Daneen already knew how furious Dowager Taihou was about the whole affair, so when she heard that Zhan had been taken near King Yibo's recovery room, she grew uneasy....yet she couldn't help the small smile that touched her lips. She could tell her words had reached the dowager's heart, though not deeply enough to erase the resentment she still held toward Zhan.
She bowed her head slightly, glancing at King Yibo.... who sat so still he seemed part of the air itself, eyes closed as if sleep had claimed him. With quiet resolve, she turned and left, her own heart firm with the determination to uncover the truth and save the young man she cared for more than she dared admit.
King Yibo's eyes opened faintly, following her retreating figure... just as Dowager Taihou did the same, though she said nothing.
Author
"Hmm… I can't hold it in any longer."
"And when I say hmm, I mean it."
"If Zhan survives this, what do you think will become of him... living under the rule of his husband's mother, a woman of such overwhelming power? Even if his part in what happened is proven to have reason behind it… ah, readers, what a tangled web! The tale will now unfold under three threads.... guess them, and I'll owe you a grand reward."
★ The Inner One ★
"I've warned you before," Cao's voice was calm but edged with steel. "That boy is dangerous. Don't be fooled by his youth or his fragility, Inner One. In the world of ambition, underestimating an opponent....even a small one...can shatter everything we've built, no matter how long it took."
Inner One knelt before Cao, anger and pain darkening her usually serene eyes. "Where have I failed you, Cao? Which of your laws have I broken all these years? Why does trouble only find me when my harvest is ripe? Why, Cao?! I gave up everything....everything....to achieve what I dreamed of, and now you tell me I must wait? You promised you would never let me weep in vain, and yet here I am, drowning in tears you once swore to shield me from."
Her voice rose, fierce and trembling. "Why? Why now? A boy....a mere boy who could barely withstand the tip of my heel.... dares to intrude into my world, threatening the victory I've bled for. If he's too powerful for you to face, say so! Because I'm not weaker than he is. No one....no mother, no son... will stand in the way of my destiny. If I must erase his entire bloodline to keep my place, I will! This time, Cao, I'll fight with my own hands....I don't need you!"
"Enough!" Cao's voice snapped through the air like lightning. "Inner One, regain your senses. Look at me.... do you even know who you're defying? I am no fool, and certainly not your prey. You've not yet lived long enough to eat from my table uninvited... even if the meal lies on the ground. If you wish to test me, there's the field....and there's your opponent."
Inner One clicked her tongue in defiance, glaring as Cao's form faded from view. Fury burned in her chest. Snatching up her phone, she began dialing furiously, pacing across the grand room, her rage a storm barely contained.
"Ah, trouble brews between Inner One and Cao indeed," whispered a distant voice. "And we.... we're merely the watchers."
- - - -
That night, the doctors finally succeeded....Zhan awoke after four long days of unconsciousness. By morning, though still weak, he was stable.
Daneen wept with relief as she hurried to inform Dowager Ruyan, who herself sighed deeply when she heard the news. Ever since Zhan had fallen into danger, she had known no peace.
Dowager Taihou, however, made no comment when she was informed by King Yibo's physician. She neither visited nor sent for Zhan that day. Even by evening, she had not stepped near King Yibo's quarters... though she did call briefly to inquire about her son condition.
King Yibo, for his part, had not gone to see Zhan either....not until late evening. Even then, his body was still weakened. The poison.... mixed with the venom of serpents....had nearly destroyed him. It had attacked part of his body so severely that surgery had been required to repair the damage.
Although their recovery rooms sit next to each other, today the thick curtains and sealed glass keep them visually separate. Even so, through the glass one can make out only shapes and shadows.
Yibo's treatment dress changes several times a day now; the pain flares unpredictably and his skin shows the pale, mottled sheen of someone very ill. Despite that, he walks with stoic courage, flanked by a doctor and with Prince Aoying waiting by the doorway. Aoying gently closes the glass door behind them, bowing his head slightly to the figure who commands respect in the room.
King Yibo inhales and exhales, then moves forward with measured steps. His presence is heavy with authority; it feels almost like the current that runs through the room. Daneen, sitting beside Zhan, tries to hand him the hot medicinal tea the doctor ordered, and then rises to offer her respect, Zhan gripping the cup despite the heat as Daneen calls, "Your Highness."
Zhan's heartbeat stutters at the sound of Yibo's voice; his face flushes with conflicting emotions.... fear and shame. When Yibo enters the room it's clear to Daneen that this is no private son visiting; this is the King arriving in his official capacity. She steps back, giving the royal respect he commands.
