Below, on the dirty sidewalk, at midnight, Lui Rui sat holding the wounded Jiang Shui, the red rose lying on the ground beside them, stained with blood.
She didn't know what she was thinking. What she was feeling.
She knew only one thing: this man, whoever he was, had died for her tonight.
Or nearly died.
And that was enough.
---
In the Imperial Capital "Tianlong" – The Celestial Dragon City
Miles away from Lingzhou, where poverty does not reach and sorrow does not extend, the Imperial Capital shone under the moonlight like a priceless jewel.
Its towering walls of carved white marble, adorned with golden dragons chasing pearls. Its twelve towers touching the clouds, each tower flying a silk banner embroidered with pure gold threads. Its streets paved with jade stones, reflecting the moonlight like rivers of silver. And its palaces scattered on the mountainside as if a fairy tale had materialized into living stone.
And at the heart of all this, the great Imperial Palace sat in the center of the capital like a mighty dragon guarding its most precious treasure.
In the Imperial Wing, where the walls were of ivory and the ceilings of gold, Emperor Lin Shen stood on his balcony overlooking his entire kingdom.
He was in his late twenties, his handsome young face adorned with a cold smile, his slender body upright as a sword despite the late hour.
Behind him, General Wei, commander of his personal guard and right-hand man, stood respectfully.
"Your report," the Emperor said without turning around.
"Your Majesty," General Wei began in a low voice. "Prince Jiang Shui was attacked tonight in Lingzhou."
The Emperor's head moved slightly. "My brother?" His tone was pure curiosity. "Who attacked my brother?"
"We don't know for certain. Our men saw a man on the rooftop leading the attack. But the Prince was prepared."
"Prepared? How?"
"He had men hidden. A fierce battle took place. Many of the attackers were killed. And the Prince..." The general hesitated.
"What?"
"Wounded, Your Majesty. An arrow in his shoulder."
The Emperor was silent for a moment. Then he let out a short laugh. "My brother gets wounded? My cautious brother who never sleeps without guards? How did this happen?"
General Wei looked at the ground. "There was a girl, Your Majesty."
The Emperor's eyebrow rose. "A girl?"
"The Prince was sitting with her on the sidewalk before the attack. And when an arrow was shot towards her, he covered her with his body. He took the arrow instead of her."
The Emperor was silent for a long time.
Then he approached General Wei. His young eyes burned with intense curiosity.
"My brother," he said in a low voice. "My brother who trusts no one. My brother who considers every person either a tool or an enemy. That man... covered a girl with his body?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Who is she?"
"Lui Rui. The daughter of a drunkard and a whore. She works at a fabric shop. Simple. Naive. Worthless."
The Emperor looked at General Wei for a long moment. Then he returned to the balcony.
"Worthless," he murmured. "Then she is the most valuable person in the Empire now."
He was silent for a moment. Then he asked without turning around:
"Do you know who attacked him?"
"No, Your Majesty. But we believe he has connections to the court. His method of planning, his knowledge of the Prince's location at that exact time... This is not just an ordinary enemy."
"So there's a new player in the game," the Emperor said calmly. "Someone who wants to kill my brother. Someone who knows his movements."
He turned to General Wei. "Search. Find out who it is before he moves again."
"I will, Your Majesty."
The Emperor returned to looking into the distance. To where Lingzhou lay in the darkness. He was silent for a moment, then said in a casual tone:
"And what about the girl?"
"The girl, Your Majesty?"
"Yes. The one who made my brother act like a madman. Do you know anything about her?"
General Wei hesitated. "She works at a fabric shop. She lives with a drunken father and a mother... not worth mentioning. They mistreat her. But she is... different."
"Different? How?"
"We don't know exactly. But there is something about her. Perhaps her innocence. Perhaps her naivety."
The Emperor was silent. Then he shrugged indifferently.
"It doesn't matter. Naive girls come and go. What matters is my brother and whoever wants to kill him."
General Wei looked at him. "And do you trust the Prince, Your Majesty?"
The Emperor laughed a cold laugh. "I trust that he wants my throne. I trust that he considers me his primary enemy."
He looked at the moon.
"Let him plan. Let him dream. Let him think I am oblivious to what he does."
He turned to General Wei. "When the time is right, I will show him who is more deserving of the throne."
He was silent. Then he added quietly:
"And there is only one thing my brother does not know. Something he is completely unaware of. Something that, if he knew, would change his entire plan."
General Wei looked at him curiously. "What is it, Your Majesty?"
The Emperor smiled a mysterious smile. "That is my secret. And it will remain my secret until its time comes."
He looked into the distance again. To where his brother slept in Lingzhou.
"The game has just begun, my brother. And let me show you... how Emperors play."
---
In Lingzhou, at that very moment
Lui Rui was still sitting on the sidewalk, hugging herself, the blood-stained rose in her hand. Jiang Shui's men had taken him away to dress his wounds, leaving her alone.
In the shadows, a few steps away, a man was watching her. The same hooded man from the rooftop.
"You are the one who made Jiang Shui act like a fool," he whispered to himself. "You are his weakness."
He smiled a cold smile. "So... I will use you against him."
Then he disappeared into the darkness.
---
At Lui Rui's house, an hour later
Lui Rui entered her house quietly. Her father was still sleeping in his drunkenness. Her mother was still unconscious.
She sat on her mat, looked at the rose in her hand. It was stained with blood, but still beautiful.
She remembered Jiang Shui. She remembered his body covering her. She remembered his voice whispering, "Are you alright?"
For the first time in her life, she felt like she mattered to someone.
She placed the rose under her mat and closed her eyes.
After Lui Rui closed her eyes and drifted into a light sleep...
A knock on the door.
A soft knock, but it woke her immediately.
She got up quickly, her heart pounding. She looked around in the darkness. Her father was still deep in his drunkenness. Her mother was still unconscious. No sound except the beating of her heart.
She opened the door cautiously.
There was no one there.
She looked left and right. The alley was empty. Only shadows dancing with the wind.
Then she looked down.
There was a rose.
A red rose. Just like her rose. But this rose was different. It was stained with blood.
Fresh blood still glistening in the moonlight.
Lui Rui froze. She looked at the rose. At the blood. At the darkness before her.
She lifted her head quickly. She looked at the opposite rooftop. At the alley. At every corner.
No one.
But she felt it. That feeling. The feeling that someone had been here just moments ago.
She looked at the rose again. The blood was real. Warm. Fresh.
One touch with her finger confirmed it for her.
She stood there for minutes. Not moving. Not breathing. Just staring at the blood-stained rose, and at the darkness that had swallowed its owner.
Then she slowly closed the door. She returned to her mat. She sat there trembling.
She looked at the rose in her hand. At the blood staining its red petals. At the gift that had turned into a threat.
Who was it? What did he want? And why did he leave her a blood-stained rose?
Questions with no answers.
Outside, dawn was beginning to break. But the darkness in her heart was deeper than any night.
---
[End of Chapter Two]