Chapter 11 – Shadows Within the Palace
The morning light filtered weakly through jade-green silk curtains, casting long fingers of pale gold across the lacquered floor.
Zhao Wenzhi stood by the window, arms crossed, gaze sharp and restless. The betrayal inside his own palace burned hotter than any flame outside.
Yanyue watched him quietly, the weight of unspoken truths heavy between them.
"The assassins had to have help," Zhao said finally, voice low. "No one could have found you without a guide."
Her throat tightened. She had thought the traitor might be Consort Liang—too obvious, too cruel to overlook. But the way the masked intruders had moved… they had knowledge of the Inner Palace's secret passages, its silent guards, its hidden doors.
"Someone trusted," she whispered.
"Or someone desperate," Zhao added grimly.
A list of suspects had already been compiled by the Chief Eunuch. Names of maids, eunuchs, even minor nobles who had access to sensitive areas.
But Yanyue's mind returned again and again to a face she had seen in the shadows. A loyal servant to the Chancellor, yes—but also someone who had watched her too closely, with eyes that didn't hide disdain.
Could it be the Chief Eunuch Meng?
That evening, under the veil of dusk, Zhao summoned Meng to the study.
The eunuch entered with a practiced bow, but his eyes flickered with something unreadable.
"You requested to see me, Your Majesty?"
Zhao's gaze bore into him. "I have reason to believe there is a traitor among us. Someone feeding information to the Black Lotus Sect."
Meng's lips twitched, but he said nothing.
"You will answer truthfully. Have you had contact with anyone outside the palace? Anyone suspicious?"
The eunuch's mask cracked for a heartbeat—a flicker of fear?—before he bowed again. "No, Your Majesty. I serve only the Emperor."
Yanyue stood just beyond the doorway, silent as a shadow. The man's answer left a sour taste in her mouth.
She had seen him whisper to a messenger the night of the fire. And his hesitation now was a crack in the facade.
Could she confront him? Would Zhao believe her?
Zhao's voice was steel. "If I catch you lying, the punishment will be severe."
Meng inclined his head. "Understood."
As the eunuch left, Yanyue met Zhao's eyes.
"He's hiding something."
His gaze was thoughtful, troubled. "We will watch him. But be careful, Fenghua. The enemy is closer than we think."
Cliffhanger:
That night, hidden beneath the moonlight, a pair of hands folded a new letter—sealed with the black lotus insignia.
The Phoenix draws near. The final game begins.