The palace was quiet.
Not the peaceful kind.
The kind of quiet that comes before a storm.
No one mentioned the flower incident directly. But people stepped out of my way in the halls. Maids lowered their eyes. Eunuchs bowed faster than before.
They didn't know what I had done.
But they were afraid I might do more.
Chun'er whispered the latest news as she brushed my sleeves.
"Consort Ning sent a message," she said. "She wants you to join her for tea."
I listened quietly.
"She invited other concubines too. Everyone will be watching."
"Good," I said.
Chun'er blinked. "You'll go?"
"She finally noticed me. That's a gift."
~~~~
Consort Ning's pavilion was rich with silver curtains and cold laughter.
Five other concubines sat in a circle, sipping tea from porcelain cups shaped like lotus petals.
When I arrived, Ning smiled—beautiful and sharp.
"Lady Yue," she said smoothly. "You're quite the talk of the garden. Come, sit."
I bowed low. "Thank you for the honor, Your Grace."
I took the smallest seat. The furthest one away from her.
"Tell us," she said sweetly, "how you became such an expert in poisonous flowers."
Soft laughter sounded throughout the room.
"I'm not," I said gently. "I just don't put things in my basket if I don't recognize them."
More laughter, but this time it was more quiet.
Ning narrowed her eyes. "So careful for someone so new."
I smiled softly. "One has to be careful, Your Grace. It's easy to pick the wrong flower… or speak the wrong name."
The room went silent.
Just for a moment.
Then Ning poured more tea, her hand a little too fast, which caused a few deops to spill onto the table.
~~~~
That night, Chun'er came rushing in with a whisper.
"I asked around like you said. That flower—the one in your basket? It's called white shade. Very rare and dangerous."
"Who favors it?" I asked.
"Lady Qiao," she said. "She used to wear them in her hair."
I nodded slowly.
Of course.
Ning wouldn't get her hands dirty. She has people for that.
And Lady Qiao was one of them.
Later that night, I stood at the balcony of the Lotus Pavilion.
The moon was full.
I saw movement across the yard.
The emperor.
Walking slowly through the lower path, hands behind his back, guards at a distance.
He stopped.
Looked towards my direction.
I didnt move.
He stared for a moment longer than he should have.
Then turned away.
But I saw it—the way his shoulders stiffened. Like a cold wind had touched his skin.
He didn't sleep well that night.
He dreamed again.
A great empty hall. A woman in red stood at the edge of his throne room. He couldn't see her face.
But her voice reached him:
"Ill remember everything."
He woke in the dark, sweating.
He didn't know her.
But somehow…
She knew him.