The sound of footsteps echoed first.
Measured. Unhurried. Heavy with authority.
Every concubine instinctively straightened when the Dowager Empress entered the courtyard.
She arrived flanked by six senior maids, their steps perfectly synchronized. Each maid carried an item in her arms—carefully wrapped, deliberately displayed. One held a rolled crochet pattern stitched in fine silk thread. Another carried a lacquered box filled with paint brushes and pigments. A third bore a small guqin, polished and elegant. Others held folded embroidery frames, pottery molds, and scrolls of calligraphy.
The message was unmistakable.
This was not a casual summons.
This was an announcement.
The Dowager Empress seated herself slowly, her expression composed, her gaze sweeping across the gathered women like a blade passing over silk.
No one dared to speak.
