The great hall glittered beneath a hundred silk lanterns, each one painted with scenes of rivers, mountains, and golden cranes. Incense curled lazily through the air, carrying a fragrance of sandalwood and lotus. Courtiers in silken robes clustered around low tables, their voices rising and falling in waves of laughter, gossip, and the clinking of jade cups.
XiaoQi sat toward the end of the main table, her posture straight but her fingers curled against her lap. She wore a robe of pale green silk embroidered with tiny plum blossoms, courtesy of the Empress Dowager's wardrobe attendants. Though beautiful, the gown made her feel like a decorative bird trapped in a gilded cage. Her fox spirit, Bai Hu, was nowhere to be seen, hidden as always when she entered the court. She was utterly alone in a room of hawks.
Whispers drifted around her, thinly veiled behind fluttering fans. The concubines sat nearby, their smiles delicate as petals, their laughter like glass bells. Yet every time XiaoQi glanced up, she found at least one pair of eyes lingering too long, heavy with disdain.
At the head of the hall, Crown Prince DongZe looked every inch the heir of an empire. His robe was midnight silk, threaded with gold dragons that caught the firelight. He moved with unstudied grace, raising his cup in acknowledgment of nobles and ministers, speaking with a voice that carried both authority and subtle menace. And yet, when his gaze flicked toward XiaoQi—just for a moment—his expression faltered, something warmer flickering beneath the surface.
She felt it like a spark across her skin. She looked away quickly, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing her heart had stuttered.
From across the hall, Concubine Lian watched this silent exchange. Her fingers clenched the carved ribs of her fan until her knuckles whitened. "Look at her," she whispered to Concubine Mei. "She sits like a common street girl, but His Highness cannot keep his eyes from her."
Mei's smile was unreadable. "Then perhaps it is time to give her a stage. Let us see how brightly she shines... or how quickly her light burns out."
Moments later, the master of ceremonies stepped forward, bowing deeply. His voice rang out, smooth and practiced. "On this auspicious night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, may the moon bless us with unity and harmony. As is tradition, we invite one among us to offer a poem in honour of the heavens."
The hall hushed. Nobles exchanged hopeful glances. Concubine Lian rose gracefully, her voice honey-sweet. "Your Highness, perhaps Lady Chen would favour us. She has such... spirit. Surely her words would be as bold as her presence."
Gasps fluttered through the hall. All eyes swivelled to XiaoQi.
Her chopsticks froze halfway to her mouth. Slowly, she set down the candied plum and lifted her gaze. A dozen painted faces stared back, expectant, some smirking behind sleeves.
XiaoQi smiled. A small, sharp curl of lips that did not reach her eyes. "A poem? Here? Among such refined company?" She rose, smoothing her robes, the movement deliberately unhurried. "If His Highness commands it, I shall do my humble best."
DongZe's brows furrowed. He had not missed the spark of malice in the concubines' suggestion. Still, he gave no objection. He wanted to see what she would do.
"Beneath these roofs of jade and gold
玉瓦金梁覆殿楼
Yù wǎ jīn liáng fù diàn lóu
Where lanterns burn and silks unfold
灯火明明绮罗稠
Dēng huǒ míng míng qǐ luó chóu
Does joy reside in hearts confined,
笑颜盈盈心可乐?
Xiào yán yíng yíng xīn kě lè?
Or do they ache, though smiles are kind?"
笼中亦有暗伤愁
Lóng zhōng yì yǒu àn shāng chóu
A ripple ran through the hall. Her voice carried, soft yet steady, threading through the silence. She paused, then continued, her eyes sweeping over the concubines, their fans frozen halfway to their lips.
"Though gilded cages dazzle bright,
金笼纵华耀人眼
Jīn lóng zòng huá yào rén yǎn
A bird still dreams of boundless flight.
鸟犹怀梦向云天
Niǎo yóu huái mèng xiàng yún tiān
Not chains of silk, nor crown, nor gem,
不论丝缠冠与宝
Bù lùn sī chán guān yǔ bǎo
Can tame the wild that lives within."
难驯胸中自在翩
Nán xún xiōng zhōng zì zài piān
Gasps stirred among the courtiers. The concubines stiffened, their smiles frozen. The poem was bold, perilously so. Yet there was beauty in the cadence, a strange melancholy threaded with fire.
