When Xue Liulan awoke, Murong Jin was still asleep. She had tossed him onto the side couch for the night, while she slept fully clothed in the great wedding bed, amidst quilts embroidered with mandarin ducks—the traditional symbol of lifelong love. She slept peacefully, her long lashes resting against her cheeks.
As if sensing his gaze, her eyes slowly fluttered open. The moment she met his stare, she bolted upright.
"Sleep well?" Xue Liulan asked, sitting up and stretching.
"Of course not," she grumbled, rubbing a sore shoulder. "Felt like I was sleeping on rocks." She threw back the covers—and stared. Spread across the mattress was a pile of peanuts, longans, and dates, traditional symbols of a fruitful marriage.
Xue Liulan stood by the bed, gloating. "You slept on that all night? No wonder you're sore."
"This is your fault! You blew out the candles, I couldn't see a thing. If I had seen…"
"If you had seen, you would have thrown me on the nuts and taken the couch for yourself, right?" he said, feigning a look of terror.
"Yes."
"You agree so readily to the idea of murdering your husband," he said, shaking his head. His eyes fell on the swatch of white silk laid over the red sheets. He paused, then picked up his ceremonial sword from the bedside table.
A flash of steel. Blood welled from his palm, dripping onto the white silk below.
Murong Jin watched, saying nothing.
"Are the Fifth Prince and his consort awake?" a maid's voice called softly from outside.
Xue Liulan quickly sheathed his sword and tossed his outer robe onto the bed. "Come in," he called out.
Two maids entered just as Murong Jin was picking up his robe, preparing to help him dress.
"Let us help, Your Highness," one of them said, hurrying forward.
Murong Jin gave her a cool glance. "Serving my husband is a wife's duty. I wouldn't trust it to anyone else."
Xue Liulan suppressed a smile. "We must serve tea to the Emperor and Empress today. I'll wait for you here."
"Hm."
In the grand hall, the Emperor and Empress Deng sat side by side. From the far end of the room, Xue Liulan and Murong Jin approached, hand in hand.
"We greet the Imperial Father," Xue Liulan said with a bow. Murong Jin curtsied.
"Rise," the Emperor said, a genuine happiness in his voice. "Liulan, you are a married man now. It is time to settle down and cause less trouble."
"I understand, Father," Xue Liulan answered with a smile. His eyes landed on Empress Deng, and for a second, they hardened before he quickly looked away. He still couldn't bring himself to look at the woman sitting in his mother's seat.
The Emperor noticed the glance and quickly turned to Murong Jin. "My son is now in your hands, my dear."
"I would not dare," she replied quickly.
Xue Liulan smiled at her feigned meekness and squeezed her hand. "Rest assured, Father. I will not fail Murong Jin."
"That's a promise you should be making to the North-Pacifying General," the Emperor laughed, gesturing to Murong Yan, who stood nearby.
Murong Yan stepped forward. "It is my daughter's good fortune to become the Fifth Prince's consort."
The Emperor gave a noncommittal nod and glanced at his wife. The Empress understood. She rose and approached Murong Jin, a jade bracelet in her hand. It was a stunning piece of translucent green, carved with auspicious clouds.
"A welcome gift for the new princess," Empress Deng said, offering the bracelet.
Murong Jin hesitated, her eyes instinctively flicking to Xue Liulan. She knew he despised the Empress. As his wife, she had to follow his lead.
He met her gaze and gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. "It is a gift from the Empress, Jin. You should thank her."
"Murong Jin thanks Her Majesty," she said, sinking into a deep curtsy and accepting the bracelet.
From his throne, the Emperor exchanged a look with Murong Yan. Each man was lost in his own schemes.
"Father, if there is nothing else, I would like to visit the Crown Prince," Xue Liulan said.
At the mention of his eldest son, a wave of grief washed over the Emperor's face. The Crown Prince, Xue Liuyun, was the most brilliant of them all, the one most likely to become a wise and great ruler. But he had been struck by a mysterious illness and was now fading day by day.
"Go," the Emperor said softly.
"We take our leave." Xue Liulan bowed, and Murong Jin curtsied beside him.
It was nearly noon. They walked along a quiet palace corridor, one following the other.
"Why did you hesitate to accept the bracelet?" Xue Liulan suddenly stopped and turned to her. Her questioning glance a moment ago had struck him, and he hadn't been able to forget the deep, quiet darkness in her eyes.
Murong Jin looked up at him. "I don't know. A sense of responsibility to my new role, perhaps."
"Oh?" He stepped closer, their eyes meeting. "Responsibility?"
"Yes. As your wife, it is my duty to ask for your opinion on such matters," she said, taking a step back. "Weren't we going to see the Crown Prince?"
"Impatient to meet the person I hold most dear?" he asked, a smile playing on his lips.
Her brow furrowed. "You were the one who suggested it."
"Do you know why I chose today of all days?"
To visit his sick brother after his wedding? It was strange.
He turned and began walking again. "My brother is the closest person I have in this world, Murong Jin," he said, his voice low. "The only family I have left."
"I see," she answered, still not understanding his point.
"I am taking you to see him to show you that I will trust you completely." He stopped and turned to face her again, his expression serious. "So I ask you. Will you do the same for me?"
She hesitated for a moment. "Xue Liulan, you are the master my father chose for the Murong clan. As a daughter of the Murong family, I will support you with everything I have."
"So, we have an agreement?" he asked, holding out his hand. Against the light, his smile was bright and clear, but his eyes held a glint of something she couldn't decipher.
She looked at his outstretched hand, then met it with her own. She met his grip, firm and steady, like one general sealing a pact with another.
Is this what we are now? she thought, a small sigh escaping her as she pulled her hand away. Partners in a war? Perhaps, for the two of them, that was the best they could hope for.
The Crown Princess, Murong Jin's cousin Murong Yu, greeted them at the entrance. She wore simple green robes, her face pale and bloodless, her eyes red from crying.
"Sister-in-law," Xue Liulan said with a bow. He looked at her haggard face. "Is my brother's condition not improving?"
Murong Yu just shook her head. She looked at Murong Jin, forcing a weak smile. "Sister, you are married into the royal family now. Forgive me for not coming to congratulate you."
"Of course not," Murong Jin said, taking her cousin's hand. "Sister, I've missed you."
Murong Yu reached up to brush a stray strand of hair from Murong Jin's face, but before she could speak, fresh tears began to fall.
"Sister, don't cry," Murong Jin said, wiping the tears away. "The Crown Prince will be well."
"You don't understand, sister," Murong Yu sobbed. "He's not sick. He's been poisoned—do you hear me? Poisoned!"
"What?" Murong Jin stared at her, then whipped her head around to look at Xue Liulan. His face was a grim mask. He already knew.
"Yes," Murong Yu cried. She was a gentle woman, powerless to do anything but watch her husband waste away.
Murong Jin turned back to Xue Liulan. "You knew?"
"The men your father brought with him took my brother's pulse," he said, his hands clenched at his sides. "They found a rare poison. It is called Xiang Jue—a legendary toxin, thought to have been lost to history."
The name struck Murong Jin like a physical blow. Her blood ran cold. Xiang Jue. How could the Murong clan's darkest secret be here? She knew the name because it was one of their most guarded secrets. The dying emperor had entrusted the last sample of the poison to her ancestors, charging them with finding an antidote. The only way to obtain it was with the express permission of the head of the Murong clan.