Meilin's POV
I leave the Emperor's chambers feeling hollowed out.
"You can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved."
Did I really say that? Did I really admit I'm thinking about giving up?
Yes. Because it's true.
I'm so tired.
Five deaths. Five lifetimes of loving him, fighting, hoping, dying. And now this sixth life where he suddenly cares—but only because he's scared of what I might become.
Not because he loves me.
Because he's afraid of me.
"Your Majesty!" Feng catches up to me in the corridor. "You shouldn't be walking alone. After what happened with the temple—"
"I need air," I interrupt. "Just... give me a moment."
But she's right. Walking alone is dangerous. Wei knows I'm onto him now. The temple explosion proved he'll kill anyone who threatens his plans.
Including me.
Especially me.
I turn toward the gardens, Feng following at a respectful distance. The moon is full overhead, casting silver light over everything. Beautiful and cold.
Like him.
Stop it, I tell myself. Stop thinking about him.
But I can't. Because for the first time in six lifetimes, he's actually trying. Actually showing emotion. Actually remembering that we were supposed to be happy.
And it's too late.
Way too late.
"Your Majesty."
I freeze.
That voice.
Lord Wei steps out from behind a pillar, his smile oily and polite. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to startle you."
Feng immediately moves between us. "Lord Wei, it's late. The Empress is retiring—"
"I only need a moment." His eyes never leave mine. "I wanted to check on Her Majesty's health after the unfortunate poisoning incident."
"How kind," I say flatly. "As you can see, I'm fine."
"Yes. So I've heard." He moves closer. Feng tenses, hand on the knife I know she keeps hidden in her sleeve. "The physician said you had a remarkable recovery. Almost... unnatural."
"Good medical care, nothing more."
"Of course." His smile widens. "Still, two near-death experiences in one day—the poison and then the temple fire. One might think fate is trying to tell you something."
It's a threat. Hidden in polite words, but a threat nonetheless.
"Fate has been telling me things for a long time, Lord Wei," I reply sweetly. "I'm getting quite good at ignoring it."
Something flickers in his eyes. Surprise? Anger?
"You've changed, Your Majesty," he says softly. "When you first arrived, you were so... timid. Eager to please. Now you're almost bold. Some might say reckless."
"Some might say I've learned from experience."
"Experience." He tilts his head. "What an interesting choice of words. Tell me, Your Majesty, do you believe in second chances?"
My blood runs cold. Does he know? About the rebirths?
No. Impossible. Only I remember. Only I—
"I believe everyone deserves a chance to correct their mistakes," I say carefully.
"And if they make the same mistake twice? Three times? Five times?" He's watching me like a snake watching prey. "At what point does coincidence become pattern?"
He knows. He has to know.
But I keep my face calm. "I'm not sure what you're implying, Lord Wei."
"Implying? Nothing at all." He bows slightly. "I simply hope Your Majesty stays healthy. The palace can be dangerous. Accidents happen. Fires start. Tea gets poisoned. People fall from towers."
The tower. My third death. He's taunting me with it.
I step closer, ignoring Feng's warning hand on my arm.
"Don't worry, Lord Wei." I smile back just as sweetly. "I'm harder to kill than I look."
For a moment, his mask slips. Pure hatred flashes across his face.
Then it's gone, replaced by that oily smile.
"I certainly hope so, Your Majesty. The empire needs its Empress." He bows again. "I'll bid you good night. Do sleep well. Though I imagine you have... restless nights. Troubled dreams, perhaps?"
He walks away before I can respond.
Feng immediately grabs my shoulders. "Your Majesty, what was that? He was threatening you! We need to tell the Emperor—"
"He's too careful," I say, my voice shaking. "Every word has two meanings. We can't prove anything."
"But he knows something. About you. About—" She lowers her voice. "About the other lives?"
"I don't know how, but yes. He knows." I lean against the pillar, suddenly exhausted. "He's been behind this from the beginning. Not just this lifetime. All of them."
"Then we need to stop him."
"How? He's the Master of Rites. He has influence, power, connections. And we have what? Suspicions? Theories?" I laugh bitterly. "He'll just arrange another accident. Another frame-up."
"So what do we do?"
Good question.
In five lifetimes, I never figured out how to beat Wei. He was always three steps ahead. Always had backup plans. Always won.
But this time, I have something different.
Information. I know his patterns. His methods. His endgame.
"We play his game," I decide. "But better."
"Your Majesty?"
"Wei thinks I'm the same scared girl from before. He doesn't know I remember. Doesn't know I've learned from five lifetimes of his tricks." I push off from the pillar. "So we let him think he's winning. We let him make mistakes. And when he does—"
A scream cuts through the night.
We both run toward the sound. It came from the direction of—
Shen's chambers.
My stomach drops. Not again. Not another setup.
We burst through the doors to find chaos. Servants crying. Guards everywhere.
And in the middle of it all, Consort Shen lies on the floor, unconscious. Blood pools around her head.
"What happened?" I demand.
A terrified servant bows. "Your Majesty! Consort Shen fell! She was walking to her bed when she suddenly collapsed!"
Fell. Just like in my third timeline.
But this time, I wasn't anywhere near her.
The Emperor arrives moments later, Xiao right behind him. His eyes find mine immediately, checking if I'm okay.
Then he sees Shen.
"Get the physician!" he orders. "Now!"
As servants rush to obey, Xiao leans down to examine the scene. His face goes pale.
"Your Majesty. There's something under her hand."
He holds it up.
It's a piece of paper, crumpled and stained with blood.
