Days later, the palace still buzzed with talk of the snake. The investigation uncovered nothing. The eunuchs swore ignorance, claiming they had been ordered by a faceless figure in the dark. Wan Mei's fright earned her sympathy, but suspicion clung stubbornly to the air.
Li Yue, however, remained serenely untouched.
One afternoon, she visited the imperial garden. Lotus leaves swayed gently, cicadas buzzing overhead. She paused by a stone bridge when a familiar presence joined her.
Xiao Han.
He leaned casually against the railing, his sharp eyes glinting. "You always appear where trouble brews."
Li Yue offered him a serene smile. "Perhaps trouble follows me, not the other way around."
His gaze lingered. "Or perhaps you lead it by the hand."
For a long moment, silence stretched. Then he chuckled softly. "You're not the same Li Yue I once dismissed. There's steel under that silk now."
Her smile deepened, but she gave no answer.
Later that night, as she prepared for rest, An Ruo burst in breathlessly. "My Lady, someone requests to see you. Secretly."
Li Yue's eyes narrowed. "Who?"
"A maid from Wan Mei's court."
Curiosity stirred. Li Yue agreed.
The maid, a trembling girl of no more than fifteen, knelt before her. "Please, Noble Consort Li… I beg your help. I cannot stay in Lady Wan's service any longer."
Li Yue studied her quietly. "Why?"
The girl's voice shook. "Lady Wan… she is not what she seems. Her kindness is a mask. I—I have seen her strike her servants when no one watches. And the snake… the snake was no accident. She arranged it herself, hoping to frame you."
An Ruo gasped. "Impossible!"
But Li Yue's expression remained calm, thoughtful.
"Do you have proof?" she asked.
The maid produced a jade hairpin, engraved with Wan Mei's personal mark. "It was used to bribe the eunuchs that night. I stole it before it could be destroyed."
Li Yue accepted it, her fingers brushing the cold jade.
"Why bring this to me?" she asked.
The girl's eyes brimmed with tears. "Because… I thought you might be the only one who can stand against her."
When the maid left, An Ruo turned anxiously to her mistress. "My Lady, this is dangerous! If the emperor believes this—"
Li Yue silenced her with a raised hand. "Calm yourself. Truth is a blade, but only if revealed at the right moment. Until then, it is a shield hidden beneath one's sleeve."
She slipped the jade hairpin into her sleeve, her expression unreadable.
In her heart, she thought: Wan Mei, if you wish to play the heroine, then let us play. But even heroines can bleed.