The Emperor's Shadow
The laundry court stank of soap, sweat, and damp linen. Lianhua's fingers were raw from scrubbing collars and hems, and her back ached from bending over steaming tubs. The older servants whispered among themselves, eyes flicking toward her with curiosity, suspicion, or pity.
"You'll not last a month," one muttered as she passed, her voice low. "Palace work breaks the strongest."
Lianhua said nothing. She did not need to. Silence was sharper than words.
That evening, a eunuch arrived with a summons. Her heart stilled.
"The Emperor requests your presence," he said.
She had seen the Emperor only in portraits, on banners, in whispers that trembled like candlelight in the hallways. A man rumored to be brilliant, cruel, and impossible to approach.
The walk to the throne room was long and quiet. Lianhua's sleeves brushed the polished floors, and her eyes stayed down. Yet, even in the shadows, she could sense the weight of unseen eyes, the subtle power humming behind embroidered doors.
The throne room was vast, carved from dark wood and inlaid with gold. Sunlight poured through latticed windows, falling on the emperor like a halo sharpened with danger.
He rose from the throne as she entered. Emperor Zhao Rui's gaze was sharp, calculating, like a blade tracing her silhouette. He said nothing at first, only measured her from head to toe, silent and still.
"You are Shen Lianhua?" His voice was calm, almost gentle, yet it carried the weight of command.
"Yes, Your Majesty," she replied, her tone steady despite the pounding in her chest.
A faint smile flickered across his lips, brief as lightning. "I have heard of your family… and what remains of your name. Do you know why you are here?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I am to serve," she said.
"Serve," he repeated, tilting his head. "Yes… but the palace does not need servants who merely obey. It needs those who endure."
He stepped closer, and for the first time, Lianhua met his gaze fully. It was not cruelty she saw—not entirely—but a curiosity she could not name.
"Remember this, Shen Lianhua," he said softly, his words sinking into the marble air. "Here, survival is the first lesson. Obedience is the second. Everything else… is earned."
She nodded.
And in that instant, she understood the first rule of the palace:
The Emperor watched.
But the Queen Mother controlled everything else.
And if she wanted to live… she had to learn both.