It had been a week since everything turned upside down. Since accusations of treason had rattled the entire court. Since Minister Bai nearly spat his tongue trying to frame Zhu Mingyu for rebellion. And since I, once again, had to sit in the middle of it all, pretending I didn't already have enough poisons in my sleeves to kill them all twice.
But today? Today it was quiet.
I knelt in the garden with a worn basket at my side, my fingers caked in dirt as I tugged weeds from the edges of the herb bed. The roots came up easier after last night's rain, and the morning sun felt soft against my back, like someone was finally being gentle for a change.
