The great bronze doors of the court groaned as they opened, sunlight spilling into the vast chamber. Ministers filed into their ranks, robes whispering like restless waves. XiaoQi followed behind DongZe, her steps slow, uncertain. Her pulse drummed in her ears. She had thought this matter settled.
The echo of her slippers against polished stone seemed too loud in the silence before the session began. Her gaze drifted up to the throne, where the Emperor already sat, expression carved in stone. Around him, officials shuffled their scrolls, ready to recite evidence that had already been weighed and judged.
XiaoQi's brows drew together. Two weeks ago, she had stood in this same hall and watched Concubine Lian being condemned to the cold prison. The Emperor's decree had been final. Yet here she was again, forced to listen as voices reopened the wound.
She leaned toward DongZe, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Why is there another trial? Did His Majesty not already decide?"
DongZe did not turn his head. His eyes, sharp and cold, remained fixed on the ministers gathering below. His reply was barely audible, yet each word pressed like iron against her ear. "The women who once served her weep and whisper in the shadows. They feed stories to pliant ministers, speaking of her innocence, of accidents and misunderstandings. Now the ministers clamour for reconsideration, dragging us all back into this farce."
Her lips parted in surprise. She glanced down the rows of attendants at the edge of the court. Indeed, two of Lian's old handmaids stood there among the witnesses, veils trembling with the weight of their false sobs. Their faces were pale and tear-streaked, but their eyes gleamed like foxes that had scented prey.
XiaoQi's stomach turned. She clenched her hands in her lap, nails biting into her palms.
Ministers lined either side of the chamber, their silken robes rustling whenever one shifted uncomfortably. Beneath the tall windows, sunlight slanted in bright bands, illuminating the polished floor where Concubine Lian was led forward in chains.
She moved with slow, deliberate grace, the gilded shackles clinking softly with each step. Though her lips were pale and her hair less immaculate than usual, she still carried herself like a woman born to command gazes. She sank into a bow, then lifted her chin just enough to meet the Emperor's eye with a fragile tremor in her voice.
"Your Majesty," she murmured, sorrow woven into every syllable, "this concubine has been wronged."
A ripple of murmurs broke across the chamber. Some ministers nodded, murmuring their assent. Others pressed their lips thin, unwilling to let the incident fade into excuses.
The Emperor leaned forward on his throne, his expression carved from stone. "The court will hear both sides before judgment is passed."
The words had barely left him before voices rose.
A minister stepped forward, voice thick with practiced sorrow. "Your Majesty, perhaps we judged too swiftly. The lady has served the palace loyally for years. Might this poisoning have been a tragic mishap, rather than malice?"
The second minister joined in, his long beard trembling as he spoke, stepped into the open floor. "Your Majesty, this reeks of exaggeration. The maid is young and easily swayed. Can we place the word of one trembling servant above that of a noble consort? Shall the palace descend into chaos every time gossip crosses a corridor?"
Another official barked in reply before the Emperor could respond. "And what of the bruises the maid bore? What of Concubine Lian entering the West Residence at night under the guise of respect? What of the guard's testimony? These are not coincidences, but calculated acts."
A hush fell for a breath as Lian slowly lowered her lashes, her expression softening into wounded fragility.
She bowed her head, voice low, coaxing sympathy. "I went only to pay respects, to ease the bitterness between us. My intent was to beg forgiveness, not cause harm. As for the guard, perhaps the poison addled his memory. How could I, a woman, ever force him?"
From his place at the edge of the dais, the poisoned guard coughed violently, clutching the physician's arm for balance. His face was ashen, his breath shallow, yet his voice carried across the chamber with stubborn resolve.
"She offered me favour. She promised rewards. And when I faltered, she poisoned me. Were it not for the Lady Chen's hands, I would be dead."
A ripple of murmurs swept the court. Some ministers shifted uncomfortably, others frowned in disbelief. The words hung heavy, damning and sharp.
But before silence could settle, one of Lian's attendants stumbled forward from the witness line, her veil damp with staged tears. She fell to her knees, forehead striking the floor with a thud. "Your Majesties, you must not believe him! He lies to save his own skin!"
Another maid, clutching her sleeve, chimed in between sobs. "That guard... he lingered around the concubine's quarters at night. Many times we warned him away. He crept like a thief, eyes greedy. He even tried to force himself upon our mistress once, when the moon was high!"