Prince Aoying helps arrange a chair for the King and bows. Yibo's gaze is sharp and intense, focused on Zhan with a look that can unsettle anyone, even someone who doesn't know him. After a long pause Yibo sits slowly.
Zhan can barely move; the heat of the tea and the band of pain along his arm make even small movements agonizing. He's wrapped under the hospital blanket up to his thighs. All he wants is to lose himself... fall away from this world of accusations and fear, cut off from King Yibo's presence forever. The raw pain... the loss of two siblings....throbs inside him. Yet something about seeing the King now stirs him differently than before.
King Yibo looks down at the cup Zhan clutches. He lets his gaze move from the cup to Zhan's chest...where the thin hospital gown exposes the line of his ribs...and then up to Zhan's face, which shows every exhaustion and vulnerability.
Yibo closes his eyes briefly, taking a breath that hints at fatigue; when he speaks his voice is calm but carries authority. He looks to Daneen as if expecting a report; instead Prince Aoying answers on his behalf, standing with the composed form appropriate to his rank: "Your highness, on behalf of the King, i greet the royal consort. Wishing him a steady recovery."
Daneen inclines her head, then replies for Zhan: "Royal consort Zhan is grateful for your kindness and prays for the King's health."
Hearing the prince speak in place of the King stings Zhan...he wanted honesty, not ritual. He longs for a proper reckoning for what he's accused of. At the same time, being in Yibo's presence is overwhelming: the King's eyes find his with a gravity that makes Zhan's muscles go slack. He nearly drops the cup and King Yibo hold both the cup and Zhan's hand.
In a broken whisper, Zhan lifts his head. Pain and weakness mix with a childlike sob that finally escapes....deep, raw, a cry that has been waiting to be heard. Yibo watches without flinching; the tea's heat presses through there fingers as Zhan trembles.
Yibo does not look away. The moment stretches; he bites his lip, the smallest sign of inner tension. Despite it, his posture and the iron control in his voice remain unshaken. Zhan continues to cry... longing for comfort, aching for family, pleading in the way of someone who has lost everything.
Yibo remains watching, even as the tea's warmth spreads through his own hand and beads of sweat appear along his palm from the pain of watching Zhan suffer. He dislikes making Zhan cry...this earns his quiet reprimand...but he does not stop Zhan either. And when Zhan presses further, the King's restraint tightens; he appears to be containing something fierce beneath his composed exterior.
Finally Zhan's sobs subside into shallow breaths.
The doctor and Prince Aoying stood there stunned...the sight in front of them was nothing they had expected, especially given the accusations against the royal consort Zhan.
Daneen closed her eyes, allowing a small, private smile to form. She understood how complicated the King's heart was; he was a proud, stubborn man shaped by the demands of his lineage and duty. Still, that didn't stop her quietly hoping that things might turn out the way she wanted.
"This one need to be change, it's cold, Mamy," King Yibo murmured from the foot of the bed, rising as if he hadn't spoken at all. Daneen met his meaning with a brief, knowing smile while the doctor and Prince Aoying followed him from the room.
"Thank you for your kindness," she called after him as he left. Prince Aoying answered with a gentle bow, then the King was gone.
Daneen returned to Zhan's side with a light laugh as she took back the teacup. "Come now, calm down. Everything will be fine. Yibo is a fair ruler....he values justice even with those who oppose him."
Those words cut through Zhan. He broke down into fresh sobs, lips shaking. "Mamy, I made a mistake...one I can't forgive myself for…"
"That's enough." Daneen laid a finger over his lips and hushed him. The tears kept coming, and his body trembled until Daneen enfolded him, soothing him gently.
★ INNER ONE ★
Breathing hard and trying to suppress the nausea that rose from the cavernous cave, Inner One adjusted the cloak wrapped around her and finished her pledge. "Da Ze, I believe in this plan because my ally told me your story. I believe you can finish what Cao began. I believe you can make my ambition complete. Remove anyone who stands in my way...no matter who they are."
A sly grin escaped Da Ze, and a faint, intoxicating scent rose in the dank cave....an aroma that had clung to Inner One since she entered. It was the shaman's spellwork, subtle and disorienting, but she forced herself to ignore the dizziness; her hunger for power overrode any sense of unease.
Da Ze's lips twisted into a cruel smile that made his face seem older, harsher. He turned his bloodshot eyes toward her, his voice low and venomous: "In the whole of Beiping there is no sorcerer who can finish what Cao started for you. Begone you ungrateful being...leave me out of this, wretch...unless you want me to destroy every hand that helped build your dream. Cao is everyone's mother of sorrow; begone, or I will raze those who dare to stand with you."
