Early morning. Xue Liulan sat alone in his bedchamber, staring into space, sighing.
Murong Jin had been back for three days. Whether he visited Zhaoyang Palace with pomp and circumstance during the day, or scaled the walls at night, she ignored him. She looked right through him.
"Your Majesty." Little Dingzi whispered, creeping in.
"What?" Xue Liulan snapped. "This better be important."
"It's time for court." Little Dingzi braced himself.
Xue Liulan glanced at the sun, then stood and stretched. "Bring my robes."
Little Dingzi exhaled, relieved, and signaled the servants.
"Little Dingzi, what is she trying to do?" Xue Liulan asked, half to himself.
"Huh?"
"Never mind. Let's go." He waved his hand and strode out. He would settle things with her after court.
Three cracks of the whip. Xue Liulan sat on the Dragon Throne. Guo Shangzhong stood beside him, looking relaxed.
"If there is business, present it," Little Dingzi announced.
"Your Majesty, this subject has a petition." Minister Chen of the Court of the Imperial Clan knelt.
Xue Liulan looked up, a bad feeling settling in his gut. The Court of the Imperial Clan was firmly in Guo Shangzhong's pocket.
"Present it."
Little Dingzi brought the memorial up. Xue Liulan opened it. He didn't smile. He stared at the characters, silence filling the hall.
Little Dingzi peeked at the Emperor. His face was calm, but his jaw was tight. He looked ready to kill.
"Minister Chen, what is the meaning of this?" Xue Liulan set the paper down, his gaze piercing.
"Empress Murong violated ancestral law by leaving the palace without permission. Upon her return, she used weapons within the inner court and maintains close contact with the Fourth Prince."
"Shut up!" Xue Liulan slammed his hand on the table and stood, walking down the steps to tower over the kneeling minister. "Slandering the Empress. Do you know the penalty?"
"It is not slander. There is no wind without holes. If she were innocent, there would be no rumors."
"Oh? So rumors are proof now?" Xue Liulan gritted his teeth. It was clearly a setup, but he had no evidence to clear her.
"I am the head of the Clan Court. I must uphold the law."
Xue Liulan laughed coldly, crouching down to look him in the eye. "This is my family business. Aren't you overstepping?"
"The Imperial Family has no private affairs."
Xue Liulan's eyes narrowed. "Loyal indeed. So, Minister Chen, what punishment do you propose for the Empress?"
"She should be deposed and sent to the Cold Palace. However, given she has birthed a prince, the sentence could be lightened."
"Mm. You know mercy." Xue Liulan stood, glancing at the silent Guo Shangzhong. "And your suggestion?"
"Confinement in Zhaoyang Palace to reflect on her sins," Chen said loudly.
"I disagree." Li Yan stepped out and knelt.
Xue Liulan rubbed his nose. "Minister Li?"
"First, the Empress left to save the people of Wuchuan. She is a general of the dynasty. This was her duty."
Xue Liulan raised an eyebrow. Good man. Turning a crime into a merit.
"Second, the Fourth Prince escorting her back shows brotherly love. Your Majesty could not leave the capital, so you entrusted your wife to your brother. It is proper." Li Yan's voice rose with righteous passion.
"Third, Minister Chen says the Imperial Family has no private affairs. Then tell me, should the Emperor bring the choice of which hairpin to gift the Empress to the court for debate?"
"Insolence!" Chen shouted. "You mock the Emperor!"
"Actually, Li Yan reminds me," Xue Liulan said, pacing thoughtfully. He stopped in front of Chen. "Minister Chen, should I give her a gold hairpin or a jade one?"
Li Yan choked back a laugh.
"This… Your Majesty…" Chen stammered.
"Don't be shy. Speak your mind." Xue Liulan patted his shoulder.
Chen twitched. "I… I think the Empress wouldn't like either."
"Why?" Xue Liulan sat back on his throne, tapping the armrest.
"The Empress is a hero, a warrior. How could she care for such trifles?"
Xue Liulan smiled faintly. So, only I know the real Murong Jin.
She could pick the perfect rouge. She smiled at Yinghong. She threw tantrums. She got jealous. She was just a woman who wanted her husband's love.
"Enough. That's all for today." He was impatient. He wanted to see her. He wanted to hold her and tell her that she was the only thing that mattered.
"We bid farewell to the Emperor." The officials knelt.
"Wait!" A sharp female voice cut through the hall.
Everyone turned. A woman in bright robes stood at the entrance. Her smile was cold, her eyes fixed on the Emperor.
Xue Liulan stood, his smile vanishing.
"Consort Die?" Li Yan bowed, confused. Die Man had been out of favor since the ascension.
"Die Man, the court is no place for a woman." Xue Liulan's voice was calm, but his fist clenched behind his back.
"Your Majesty, I know. But I have something to say." She curtsied gracefully.
"What is it?"
"Your Majesty, how did you get that wound on your chest?" She stepped forward, her voice ringing out.
"The Emperor is injured?" The ministers gasped.
Xue Liulan's hand flew to his chest. A sudden, stabbing pain made the world spin.
"Your Majesty!" Little Dingzi caught him.
Xue Liulan waved him off, taking a deep breath.
"The Emperor is hurt because of our Empress," Die Man announced. She hadn't expected him to be this weak, but she hid her concern behind a mask of ice.
"What does Consort Die mean?" Minister Chen asked eagerly.
"The wound on his chest was made by the Empress. Murong Jin attempted regicide. The Emperor, in his mercy, did not pursue it. But I cannot stand by and watch." She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.
"Such a shrew cannot be Empress!" Chen shouted. The others murmured in agreement.
Li Yan frowned. Before he could speak, a sound pierced the air.
Clear. High. Desolate. Like the cry of a lone goose separated from the flock.
It was a whistle.
"Murong Jin." Xue Liulan shoved Little Dingzi aside and sprinted from the hall.
It was the whistle he had given her. The Clear Sound Whistle.
She would never blow it with such weak, desperate breath unless she was at the end of her rope.