XiaoQi finished, bowing deeply. Her pulse thundered in her ears, but her face remained calm, unreadable.
The silence held for a breath. Then, unexpectedly, a single clap echoed through the hall. DongZe. He rose, his smirk unreadable, his dark eyes locked on her as he applauded. Slowly, the rest of the hall followed, though unease rippled beneath the surface.
"Remarkable," DongZe said, his voice smooth, tinged with something only she could catch—pride, perhaps, or warning. "Truly, the palace gains an untamed spirit with Lady Chen among us."
The concubines' faces blanched behind their painted smiles. She had walked straight through their trap and turned it into a stage.
The applause still echoed faintly in the hall when XiaoQi returned to her seat. She folded her hands neatly in her lap, though her heart hammered like a drum in her chest. Every movement of silk around her knees, every flutter of her eyelids, was under the scrutiny of hundreds of eyes.
Concubine Lian's lips pressed into a thin line. Her fingers gripped the edge of her fan so tightly that the lacquered ribs creaked. She had expected humiliation, a stumble, a slip of the tongue, anything to prove XiaoQi's supposed unworthiness. Instead, the girl had stood unflinching, her words sharp yet graceful, her fire evident even beneath the polished elegance of her voice.
She pressed her fan tightly to her lips, fingers whitening around the lacquered ribs. "How... how does she do it?" she whispered to a young attendant at her side. "Every word calculated, every glance poised. She turns the room as she pleases."
The girl shrank back, uncertain how to reply, but Lian's gaze burned into her. "Do not speak unless spoken to."
Concubine Mei leaned forward slightly, her delicate fan pressed to her chin. She watched XiaoQi with quiet calculation, the faintest hint of a frown tugging at the corner of her lips. XiaoQi's defiance was admirable in its subtlety, and Mei had the sinking feeling that this wild girl's influence on the Crown Prince was growing—fast, dangerous, and undeniable.
The Crown Prince, however, had not broken his focus. DongZe's dark eyes followed XiaoQi's every move, lingering on her flushed cheeks and steady hands. The smirk that curled his lips carried a message only she could decipher: defiance was tolerated, rebellion even appreciated, but audacity like this could be dangerous. For him and for her.
As the musicians struck up a delicate tune, XiaoQi felt a moment of relief. The hall's attention shifted to the dancers twirling in gauzy skirts, the candles flickering as the breeze carried a hint of incense. She allowed herself to breathe more evenly, though her pulse still raced.
The Emperor's gaze swept over the hall, pausing briefly on XiaoQi before he returned his attention to the proceedings. He said nothing, but the faint arch of his brow suggested he, too, had taken notice.
Bai Hu, unseen in the corner shadows, flicked his tail and let out a low, approving hum. Even the little fox recognized the victory XiaoQi had carved with nothing but words and presence.
Yet the concubines were not defeated. Lian's lips thinned into a tighter line, and Mei's fan moved lazily, hiding the sharp glint in her eyes. The plotting had only just begun. The subtle seeds of jealousy, the careful machinations that had always ruled palace life, were now set into motion against XiaoQi. They would test her, probe her, and try to pull her down from the precarious height she had just climbed.
When the banquet finally wound down, the hall emptying except for servants and the attending ladies, DongZe rose. His movement drew the eye, commanding even in the quiet aftermath. He approached XiaoQi, his gaze unreadable.
"You seem to enjoy testing the patience of those around you," he said quietly, stopping just a pace away. His dark eyes held hers, intense and unreadable. "You craft beauty from defiance, and you provoke more than just the concubines. You provoke me."
XiaoQi stiffened, her pulse quickening. "I am merely surviving in a place designed to trap me, Crown Prince. I have no intention of provoking anyone."
He smirked, the corner of his lips tugging with a mixture of amusement and something sharper, more dangerous. "You are full of surprises, XiaoQi. I wonder... do you always tread so close to fire, knowing how it might burn you?"
Her cheeks heated, but she met his gaze without flinching. "And if I do? Would it matter to you, Your Highness, whether I burned or not?"
DongZe's eyes darkened, a spark of something unsaid flaring there. "Perhaps it would," he admitted, low and deliberate. "But some fires are worth watching. Some... worth tending."
