The parchment trembled in his hand.
Her Highness, the Empress Dowager, has requested that you escort Lady Jiang Ruolan, daughter of the Minister of War, to the banquet.
Li Wei's fist clenched.
His mother's moves were never random. Everything had a cost, a thread in the tangled web of power she wove.
And this time, he was the offering.
Back at the palace, he stormed through the corridors like a thundercloud.
"Your Highness—please wait! You must be announced!"
The head maid scrambled after him, but he didn't slow.
He pushed open the carved golden doors without ceremony.
The Empress Dowager sat behind a lacquered screen, cradling a porcelain teacup. She didn't flinch.
A small smile curled under her silk veil. "To what do I owe this sudden visit, my son?"
Li Wei didn't bow.
"The daughter of the Minister of War?" he snapped. "You've decided to use me like one of your pieces now? A pawn for your next alliance?"
Her hand paused mid-air, then placed the teacup down—not gently.
The porcelain struck the tray with a sharp clack.
"Everything I do," she said coolly, "is for you. For your safety. For your future. But you refuse to see it."
"You mean for your ambitions," he muttered.
Her eyes narrowed like a blade unsheathed.
"I am your only ally in this viper's den," she said, voice suddenly low and lethal. "But if you continue to bite the hand that feeds you, I'll stop offering it."
He didn't respond.
Didn't bow.
Didn't even glance back.
He turned on his heel and walked out, the doors groaning closed behind him.
The next evening – The Banquet
The palace glittered.
Crimson lanterns floated above the courtyards like fireflies, music echoed from pipa strings, and gold-threaded silks shimmered under candlelight.
Ministers, nobles, generals and their wives—everyone was there, whispering, watching.
And then she appeared.
Leena.
Draped in a turquoise sari, the fabric clung like a second skin, catching the light with every step. Gold chains danced around her waist, jasmine blossoms tucked behind one ear. The foreign girl looked like she belonged in every empire.
Chen Yu walked beside her proudly, beaming like a fool.
"She looks divine," someone whispered.
"Isn't she the physician?"
"Didn't she leave the palace…?"
But they stopped talking the moment Li Wei entered.
His robes were black and scarlet, austere and regal. On his arm: Lady Jiang Ruolan, dressed in ice blue, with a porcelain smile that didn't reach her eyes.
He didn't look at her once.
His gaze found Leena instantly.
And when it did, his expression slipped—just for a second.
She looked away.
POV – Leena
Her heart was a mess.
The sari felt like a warm hug, Chen Yu's presence like a shield…
But still, her eyes betrayed her, searching for someone who had thrown her away without a second thought.
And yet now, he looked at her like a man dying of thirst.
She turned back to Chen Yu with a small smile.
Chen Yu grinned and leaned close. "Told you the color was perfect."
She nodded. "Thank you for this."
But her fingers, curled around the edge of her plate, trembled ever so slightly.
Then—
A dancer fell.
At first, everyone thought it was part of the act.
Then another collapsed.
And another.
A wave of panic rippled through the court.
Gasps, hurried whispers, the clatter of a dropped cup.
"Poison!" someone screamed.