The morning mist had not yet lifted over the Inner Court when the first bell of Shoukang Palace rang.Its tone was soft, but it rippled through the air like the echo of a prayer.
Inside, a fragrance of sandalwood and crushed ginseng drifted through the halls. The curtains were half drawn, veiling the sunlight in threads of gold. Behind them sat Empress Shen, her posture straight, her face pale but calm, as she watched over the pale figure lying upon the silk couch before her.
The Crown Prince Yong Qi, her son slept uneasily. His breathing came shallow and quick, his skin too white for one of his age. A faint sheen of sweat clung to his forehead, and the hand that rested upon the jade pillow trembled faintly even in sleep.
The Empress hand hovered over his chest for a long moment before she drew back.
"The physician said the pulse has weakened again," murmured her chief attendant, Eunuch Han, bowing low.
Her voice, when it came, was steady.
"Send word to the Alchemy Hall. Have them prepare another draught of Snow Ginseng and Lingzhi. If that fails, we will call the Imperial Seers."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
When he left, she reached for the boy's wrist once more. His pulse fluttered weakly beneath her fingers, like a bird caught in a storm.
Her heart ached, but her gaze remained serene.
"Yong Qi," she whispered, "you must not fall ill now… The empire still needs you."
The faint rustle of silk broke her silence.
A maid approached, kneeling gracefully.
"Your Majesty, Royal Consort Mei Lan requests an audience."
The Empress's eyes narrowed slightly. "At this hour?"
"She insists it is urgent."
After a pause, the Empress set down her prayer beads. "Let her in."
---
The doors opened, and Royal Consort Mei Lan swept into the room like the scent of peonies after rain.
She was radiant her beauty had not dimmed with time but deepened like fine wine. Her gown was a cascade of rose gold silk embroidered with cranes and clouds, the sleeves lined with pale jade satin. Around her neck gleamed a pendant of white jade carved in the shape of a lotus, and her hair, coiled high pin with exclusive jade and gold hairpin like a flower opening it petal glittered with dangling pearl tassels that swayed with every step. A bracelet of golden bangles chimed faintly on her wrist.
"Your Majesty," she said sweetly, lowering by putting her two hands by her side of and squats then she said l hurried here as soon as I heard His Highness had taken ill again."
Empress Shen regarded her with cool eyes. "You are most considerate, Mei Lan."
"I would be unworthy of my position if I did not worry," she replied, voice laced with delicate sorrow. "The Crown Prince's health concerns the entire empire."
The Empress motioned to the seat opposite her. "Then sit. Speak plainly, as a mother should."
Royal consort Mei Lan obeyed, but her gaze drifted not toward the Empress, but to the frail boy beyond the curtains.
"The court whispers, Your Majesty," she said softly. "They say Heaven has turned its eyes. That perhaps… the title of the crown prince should not wait on one whose fate grows weak."
The words hung heavy between them.
Empress Shen's lashes lowered slowly. "And who whispers so boldly?"
"I would never dare name them," Royal consort Mei Lan replied quickly, her lips curving in a faint, almost sympathetic smile. "But I worry, truly I do. The Emperor is far away in the northern campaign, and the Crown Prince's health fails again and again. The empire must not waver."
Her fingers brushed her bracelet idly. "My son Yong Rui has always been dutiful. He studies the Classics each dawn, he...."
The Empress lifted her gaze, silencing her with one look.
"Ambition suits you poorly, Royal consort Mei Lan."
The Royal Consort lowered her eyes, feigning humility.
"Forgive my foolish concern. A mother only wishes to serve."
"Serve," the Empress repeated softly. "Yes, you have always served with careful timing and soft hands."
A long silence followed. The sound of the boy's shallow breathing filled the room.
When the Empress finally spoke, her tone was gentle, almost kind.
"You are skilled in arts of herbs and tonics, are you not?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Then see to it that a tonic is sent to the Prince's bedside tomorrow. If he improves, I shall commend your loyalty to the Emperor when he returns."
Mei Lan smiled, her lashes lowering in a graceful bow.
"Your Majesty is generous beyond measure."
