One of Concubine Lian's maids could no longer bear it.
For three nights, she had followed her mistress's orders, lips pressed shut even as guilt rotted her stomach. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw XiaoQi's figure collapsing, her hand limp against the floor as if life had drained from her. She smelled the acrid scent of smoke from the burning branches of the maple tree. Every memory gnawed at her conscience until she could no longer sleep.
That night, she rose from her pallet, pale and trembling. Her fellow maids whispered in warning, begged her not to be foolish, but she shook them off. "I would rather die by the Crown Prince's sword than be burned by Heaven's wrath," she whispered, clutching her sleeves as she slipped into the night.
The corridors stretched endlessly, the marble floors cold against her knees when she finally collapsed outside the Crown Prince's residence.
Inside, DongZe had just dismissed Captain Ren with another empty report. His patience was worn thin. No leads, no confessions, no evidence. It was as if the fire and poison had fallen from the sky itself. His temple throbbed with restrained fury, but his voice had remained calm, his composure flawless.
Then the guard at his door announced in a low, urgent tone, "Your Highness, a maid of Concubine Lian begs audience."
DongZe's dark eyes sharpened. "Bring her in."
Before him, a young maid trembled so violently that her silk uniform shook like leaves in a storm. Her hands clutched a small cloth to her lips, knuckles white, tears threatening to spill.
DongZe stopped, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. She was small, almost fragile, yet the weight of her secret pressed down on her like an unseen hand. Bai Hu stiffened beside her, low rumble vibrating from his chest, the unmistakable warning of a predator aware of a trembling prey.
"Speak," DongZe's voice cut through the silence like a blade. He leaned against the carved archway, arms crossed, eyes dark and sharp as obsidian. The glow of the morning sun caught the edges of his robes, making him appear almost otherworldly. "Tell me what you know."
The maid swallowed hard, her lips quivering. "Y-Your Highness... it was... it was me," she stammered, bowing so low her forehead nearly touched the stone. "I—I put poison in the tea. I... I lit the tree on fire. I didn't mean to... I... I couldn't stop her, not while she—while she—" Her words broke into sobs.
Bai Hu let out a low warning growl, tail lashing. DongZe's gaze flicked to the fox spirit, sharp but unreadable. "I asked her," he said softly, but his voice carried enough weight that the maid flinched. "I asked for the truth. You may speak without interruption. Begin again, slowly."
The girl nodded, shivering. Her voice, when it came, was a whisper, almost drowned by her own trembling. "Concubine Lian... she... she said I had to make sure XiaoQi would never sit under the maple tree again. She said she wanted her gone from the palace, to teach her... to teach her humility. She... she told me to poison the tea. She... she wanted the tree burned. I... I obeyed... but when XiaoQi fainted, I... I was scared. I couldn't... I couldn't finish it."
DongZe's jaw tightened, but his expression remained calm, like iron beneath still water. "Why did you not come forward sooner?"
"I was afraid!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "Afraid that... that Concubine Lian would... she... she would kill me if she knew. I—I couldn't... I didn't know what to do."
Bai Hu's ears flattened, and he bared his teeth in warning, but DongZe's hand rested on the girl's shoulder. He did not touch her with anger, only to steady her trembling form.
"Your fear nearly killed XiaoQi," he said, his voice low and measured, yet every word carried ice. "And yet, your confession may have saved her from further harm. You will remain here under guard until I decide your fate. Understand?"
The maid nodded frantically, bowing her head so low it nearly touched the marble. "Y-Yes, Your Highness. I... I understand."
DongZe rose, stepping back. His gaze lifted toward the distant wings of the palace where Lian's quarters lay. He did not speak her name, yet his intent was clear. His fingers flexed at his sides, and a cold tension radiated from him, sharp enough to make the walls of the corridor feel smaller.
Bai Hu padded forward, brushing past the maid to stand between DongZe and the corridor beyond. The fox's golden eyes flickered toward the distant quarters, tail twitching like a drawn bowstring.
DongZe did not remove his gaze. "I will find her," he murmured. His voice was calm, quiet, but it carried the certainty of a storm about to break. "And when I do... she will regret the day she ever thought to harm XiaoQi."
The young maid shivered, not from the cold of the stone floor, but from the weight of what she had just revealed.
***
Concubine Lian's residence glowed with warmth and elegance. Lanterns of pale gold cast soft light across silk curtains that swayed in the night breeze. The air was heavy with the perfume of orchids arranged in tall vases, their fragrance thick enough to cling to the throat. Everything in the room spoke of beauty and refinement, yet beneath the sweetness lingered something stifling, like a hidden rot.