The Emperor takes it, unfolds it, and his expression turns to stone.
"What is it?" I ask.
He shows me.
On the paper, in shaky handwriting: "The Empress pushed me."
No.
"That's not possible," Feng says immediately. "The Empress has been with me the entire time! We were in the gardens with Lord Wei—"
"Lord Wei?" The Emperor's eyes snap to mine. "Wei was with you?"
"He found us in the gardens," I explain quickly. "We talked for maybe two minutes, then came straight here when we heard the scream."
"And during those two minutes, Shen was attacked." Xiao's voice is grim. "Your Majesty, this is clearly a setup. The note, the timing—"
"Obviously it's a setup!" I snap. "But try proving that to the court. Try proving I wasn't here when there are no witnesses to where I actually was except Feng and—"
I stop.
Lord Wei.
The only other witness is the man trying to frame me.
And he'll lie. Of course he'll lie.
"This is bad," Feng whispers. "Your Majesty, this is really bad."
The physician arrives and rushes to Shen. After a moment, he looks up gravely.
"She's alive but barely. Severe head trauma. She might not wake up."
"Or she might wake up and confirm that I did this," I say bitterly. "Either way, I lose."
The Emperor takes my hand. "No. I won't let them—"
"Your Majesty!" A guard runs in. "Lord Wei is requesting an emergency council meeting. He says... he says the Empress must be formally questioned about the attack on Consort Shen."
Of course he does.
"Tell Wei the meeting is denied," the Emperor says coldly.
"He invoked the ancient law, Your Majesty. When a member of the imperial household is harmed, a formal investigation is required. The council must convene."
"Even if it's obviously a frame-up?"
"Especially then, Your Majesty. To ensure justice is properly served."
The guard looks miserable delivering this news. He knows it's wrong. Everyone knows it's wrong.
But the law is the law.
And Wei is using it as a weapon.
The Emperor's grip on my hand tightens. "When?"
"Dawn, Your Majesty. The council convenes at dawn."
I look out the window. The sky is already starting to lighten on the horizon.
Dawn is less than an hour away.
And at dawn, I'll have to stand before the council and defend myself against charges that I attacked Consort Shen.
With no witnesses except Wei, who will lie.
No alibi except Feng, whose word won't be enough.
And a victim who might wake up and "identify" me as her attacker.
"This is it," I whisper. "This is how it starts. The trial. The execution. My sixth death."
"No." The Emperor's voice is fierce. "I won't let that happen."
"You won't have a choice. The council—"
"I'm the Emperor. I make the rules."
"Not these rules. These are ancient laws. Even you can't break them without looking like a tyrant."
He knows I'm right. I can see it in his eyes.
We're trapped.
Wei has finally sprung the perfect trap.
And I walked right into it.
Feng touches my arm gently. "Your Majesty, there's still time. We can—"
"What? Run? Hide?" I laugh, hollow. "That just makes me look guilty."
"Then we fight."
"With what evidence? What proof?"
No one has an answer.
The physician continues working on Shen. The Emperor holds my hand like it's the only thing keeping me alive. Feng stands guard like she can protect me from the entire empire.
And I stand there, watching the sun start to rise, thinking:
This is how I die.
Not from poison or a fall or an execution for treason.
But from a crime I didn't commit, with no way to prove my innocence, and a trial that's designed for me to lose.
Wei is a genius.
A terrifying, evil genius.
"Your Majesty?" A servant approaches nervously. "The council chamber is being prepared. You're requested to appear in one hour to give your testimony."
One hour.
One hour until my trial.
One hour until my sixth death begins.
Unless—
"Wait." I turn to the physician. "When exactly did Shen fall? What time?"
"Based on her condition, I'd estimate about fifteen to twenty minutes before we found her."
Twenty minutes ago, I was with Wei in the garden.
"And how long does it take to walk from the gardens to here?"
"Perhaps ten minutes, Your Majesty."
I do the math. If Shen fell twenty minutes ago, and it takes ten minutes to walk here, then the attack happened while I was still talking to Wei.
Which means Wei has an alibi for himself—me.
And I have no alibi for myself—except Wei.
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
He made himself my only witness.
The Emperor sees my expression. "What is it?"
"Wei planned this down to the minute," I say slowly. "He made sure to be seen with me at the exact time Shen was attacked. So I can't accuse him without admitting I have no other alibi."
"That's..." Xiao trails off. "That's incredibly detailed planning."
"That's Wei." I pull my hand free from the Emperor's grip. "And that means this wasn't just about framing me. This was about something bigger."
"What do you mean?"
I look at Shen's unconscious body. At the note clutched in her hand. At the blood on the floor.
And suddenly, I understand.
"Shen's not supposed to die," I realize. "She's supposed to wake up. Identify me. Testify against me. And then—"
Then what?
What's Wei's endgame?
The answer hits me like ice water.
"He wants me executed," I whisper. "Not exiled. Not imprisoned. Executed. Because he needs my sixth death to release the chaos god."
Everyone goes still.
"And a public execution witnessed by the entire court would be the perfect final death," I continue, my voice hollow. "No questions. No doubts. Everyone watching as the Empress dies for attacking a consort."
"Then we prove you're innocent," the Emperor says firmly.
"How? In one hour? With no witnesses, no evidence, and a victim who will lie when she wakes up?"
He opens his mouth. Closes it. Opens it again.
Nothing.
Because there is no answer.
We're out of time.
Out of options.
Out of luck.
The sun continues to rise, painting the sky blood red.
And somewhere in the palace, Lord Wei is probably smiling.
Because he's finally going to win.