A Court Uneasy
The empire had not slept. Ministers whispered in corridors, sect masters debated in private halls, and servants carried gossip like coals on their tongues. Three women bound by one man. It was no longer just a scandal. It was a threat.
The Triune Synthesis had proved more than theory — it had bent the court itself. The nobles saw the balance shifting, and fear crawled behind their jeweled masks.
The Empress in Red
The Empress sat in her private chamber, veils of crimson silk swaying with the night breeze. Her eyes were calm, too calm, as if she watched the court's panic with the detachment of a hawk circling prey.
Yan Yiren stood beside her, hands folded, her face composed but her eyes sharp.
"He's bound them tighter," Yiren murmured. "Even jealousy works in his favor. The women fight for him, not against him. The court expected a fracture. Instead, he built a wall."
The Empress's lips curved faintly. "Walls crack. I will test its mortar."
The Counterstroke