But when she rose, there was something in her eyes that glittered like sharpened glass the kind of gleam that could wound even through a smile.
---
When she had gone, Eunuch Han returned quietly, bowing low
"Your Majesty, the messenger from the western outpost has arrived."
"Bring him."
A soldier entered with is boots sparkling as if the sun is shining on he hold letter bound with crimson thread in his hands. He knelt and held it up.
"Your Majesty, as commanded, I bring word from the search party."
The Empress untied the thread. The parchment bore faint raindrops from the journey.
Her eyes skimmed the writing, and her heart tightened.
"After half a year's search, no trace of the girl bearing the Jade Lotus Mark has been found. The trail ends beyond the southern borders. We await further orders."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the page.
"Still not found," she murmured. "How can a child blessed by Heaven vanish without a trace?"
Eunuch Han's voice was cautious.
"Your Majesty, perhaps the prophecy was misread…"
Her gaze cut to him sharply.
"No. The Imperial Oracle spoke true. The girl with the Jade Lotus birthmark was born to heal the bloodline's curse. Yong Qi's life depends on her. Without that child… the balance of Heaven will break."
Her words echoed like a whisper of thunder.
"Tell the searchers to go farther," she ordered. "To the southern valleys, to the merchant routes, even across the borderlands. The child must exist."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
When he withdrew, the Empress's composure wavered for the first time. She sank into her chair, pressing a hand to her temple.
Beyond the curtain, Yong Qi stirred faintly and called in his sleep, Mother…"
She went to him at once, smoothing his hair back from his damp brow. His lashes fluttered weakly open, revealing eyes the color of dark honey.
"Mother," he whispered, "was I dreaming?"
"You were resting," she said gently.
"I saw light… it was warm. But then it vanished."
Her heart squeezed.
"That light will return," she promised softly. "When Heaven wills it."
He smiled faintly, due to his weak body and the sickness his body is battling he slept back
She sat beside him long after, the incense burning low, her hand never leaving his.
---
Far across the palace grounds, in the Yonghe Palace, Royal Consort Mei Lan was receiving a visitor of her own.
Her son, Prince Yong Rui, stood before her, tall for his age, already handsome and sharp-eyed. He wore a dark turquoise robe with golden clouds embroidered along the sleeves, his hair clip with a royal crimson crown that matched the tiny ruby clasp at his collar. On his wrist, she had fastened a jade bangle one she had worn in her youth.
"My son," she said, pouring tea into a porcelain cup. "What do you see when you look toward the Dragon Throne?"
Yong Rui hesitated. "I see my brother, Crown Prince Yong Qi."
She smiled thinly. "And if fate no longer favors him?"
He looked down, unsure. "Then… someone else must rise."
"Exactly." She leaned closer, her perfume wrapping around him like a spell. "A dragon does not wait to be called. He rises when Heaven trembles."
Her voice was soft, but her eyes gleamed with ambition.
"You must study harder, behave impeccably before the ministers, and never show impatience. When the time comes, all must see that Heaven has already chosen you."
Yong Rui nodded slowly.
"Yes, Mother."
As he turned to leave, she caught his sleeve. "One more thing. Never underestimate the Empress She may look like a candle in the wind, but her flame burns through iron. Smile at her but never trust her shadow."
When he was gone, Mei Lan turned toward her mirror. The reflection that looked back was beautiful, poised and dangerous.
She touched the ruby pin in her hair and whispered to her own image,
"The palace may wear gold, but beneath it beats a heart of jade cold, unyielding, and waiting."
---
That night, rain fell once more over the capital, fine and relentless. In the distance, the Palace of Shoukang Palace glimmered faintly through the mist.
Inside, Empress Shen prayed before the statue of a golden Buddha her voice barely above a whisper.
"O Heaven, grant that the heir of our bloodline lives long enough to meet his destiny… and the one fated to save him."
Her beads slipped through her fingers one by one.
Outside, thunder rolled distant, yet heavy with promise.
The search for the girl with the Jade Lotus mark continued.
And somewhere, far beyond the palace walls, the wind carried her name unspoken waiting to be found.