Lian sat gracefully on a low couch, her robe the colour of fresh blood, trimmed with silver embroidery. She held a carved jade fan in her hand, idly flicking it open and shut as if the world around her existed solely for her amusement. When the doors opened and DongZe entered, she looked up, her lips curving into a welcoming smile.
"Your Highness visits so late," she said, her tone lilting, smooth as honey. "To what do I owe such honour? Surely not to ask after me? I hear your little flower in the West Residence suffered greatly today. Such a pity."
DongZe did not return the smile. His presence seemed to smother the perfumed air, heavy and sharp like a blade pressed against the skin. His eyes fixed on her without a flicker, as still and cutting as frozen steel.
"You sound almost delighted, Concubine Lian." His voice was quiet, but each syllable landed with precision.
She lowered her gaze, feigning demureness. "Delighted? Of course not. I am only saddened by the misfortunes that seem to follow her. Some lives are simply not blessed, Your Highness."
DongZe stepped farther into the chamber. Guards who had escorted him stopped at the threshold, leaving the two alone. His shadow fell across the polished floor, long and dark, stretching until it nearly touched the hem of her crimson robe.
"Poison in her tea," he said softly, almost conversationally. "Flames consuming the only place she called her own. Misfortune, as you call it, rarely arrives twice in one day. Unless someone guides it there."
The fan in Lian's hand stilled. A single beat of silence passed before she raised it to her lips, hiding a small, brittle laugh. "Your words wound me, Your Highness. How could I, a woman bound by palace walls, command such chaos? If you accuse me, surely you have proof?"
"Proof," he repeated, his gaze never shifting. "Proof is always within reach. The truth bleeds through, no matter how carefully one binds it."
His words sank into the room like stones into deep water, pulling the air heavier with them. Lian's fingers tightened on her fan until the delicate ribs threatened to snap. Still, she kept her smile fixed.
"You play with shadows, Your Highness," she said lightly. "But shadows can mislead even the keenest hunter. Perhaps I should remind you that, on the night of this tragedy, I was in His Majesty's presence. We spoke until the candles burned low. He himself can attest to this. Would you suggest the Emperor's memory falters?"
The mention of the Emperor was not just defence but challenge. Her eyes gleamed as she raised her chin, daring him to push further.
DongZe's expression did not falter. His lips curved faintly, though the smile was colder than frost. "An alibi polished to perfection. Convenient, is it not?"
Her fan snapped shut with a sharp click. "Do you doubt His Majesty? Or only me?"
"I doubt those who hide venom beneath painted smiles." His voice was soft, but it carried the weight of a blade unsheathed. He leaned closer, and for a moment his shadow enveloped her completely. "Be careful, Concubine. Candlelight may protect you now, but when it burns away, what will remain?"
The question lingered in the silence between them, heavy and suffocating. Lian's throat tightened, though she forced a small laugh past her lips.
"Your Highness flatters me with such attention. But truly, you waste your efforts. The palace is vast, full of rivals. Perhaps your precious XiaoQi simply tripped over her own innocence."
DongZe's eyes narrowed, but he straightened, giving her no more than a cool, unreadable stare. "You speak as though you know her well."
"I know enough," she murmured. Her smile was a serpent's curve, elegant and poisonous.
He held her gaze one heartbeat longer before turning on his heel. His footsteps were unhurried, echoing across the chamber floor until the doors closed behind him.
Only when he was gone did Lian's smile slip. Her hand trembled as she set aside the fan, and the faint half-moons of her nails marked her palm with blood.
He suspects.
But suspicion without proof was useless. She still had her alibi, her position, her beauty.
And if the Crown Prince thought he could corner her, he would soon learn that serpents were most dangerous when threatened.
The faint scent of incense hung heavy in the air, almost suffocating in its sweetness, but DongZe barely noticed. His mind was consumed with a single, searing thought: Lian.
Each step he took toward the Emperor's chambers felt heavier than the last. His boots made a sharp, deliberate sound against the marble, echoing like the beat of a drum that marked the approach of a storm. Ministers bowed as he passed, their whispers rising and falling like currents, but he ignored them. His jaw was tight, hands clenched at his sides. The fury simmering within him pressed against every restraint he had been taught to observe in court.
XiaoQi's pale, trembling face haunted him. Her soft cough from the poison, the blackened ruins of the maple tree, the faint smoke still lingering in his memory—all of it burned hotter than any fire in the palace. Whoever had dared touch her had crossed a line. Whoever had caused her harm would answer for it.
By the time he reached the grand doors of the Emperor's private chambers, the storm inside him had become a tempest restrained only by control. The guards bowed deeply and opened the doors, their eyes wide, sensing the weight of his presence. He entered, and the doors closed behind him with a soft, ominous thud that made the air in the room seem suddenly thicker.
