On the third day after Xue Liulan left, news spread from the palace: the Emperor had been struck by a sudden illness. According to Little Dingzi, the Emperor's legs had simply stopped working. The entire Imperial Medical Academy had been summoned, but not a single one of them could determine the cause.
When Little Dingzi reported this, Murong Jin was visibly surprised. She had heard the witchcraft was powerful, but she had never expected it to be so effective.
On the fifth day of the illness, new word came: the source of the sickness had been found.
"Oh? And who found it?" Murong Jin asked, setting down her chopsticks.
"Eunuch Guo. He brought in a Taoist priest who saw through the witchcraft. They found a small effigy hidden inside the coral tree from the Seventh Prince." Little Dingzi stole a glance at her. His gut told him this had his princess's fingerprints all over it.
Murong Jin nodded, just as she'd expected. Guo Shangzhong was clever. He had connected her question about the coral tree to the Emperor's illness and, without missing a beat, had pushed the blame onto Xue Feiyan.
"Did he find out where the effigy came from?"
"I heard that when he presented it, the Emperor flew into a rage and ordered the Seventh Prince thrown into the heavenly prison." Little Dingzi was confused. "The reports didn't say why he connected it to the Seventh Prince."
The Emperor had seen the handwriting on the talisman, a perfect match for Xue Feiyan's. The connection was instant. The heavenly prison was a light sentence. If not for the fact that a tiger doesn't eat its own young, Xue Feiyan's head would already be off his shoulders.
Murong Jin smiled and slowly picked up her chopsticks. "You should go eat, too."
"Yes." He was about to leave when she called him back.
"Have them clean the main chambers. By my calculations, it's about time for Xue Liulan to come home," she said, her casual tone not quite hiding the joy in her eyes.
"What?" Little Dingzi stared. How does she know?
"What are you waiting for?"
He scurried away. Murong Jin took a slow, thoughtful bite of her food.
She walked to Yumen Jiao in the warm afternoon sun.
The private room on the second floor was hers now; Xing had left permanent orders.
She had just sat down when a knock came. Before she could answer, the door opened. A figure in fine brocade stood there, a smile on her lips.
"Xing! You're back!" Murong Jin rushed to greet her.
"There's trouble in the capital, and it involves your husband. How could I not come?" Xing said, closing the door and pulling her down to sit. "I heard the Seventh Prince is in prison."
"He is." Murong Jin nodded, pleased. "With him implicated, it won't be long before Xue Liulan is released."
"A fine general indeed. First on the battlefield, and now in the court." Xing gave her a mock salute. "I am truly impressed."
"Don't start." Murong Jin took her hand. "I heard the Yang patriarch was ill. Is it serious?"
"Just a pretext. He needed to summon all three of us 'sons' back to discuss family business."
Murong Jin relaxed.
The door opened a crack. A figure slipped inside and quickly shut it.
"Liu, it's been too long," Xing said, looking him up and down. "Has Jin been starving you? You're a shadow of your former self."
"Only you would notice," Murong Jin teased.
Xing blushed and turned away to sip her tea.
Murong Jin and Liu exchanged a smile and sat.
"Liu, what did you find out?"
"With the Seventh Prince in prison, his case has been handed over to the new Minister of Justice, Li Yan."
"Li Yan." She thought for a moment. "He's one of Xue Feiyan's men. If his master is truly threatened, he'll have to cough up whatever leverage he thought he had on Xue Liulan."
Liu smiled. "Of course. But, Jin, I am curious how you managed it."
"The witchcraft?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. There were no secrets between them.
He nodded. Even Xing looked intrigued.
"It was a trade Xue Liulan made with Gongzi Suyi of Yin. The box was from him."
"Gongzi Suyi? How does he have access to the lost arts of the ritualist clan?" Xing wondered. "I thought they were all banished when the dynasty was founded."
"I don't know. But a man who can produce something like that is not a simple character."
"What did Xue Liulan trade for it?" Liu asked. "A man like Gongzi Suyi doesn't make bad deals."
Murong Jin hesitated. "Half of my military command."
"What?" Liu's voice cracked. "Half your command? That's one of the dynasty's eight core armies!"
Even Xing was stunned. A general's command was their life.
"I know," Murong Jin said calmly.
Liu took a breath. "Does your father know?"
"Not yet. It's better to tell him after the Tiger Seal has been delivered."
"You haven't given it to him?"
"No. The witchcraft still requires an antidote. After this is settled, I will take the seal to Yin and trade it for the cure."
A flawless plan. Xing relaxed, but Liu was still frowning.
"What is it?" Xing asked.
"If the witchcraft is that effective," Liu said in a low voice, "why not just let the Emperor die and seize the throne?"
A chill went through the room. They both knew the Emperor was responsible for the massacre of Liu's family.
"Xue Liulan's foundation isn't stable. Guo Shangzhong isn't a true ally. If the Emperor dies now, it would be chaos. He wouldn't have a clear mandate, and the other vassal lords would see it as an opportunity," Murong Jin explained, though she knew Liu understood the risks.
He just listened, his face a mask. Finally, he smiled. "Step by step, securing his base. We all underestimated that useless prince." He looked at her, his expression serious. "You're giving him your army now to help him. What happens after he wins? Jin, without that army, if he decides to cull his allies, what will the Murong family do?"
She paused. "My father still has three armies. He wouldn't dare. Besides, to slaughter his most loyal subjects right after his ascension? He would lose the support of the people."
"And he still needs your family to counterbalance Guo Shangzhong," Xing added.
Liu shook his head. "I suspect Xue Liulan has already planned for that." He smiled, but it was a cold smile. "But perhaps I'm overthinking. He is your husband. He wouldn't be so ruthless as to destroy his own wife's family. Would he?"
Murong Jin just smiled and said nothing. But she knew Liu was right to be worried. Xue Liulan had promised he wouldn't harm her family. But after everything she had seen, she knew that in the face of absolute power, even love could be forgotten.