Gasps erupted across the chamber. The ministers leaned toward one another, whispering furiously. Some eyes turned accusingly to the guard, others darted to XiaoQi, to DongZe, to the Emperor himself.
The guard's lips moved soundlessly before his voice broke into a hoarse roar. "Lies! By Heaven, I swear it! Never once did I dishonour her door. It was she who summoned me, she who fed me poisoned wine! I... I nearly lost my life!" He coughed violently again, blood flecking his lips.
The first maid pressed her face harder to the floor, her voice shrill with desperation. "He twists the truth! Why would a noble lady stoop to promise a guard reward, unless she feared him? Unless she needed to keep him silent about his trespasses?"
The chamber thundered with divided voices. Some ministers shouted for order, others argued that such a claim must be investigated, that a concubine's virtue was no light matter.
XiaoQi's nails bit into her palms. Her stomach churned with disgust at the spectacle. She could see through their act—their tear-streaked faces and trembling voices—but here, in this hall, such lies could ruin men and save monsters.
Beside her, DongZe's hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. His eyes were shards of ice, fixed on the weeping maids as though he could flay them alive with a glance.
The chamber was a storm of voices until XiaoQi suddenly rose from her place, skirts whispering against the polished floor. The ministers' bickering faltered as all eyes turned toward her. Her heart pounded painfully, but her gaze was steady, her chin lifted.
"Your Majesty," she began, her voice clear though her hands trembled at her sides. "This man speaks the truth."
The court stilled, the silence heavy as stone. Even the Emperor's brows lifted slightly.
XiaoQi stepped forward, each pace intentional, her eyes locking on the kneeling maids.
"He was poisoned. I saw it with my own eyes. When his body convulsed and his breath faltered, it was I who held him, I who mixed the herbs to pull him back from death. If he had forced himself upon Concubine Lian, why then would she offer him wine? Why would she spare him the chance to live long enough to accuse her?"
Her words struck like arrows, crisp and sharp, and a murmur of agreement rippled faintly through the court.
The maid who had spoken first clutched at her chest with a sob. "Lady Chen, you are kind, but deceived. You could not have known what happened in the shadows of the night. Our mistress feared him. She—"
"Feared?" XiaoQi's voice cut across hers, low but fierce. "I have seen fear. I have worn it on my own face." Her tone softened only slightly, but the steel beneath it rang clear. "That man's eyes the night I saved him held not the cunning of a predator, but the desperation of one betrayed. He begged for life, not for lust. Do not insult my sight, nor His Majesty's court, with such clumsy lies."
The guard, still pale and trembling, bowed low in gratitude, his voice hoarse. "Lady Chen... thank you."
The silence that followed XiaoQi's words stretched taut, like a bowstring ready to snap.
Then DongZe moved. He stepped forward from the dais, each footfall ringing against the marble floor. His sword was still at his side, but the air around him tightened as though he had already unsheathed it.
"Enough of this farce." His voice carried no need for volume. It cut through the hall, low and deadly, commanding every ear. His gaze fell on the kneeling maids, sharp as a blade drawn across their throats. "You dare soil this court with lies so clumsy they insult His Majesty's wisdom? You twist a guard's suffering into a false tale of assault? Then you insult not only him, but me, the one who commands his post."
The maids quaked, their foreheads pressed to the floor. One whimpered, "Your Highness, we speak only what we saw—"
"What you saw?" DongZe's lips curled into a thin smile, but there was no warmth in it, only ice. "Then allow me to enlighten you on what others have seen."
He turned, his eyes sweeping the chamber. "Records exist of every guard rotation. Witnesses stand at every corner of this palace. The physicians themselves have attested to the poison in his blood, a poison that matches what was found in Lady Chen not long ago. Will you tell me that he poisoned himself? That she poisoned herself?"
The ministers shifted uncomfortably. No one dared speak.
DongZe's gaze returned to the women. "Say again that this man forced his way into your mistress's chambers, and I will see you tried for false testimony before the ink dries on today's records. Palace law is clear: slander against a fellow servant is punishable by exile. Slander against a member of the Crown is punishable by death."
The last word dropped into the hall like a stone into deep water.
A minister dared stepped forward, his robe whispering, his voice sharp as a snap. "Your Highness, with respect, she is the daughter of a criminal. Is she worth such concern—"
The words did not finish. Steel sang as if split from the air itself. DongZe's sword left its scabbard in a motion that was all muscle memory and barely controlled temper. The sun slanting through the high windows caught the blade, turning it into a blade of winter light. He stood with the sword angled low but ready, eyes narrowed into flints.