The Emperor looked up from a spread of papers on the carved teak desk, his expression calm, but curiosity flickering in his eyes. "DongZe, what brings you here at this hour?"
DongZe's dark gaze pinned him like a spear. His voice was low, controlled, every word carrying the weight of restrained fury. "Father, I must speak plainly. Concubine Lian. Has she overstepped her bounds? Has she acted against Lady Chen?"
The Emperor blinked, momentarily startled. "Overstepped? Against XiaoQi? I am not aware of anything of the sort."
DongZe's fists curled at his sides. The muscles along his jaw ticked, a quiet tension that masked the storm within. "She poisoned her. She set fire to the West Residence. She tried to kill her. And I know she has the means to do it again."
The Emperor's hand froze over his parchment. "DongZe, these are serious allegations. Evidence is required. You must not speak recklessly—"
DongZe leaned closer, letting the faintest tremor of rage in his posture ripple through the room. His shadow stretched across the floor, long and dark, as though it could swallow the Emperor whole. "I have witnesses. One of her own maids has confessed to carrying out her orders. Do you not remember her nature, Father? Do you not see what she is capable of?"
The Emperor's eyes flickered with unease, but he raised his chin in measured authority. "Even so, you must temper your fury with reason. Accusations without proof against someone under my protection could destabilize the court."
DongZe's jaw tightened, but his voice remained low, cold, and sharp. "Do you wish to see chaos? Do you wish for her death while you deliberate? I will act if you do not. She will not harm another step against her target without consequence."
A silence fell over the chamber, thick and oppressive. Candlelight flickered across carved panels, stretching shadows long across the floor. The Emperor pressed his lips into a thin line, calculating, weighing, deciding.
Finally, he spoke. "I will consider the matter. But remember, DongZe, even your wrath must be guided by caution. One wrong move can destroy everything you hold dear."
DongZe's dark eyes narrowed, the storm within him barely restrained. "I understand. But do not mistake my patience for weakness. She has crossed a line. I will not forget it."
The Emperor nodded slowly, unease flickering across his composed face. "Very well. I will watch her closely."
DongZe inclined his head, then turned sharply. His footsteps echoed down the corridor, long and deliberate, each one carrying the weight of silent fury. The storm had not passed. It had only shifted, gathering strength. Lian had survived this round, but he would see the hunt through. He would strike.
Outside, the moon hung pale and indifferent. It could not illuminate the fire burning in the Crown Prince's chest.
He would not rest until the serpent who had dared to threaten XiaoQi paid.
The corridors of the West Residence were unusually silent, as if the palace itself held its breath. DongZe's boots made no sound on the thick carpets, yet every step carried the weight of his fury. The confrontation with his father had left a fire simmering beneath his skin. He had restrained himself before the Emperor, but now, as he neared XiaoQi's room, that fire threatened to consume him entirely.
Inside her chamber, lantern light flickered softly across delicate silk curtains. The faint aroma of herbs and medicinal ointments hung in the air, mingling with the lingering scent of incense. She lay in the centre of the bed, pale and fragile, hair splayed like ink across the pillow. Even in her weakened state, she exuded a quiet strength that made his chest tighten.
He knelt beside her bed, careful not to disturb the blankets, and brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead. The touch, so gentle, contrasted sharply with the cold precision he had wielded against Concubine Lian. His pulse raced, every heartbeat a reminder of how close she had come to danger.
XiaoQi stirred slightly, her lips parting in a soft, uncertain sigh. He pressed a hand to her wrist, feeling the flutter of her pulse beneath his fingers. Relief surged through him, mingling with a tidal wave of fear and anger he could no longer restrain.
"XiaoQi," he murmured, voice low and ragged. "Stay with me. Please, do not leave me now."
Her eyelashes fluttered, and her dark eyes slowly opened, clouded with sleep and confusion. "DongZe?" she whispered, her voice hoarse and fragile.
He gripped her hand, his knuckles whitening. "Yes, it's me. I am here. You are safe now, but I—I cannot hide it anymore." His throat tightened, the carefully maintained composure of the court shattered. "I was so afraid. So afraid that you might—"
She blinked, then moved instinctively. Her trembling arms wrapped around him, pressing herself against his chest. Her forehead rested against him, her breath warm and uneven against his skin.
The effect on him was instantaneous. The carefully maintained storm of icy composure, the predator's control he had wielded in the palace, shattered completely. His body stiffened as he froze for a heartbeat, stunned by the weight of her trust. Then he closed his eyes and allowed himself to hold her, to feel the relief that crashed through him like a tidal wave.
"You are here," she whispered into his chest, her voice fragile but unwavering. "Please, do not leave me. I need you here."