She staggered out in a panic, and the tremor in her voice only grew louder until she lost control and vomited violently... upending everything inside her.
Because it was late and the forest muffled sound, her trusted attendant heard her retching from a distance and rushed forward, terrified but determined to help. He approached slowly, hands trembling, carrying a bottle of water.
He sank to the ground despite the gloom, shaking as he held the bottle out to her. She accepted it without hesitation. She ripped off the lid and drank greedily, not caring when the water splashed across her expensive clothing. Before she'd realized what she'd done, she turned away, gagging, then slipped a norse mask back over her face so the attendants would not recognize her. He hurried to open the car for her and guide her in; she took the wheel and they left.
Once they had put some distance between themselves and the palace, Inner One stepped out of the vehicle and pulled all her disguises back on. Her attendant did the same; they vanished into the Palace by a back route. Only when she collapsed onto her ornate bed did she allow herself to breathe. Her head still spun and the scent she had inhaled clung to her nostrils. Panic rose again as she tried to steady herself... how would she handle Cao? How could she begin? Problems multiplied before she could even think of solutions.
***
The news of King Yibo's recovery stirred fierce debate throughout the realm. People were relieved, yes, but the discovery of the King's true face had also exposed long-buried loyalties and hatreds. As in any kingdom, friends and enemies emerged from the same places; sympathies and resentments now shifted and spread.
The first matter the King intended to address publicly was the fragile truce between his family....yet that, too, proved impossible. Dowager Taihou harbored deep anger, convinced Dowager Ruyan had placed her own interests above everything, and she could not be appeased. Her pain only intensified the accusations Prince Deng and others were spreading behind the scenes.
Dowager Ruyan, meanwhile, acted as if none of it concerned her. She remained adamant that Zhan be given special protection, tightening security to prevent anyone from harming him.
The tangled web of accusations around Zhan only deepened, and nobody could agree on the motive or the truth.
The day the doctor discharged Zhan, he was immediately taken back to the royal prison. There had already been unrest in the Palace.... many believed King Yibo's decision was far too lenient.
He, however, said nothing throughout the uproar. He simply listened in silence as they argued amongst themselves.
The next morning, he gave the order: a formal trial would be held.
It wasn't only Prince Langya pushing for justice; even Dowager Taihou demanded it. She went as far as threatening that if the King refused to prosecute Zhan, she would take matters into her own hands.
★ The Day of Judgment ★
April 21st, 2022
The day of the trial between Zhan and the royal family of King Yibo finally arrived. It concerned the alleged attempt on the life of the royal heir.
Reporters had tried everything to attend, and so had the citizens of the capital. But King Yibo decreed that this was an internal royal matter, not open to the public.
That decision frustrated Prince Deng and his allies, but they dared not object. The King was unpredictable...and everyone in the palace knew it.
As the King had declared, the trial was to be held in his private second living room, attended only by those directly involved and the most senior figures of the royal court.
The hall was silent. Every head was bowed, even those of the King's own family. His authority...so absolute and heavy it demanded obedience even from those who despised it...filled the air.
King Yibo let his gaze drift over them slowly, one face at a time, until his eyes settled on Zhan.
Why did you trust those who chose for you when you could have chosen yourself? he thought, his sharp eyes dimming slightly. He exhaled softly and turned away.
For nearly two minutes, the living room remained frozen until the sound of a throat clearing broke the stillness.
Prince Yuhui began calmly, "Today, April 21st, 2022, we convene to hear this case. We must show fairness and grant each side their right without bias or emotion."
The court nodded solemnly. King Yibo's gaze did not lift from the polished floor; he avoided looking at Zhan.
Prince Yuhui continued, "We will now hear from the accusers. Let your words match your hearts, for falsehood will bear its own punishment."
Heads nodded in silent agreement. Prince Langya adjusted his posture with deliberate composure before speaking.
"My name is Prince Wang Langya. I stand here on behalf of my family regarding the poisoning attempt made by Royal Consort Zhan against our son on the 21st of February, 2022. We ask our King to judge with fairness and to deliver punishment befitting the crime....so it may serve as a lesson to those who come after."
He bowed and stepped back. Silence again blanketed the living room.
King Yibo drew a long breath and looked first at Prince Langya, then at the others seated beside him. His lips moved slowly.
"Do the accusers have any further evidence or words to add?"
They shook their heads in unison.
The King shifted his gaze at last toward Zhan...who had not lifted his eyes since he entered the room.
King Yibo's voice was steady when he asked, "Does the accused have anything to say in his defense?"
And the living room went still again, waiting for Zhan's first word.
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