Her chest tightened at the words, her fingers curling in her lap. She wanted to look away, to hide the flutter she could not deny, but her defiance held her rooted. "You speak as though you would tend me. Be careful, or you may find yourself scorched instead."
He leaned slightly closer, voice dropping so low it was barely a whisper. "I have no fear of fire."
The tension hung thick between them as servants began clearing the last of the dishes. The concubines, scattered throughout the hall, were silent, aware that something had shifted, though none could name it. Lian's lips thinned further, a storm of envy behind her painted mask, while Mei's smile never wavered, her mind already turning, plotting subtle moves for the next challenge.
XiaoQi finally allowed herself a slow breath. The banquet had been survived, her defiance preserved, and the Crown Prince had noticed. That much she knew.
As she rose to leave with a careful nod to the Emperor and DongZe, a part of her could not help but shiver at the thought of the dark eyes that had watched her so intently.
The corridors were nearly silent, the glow of lanterns casting long, flickering shadows along the polished marble floors. Most of the palace had retired for the night, the faint murmur of servants packing away leftovers the only sound. XiaoQi walked briskly, her robe whispering softly with every step. Her mind replayed the banquet—the poem, the stares, the smirks of the concubines. Her pulse still thundered from both pride and the lingering heat of embarrassment.
A shadow detached itself from the wall ahead. Before she could react, a hand closed gently on her wrist, stopping her. She froze, heart leaping.
"You move quickly," DongZe's voice murmured, low and measured, sending a shiver down her spine. "Even after the hall empties, you cannot seem to escape me."
XiaoQi jerked her hand back, frowning. "I am not trying to escape, Crown Prince. I am merely... walking."
He tilted his head, amusement flickering in his dark eyes. "Walking. Yes. Walking with intent. I wonder, is it to avoid me, or to lure me somewhere?"
Her cheeks warmed at the challenge in his tone. She struggled to keep her voice steady. "If it were to lure you, I would hardly choose the empty corridors. You would only find... shadows and silence."
DongZe's lips curved into a smirk, one corner lifting dangerously. "And yet I find you. Shadows and silence cannot hide you, Lady Chen. You have a habit of drawing attention, even when you think no one is watching."
XiaoQi swallowed hard, adjusting the folds of her robe to mask the tremor in her fingers. "I do not seek attention. I prefer to remain unnoticed. Far more peaceful that way."
He stepped closer, closing the small distance between them. The faint scent of incense clung to him, mingling with the warm notes of the banquet still lingering in the air. His gaze held hers, dark, intense, unyielding.
"You call it peaceful," he said softly, his voice dropping to a whisper meant only for her, "I call it dangerous. To provoke, to defy, and to survive... it is a skill few possess. And you wield it recklessly."
Her heart skipped. The word reckless hit with a strange weight, a mix of praise and warning she could not easily dismiss. "I survive because I must. Because this palace... this life... gives me no choice."
His eyes softened just slightly, a flicker she caught and almost missed. "You make it look effortless. Even defiant. Even... beautiful."
XiaoQi's chest tightened. She took a step back, lifting her chin despite the sudden flutter in her stomach. "Do not speak to me in riddles, Your Highness. I am not one to be praised for mischief and insolence."
DongZe tilted his head, letting a thin shadow fall across her face. "Perhaps. And yet I find I cannot stop noticing. Every word, every glance, every spark of defiance—it draws me further than I should allow."
Her pulse raced. She clenched her fists at her sides, trying to anchor herself, trying to keep the wild flutter in her chest from betraying her. "You speak as though you welcome it. Perhaps I am... a nuisance to you?"
His smirk returned, dark and teasing. "A nuisance, yes. But... one I cannot ignore. Perhaps that is the problem."
XiaoQi's eyes narrowed, and she struggled to maintain her composure. "You are insufferable. If you have come to gloat or to claim some imagined victory, know that I will not yield."
DongZe stepped closer, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him. His voice dropped, barely audible above the hush of the empty corridor. "I do not wish for you to yield. I wish for you to fight. To defy. To test me."
XiaoQi swallowed hard, her thoughts racing. She lifted her chin again, her voice low and steady despite the flush rising to her cheeks. "Then perhaps we are well matched. If you intend to chase, I intend to resist."