"Say that again," his voice came, low and dangerous, a sound that settled like a warning across the marble. "And you will lose more than your tongue."
The maids and the minister collapsed further against the floor, trembling violently. One of the maids tried to stammer a protest, but no sound left her lips.
DongZe finally straightened, his jaw hard, his eyes still smouldering. "His Majesty may show patience. I do not. The next lie that leaves your mouths will be the last."
The Emperor exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples. "Ze'er..." His voice was weary, but he did not rebuke his son further. Around the chamber, ministers kept their heads bowed, the weight of silence pressing heavier than any argument.
XiaoQi's hands, curled tight at her sides, slowly loosened. She had stood her ground, but DongZe had gutted their lies. Relief mingled with awe at the way he wielded power, precise and merciless.
When the echo faded, DongZe stepped closer to the guard and bowed his head toward him in a small, almost private gesture of respect. Then his eyes found XiaoQi, and for a moment the flames behind his composure softened. He had protected her with steel and with the law.
The chamber held its breath as the Emperor straightened in his throne, the weight of his gaze falling on every corner of the hall. The maids remained pressed low, their false tears evaporated into trembling panic. Lian's painted composure faltered slightly, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her sharp features.
"Concubine Lian," the Emperor began, his voice echoing through the hall like the tolling of a bell, "the court has heard the evidence, testimony, and defenses from all parties. It is clear that your actions endangered a loyal servant and violated the laws of the palace. Your attempts to manipulate others and obscure the truth have been exposed."
A sharp intake of breath swept across the ministers. Some exchanged uneasy glances. The maids whimpered softly. Lian's lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes narrowing into slits.
"Therefore," the Emperor continued, voice growing colder, "by the authority vested in me as your sovereign, I hereby order Concubine Lian stripped of her titles, expelled from the palace, and confined to the northern prison for her crimes. Any of her followers who aided in deception will face punishment according to the severity of their actions."
The sound of the decree landed like a hammer across the chamber. Some ministers bowed quickly, relief washing over them at the clarity of judgment. Others shifted nervously, realizing how deeply they had misjudged the matter.
XiaoQi exhaled slowly, relief and exhaustion mingling in her chest. The trial was over. Lian had been condemned. The court was beginning to stir, the ministers murmuring among themselves, but the air felt lighter already.
DongZe lowered his gaze to her, the faintest curve tugging at the corner of his lips. "You handled yourself well today, my Princess," he said smoothly, the words deliberate, teasing.
XiaoQi's cheeks burned immediately. "I am not a princess," she hissed, her hands tightening at her sides. "I never agreed to such things. Titles mean nothing to me."
His dark eyes glimmered with amusement. "Ah, but you are my consort, are you not? And a consort to the Crown Prince is, by definition, a princess."
"Consort," she repeated, voice sharper now, "does not mean 'princess.' I do not—" Her words faltered as a faint blush spread across her cheeks, betraying the thrum of her heartbeat. She refused to meet his eyes, but DongZe caught the subtle curve of her lips, the quick rise and fall of her chest.
He tilted his head, gaze softening just slightly, then without a word, he lowered his head and pressed his lips firmly to hers, right there in the centre of the court. Gasps erupted around them. Ministers froze mid-step, their hands clenching scrolls in shock. Even the Emperor, seated high on his throne, blinked twice in surprise.
XiaoQi froze, shock rooting her to the floor. Her body stiffened as if it had forgotten how to move. Time seemed to stretch in the stunned silence of the hall.
Then instinct flared. Heat and indignation mingled into a single impulse, and before DongZe could draw back, she bit down hard on his lower lip. A sharp taste of copper filled her mouth. He hissed, more in surprise than pain, and she felt the warm prick of blood on her tongue.
He staggered slightly, more off-balance from the audacity of her attack than from the pain, his dark eyes widening. A sharp laugh escaped him, low and rough. "You—" His hand shot up to cradle her head, steadying himself, but also holding her close.
XiaoQi yanked back immediately, glaring at him. Her pulse raced, both from the thrill and the danger of defying him so publicly. "Do not think," she panted, voice trembling with adrenaline, "that you can kiss me in front of the entire court and get away with it!"