"A secret society sends assassins dressed as poets," Shen said, amused. "I must be more popular than I thought."
But Yun Fei didn't laugh. "Three courtiers were poisoned yesterday, Your Highness. Same lotus symbol. And the envoy from Xiling never arrived. His carriage was found burned."
Shen frowned. "They're not just playing games."
Later that evening, the twins met in Xuanlong's hidden study beneath the old armory—a place only they knew. Scrolls, blades, and shadow maps lined the walls. Xuanlong had aged a decade in his silence. The lotus emblem burned in his memory.
"Have you heard of them before?" Shen asked.
Xuanlong nodded. "They once served the former dynasty—before Father's rise. Assassins, spies, saboteurs. Most thought they were wiped out."
Shen's voice dropped. "And now they know we exist."
Xuanlong didn't flinch. "They always knew. They were waiting."
As snow fell over the Golden Palace, preparations for the Winter Solstice Festival began in the open—lanterns, parades, fire dances—but behind the silks and song, palace guards tripled. Poison testers were reinstated. The Imperial Oracle was summoned.
For the first time, the Emperor himself sent no orders.
He merely stared out over the city, fingers tight around his dragon-carved armrest, and whispered, "So even the dead remember…"