The Hall of Governance glittered with lantern-light, yet beneath its gilded beams the air was thick with tension. Rows of officials knelt in their formal robes, their embroidered cranes and dragons staring solemnly into silence.
At the head of the chamber sat the Emperor, cloaked in gold-threaded silk, his gaze unreadable. Beside him, veiled by layers of pearl screens, the Empress observed, her eyes sharp as a hawk's behind the fragile curtain. Few noticed her, fewer still dared acknowledge her presence—but Yun Xi felt it like a blade poised at her back.
Eunuch Chen's voice rang out, "The matter for debate: the provisioning of the northern garrisons. Grain has been short, and complaints rise daily. His Majesty invites counsel."
An elderly minister stepped forward, bowing. "Your Majesty, the empire's coffers bleed from excessive levies. To divert more to the frontier would strain the people beyond endurance."
Another voice countered sharply. "Without soldiers, how will borders hold? Shall we feed peasants but abandon walls to barbarians? Grain sent to soldiers protects the land!"
The hall erupted in competing cries. Yun Xi knelt, silent, her heart hammering. This was her test.
The Emperor raised a hand. The chamber stilled. His eyes flicked toward her. "Scholar Yun. You spoke boldly yesterday. What say you now?"
A hundred pairs of eyes turned upon her. Yun Xi inhaled slowly, rising from her knees to bow. "This humble servant begs leave to speak."
"Granted," said the Emperor.
She lifted her gaze, her voice clear though her palms dampened within her sleeves. "It is true, both people and soldiers must eat. But why set them against each other? The burden lies not with them, but with those who grow fat from corruption. Records of the Ministry of Revenue reveal discrepancies—grain lost to 'transport fees,' coin siphoned into private estates. If His Majesty strikes the root of theft, then both commoner and soldier may eat their fill."
A ripple swept through the hall. Murmurs, then sharp hisses.
"Bold accusation!" one minister spat. "To claim theft within the sacred ministries—"
"Is this child accusing us all?" another cried.
Yun Xi bowed again, unflinching. "This servant accuses no man by name. But ledgers speak without lies. I will present evidence if given leave."
The Emperor leaned forward, eyes gleaming with something between amusement and danger. "Evidence, you say? Then bring it forth tomorrow. Should your claim prove true, the guilty will answer. Should it prove false—" His voice dropped to a chilling softness. "Then your own head shall answer in their place."
Yun Xi's heart lurched, but she bowed low. "This servant accepts."
The Emperor laughed suddenly, breaking the hall's tension like a storm crackling into rain. "Very well! Let us see if this scholar's ink is sharper than a sword."
As the officials murmured uneasily, the Empress behind her pearl screen studied Yun Xi's bowed figure with cold satisfaction.
"You dance well, little fox," she whispered, unheard. "But every dance ends."