The grand throne room was packed with ministers, nobles, and courtiers dressed in their finest robes. Every whisper, every glance, was heavy with anticipation.
At the center, the Empress Dowager sat stiffly, her expression unreadable. To her right knelt the Second Princess, Ji Xinyue, her tear-streaked face the very picture of fragile innocence.
"Imperial Grandmother," Ji Xinyue sobbed, "I have no wish to take my elder sister's place. But the people need stability. Elder Sister… she is weak, she is unfit to rule. I beg you, do not let the throne fall into ruin."
Gasps echoed across the hall. Ministers nodded in agreement, murmuring about Ji Anning's incompetence and delicate health.
At that very moment, the heavy doors creaked open.
Ji Yunxi—now Ji Anning—stepped inside.
The room stilled.
She was dressed in resplendent crimson ceremonial robes, her hair pinned high with phoenix coronet, her posture proud and unyielding. The light from the tall windows poured onto her like a spotlight, highlighting every graceful step she took.
Gone was the frail, pitiful princess everyone expected. Before them stood a woman who carried herself like an empress already crowned.
"Unfit?" Ji Yunxi's voice rang clear, cutting through the whispers like a blade. She strode forward, each step echoing against the marble. "If I am unfit, then tell me—which one of you dares stand more qualified?"
The ministers exchanged uneasy glances.
"Eldest Princess—" one of them began, "Your Highness's health has always been fragile, while the Second Princess—"
Ji Yunxi's cold gaze snapped toward him, and he faltered mid-sentence.
"Fragile?" She lifted her sleeve, revealing flawless, unshaken composure. "Strange, I do not recall being fragile when I was leading scholars in debate, or when I personally quelled the border riots last winter."
The hall fell silent.
A single chuckle broke the tension. Low, rich, and tinged with amusement.
Ji Yunxi turned her gaze—and her heart skipped.
There he was.
Mo Liancheng, dressed in dark blue court robes, a jade crown resting against his obsidian hair. He leaned casually against a pillar, arms crossed, his phoenix eyes watching her with something between curiosity and possessive pride.
"I had heard the Eldest Princess was… delicate," Mo Liancheng drawled lazily, his voice carrying easily across the chamber. "But looking at her now, I'd say the court has been gravely misinformed."
Whispers broke out again, this time tinged with awe.
Ji Xinyue's expression twisted. "Lord Mo! Y-You swore to support me—"
Mo Liancheng's gaze shifted briefly toward her, his smile sharp enough to cut. "Did I? Strange, I don't recall pledging loyalty to anyone but the empire itself." His eyes returned to Ji Yunxi, locking onto hers with quiet intensity. "And from where I stand, the Eldest Princess looks far more deserving."
Ji Yunxi's heart clenched.
Why… why did it feel like he was protecting her, even here?
But she quickly masked her thoughts, turning toward the Empress Dowager with a fearless bow. "Imperial Grandmother, if there are doubts of my strength, let me prove myself before the court. A test, if you will. Should I fail, I will willingly step aside."
The Empress Dowager's eyes gleamed with interest. "And if you succeed?"
Ji Yunxi smiled, cold and regal. "Then let there be no more whispers of replacing me."
The hall erupted with startled gasps. Ministers who had just been calling her weak now avoided her gaze entirely.
For the first time, Ji Xinyue's flawless mask cracked.
And as Ji Yunxi straightened, she caught Mo Liancheng watching her. His lips curved slightly, as if whispering a silent promise—
I'll always stand by you, no matter what role I must play.