Morning light filtered through the lattice windows, casting delicate shadows across the floor. The scent of sandalwood lingered in the air, mingling with the faintest trace of indigo still clinging to Meishan's sleeves.
A gentle knock came, followed by the rustle of silk.
"My lady?" came Qiu's voice, hushed but urgent.
Yu Meishan stirred beneath her covers, the bruise on her knuckles throbbing in time with her heartbeat. She winced as she sat up.
Qiu slipped inside, carrying a fresh towel over her arm and a concerned frown on her face.
"You're lucky no one found out that you left at night," she whispered, casting a nervous glance toward the door. "I had to tell the steward you were unwell so no one disturbed you."
Meishan gave a soft snort, rubbing her neck. "Not entirely a lie."
Qiu sighed. "Come. I've prepared your bath. If your sister or the steward sees you like this—gods forbid—"
Meishan rose with a grunt, the remnants of adrenaline still lingering in her limbs. "Let them suspect. A bath won't scrub away everything."
"No," Qiu said quietly, "but it'll buy you time."
---
Steam curled from the copper tub in the adjoining room. As Meishan eased into the water, bruises and all, she tilted her head back, eyes drifting to the rafters above.
She knew what she had done. What she had started.
Xu Heng would talk.
Not immediately, perhaps—but when the court asked, he would sing a song written by her own hand.
And Yu Lianhua… She would never sit still and let the engagement stand.
Still, Meishan smiled faintly, closing her eyes.
Let them come.
---
Meanwhile…
Silken slippers echoed down the Phoenix Palace corridor.
Princess Li Huayuan did not wait to be announced.
The guards at the Empress's private chamber stiffened but parted at her steely glare. She swept inside, chin high, fury masked beneath layers of imperial silk.
The Empress, poised by a screen, looked up in surprise.
"Huayuan?" she asked, setting down her teacup. "What brings you here so early?"
Princess Huayuan didn't bow.
"Mother, we need to speak."
The Empress narrowed her eyes. "What is this about?"
A single pause hung between them like a drawn blade.
"Yu Meishan," Huayuan said coldly. "She's not who she claims to be."
The Empress's expression froze.
"Explain," she said.
Huayuan stepped forward, voice laced with venom.
"She's the illegitimate daughter of a courtesan. And Wen Renshu means to marry her."
---
---
The Empress's gaze sharpened, lips tightening into a thin line. The silence stretched taut—then she finally spoke, voice low but steady.
"If this is true..." Her eyes bore into Huayuan's, cold as winter frost.
"Then this marriage threatens not only our family's honor but the very future of the empire."
Huayuan's jaw clenched. "Mother, we cannot allow this union to stand. It must be stopped—before the court finds out and the scandal spreads like wildfire."
The Empress rose, regal and commanding. "Prepare the edicts. Summon Wen Renshu and Yu Meishan to the palace. I will inform his Majesty. Tonight, we decide the fate of this engagement."
Huayuan nodded, a triumphant glint in her eyes.
---
Morning light filtered through the lattice windows, casting delicate shadows across the floor. The scent of sandalwood lingered in the air, mingling with the faintest trace of indigo still clinging to Meishan's sleeves.
A gentle knock came, followed by the rustle of silk.
"My lady?" came Qiu's voice, hushed but urgent.
Yu Meishan stirred beneath her covers, the bruise on her knuckles throbbing in time with her heartbeat. She winced as she sat up.
Qiu slipped inside, carrying a fresh towel over her arm and a concerned frown on her face.
"You're lucky no one found out that you left at night," she whispered, casting a nervous glance toward the door. "I had to tell the steward you were unwell so no one disturbed you."
Meishan gave a soft snort, rubbing her neck. "Not entirely a lie."
Qiu sighed. "Come. I've prepared your bath. If your sister or the steward sees you like this—gods forbid—"
Meishan rose with a grunt, the remnants of adrenaline still lingering in her limbs. "Let them suspect. A bath won't scrub away everything."
"No," Qiu said quietly, "but it'll buy you time."
---
Steam curled from the copper tub in the adjoining room. As Meishan eased into the water, bruises and all, she tilted her head back, eyes drifting to the rafters above.
She knew what she had done. What she had started.
Xu Heng would talk.
Not immediately, perhaps—but when the court asked, he would sing a song written by her own hand.
And Yu Lianhua… She would never sit still and let the engagement stand.
Still, Meishan smiled faintly, closing her eyes.
Let them come.
---
Meanwhile…
Silken slippers echoed down the Phoenix Palace corridor.
Princess Li Huayuan did not wait to be announced.
The guards at the Empress's private chamber stiffened but parted at her steely glare. She swept inside, chin high, fury masked beneath layers of imperial silk.
The Empress, Dowager Empress Xianfei, poised by a painted screen, looked up in surprise.
"Huayuan?" she asked, setting down her teacup. "What brings you here so early?"
Princess Huayuan didn't bow.
"Mother, we need to speak."
The Empress narrowed her eyes. "What is this about?"
A single pause hung between them like a drawn blade.
"Yu Meishan," Huayuan said coldly. "She's not who she claims to be."
The Empress's expression froze.
"Explain," she said.
Huayuan stepped forward, voice laced with venom.
"She's the illegitimate daughter of a courtesan. And Wen Renshu means to marry her."
---
The Empress's gaze sharpened, lips tightening into a thin line. The silence stretched taut—then she finally spoke, voice low but steady.
"If this is true..." Her eyes bore into Huayuan's, cold as winter frost.
"Then this marriage threatens not only our family's honor but the very future of the empire."
Huayuan's jaw clenched. "Mother, we cannot allow this union to stand. It must be stopped—before the court finds out and the scandal spreads like wildfire."
The Empress rose, regal and commanding. "Prepare the edicts. Summon only Yu Meishan to the palace."
"What about Renshu?" Huayuan asked sharply.
"When he returns, I will speak with him. I will inform His Majesty. Tonight, we decide the fate of this engagement."
Huayuan nodded, a triumphant glint in her eyes.
---
The vermilion gates of the imperial palace loomed before Yu Meishan, their gilded edges catching the last light of dusk. Guards in polished armor flanked the entrance, their gazes fixed ahead, but she could feel the weight of their curiosity.
So this is how it ends.
She had dressed plainly. Her hair was bound tightly, her posture straight.
The throne hall was already filled when she entered.
Emperor Li Zheng sat upon the dragon throne, his expression unreadable. To his right stood Crown Prince Li Jian and Crown Princess Ruolan, their faces carefully neutral. Dowager Empress Xianfei, Wen Renshu's aunt, occupied a seat of honor beside the emperor, her sharp eyes following Meishan's every step.
And then there was Li Huayuan, smirking from her place beside her father.
Meishan knelt, pressing her forehead to the cold marble floor.
"Rise," the emperor commanded.
She obeyed, meeting his gaze without flinching.
Dowager Empress Xianfei spoke first, her voice like silk over steel.
"Lady Yu. Do you know why you have been summoned?"
Meishan's lips curled slightly. "I assume it is not to discuss the weather."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the courtiers. The emperor's fingers tightened imperceptibly on the armrest of his throne.
Li Huayuan stepped forward, her smile venomous. "Then let us not waste time. It has come to our attention that you are not, in fact, a true daughter of the Yu family."
Meishan didn't blink. "Is that so?"
"Your father, General Yu, took you in as a child after your mother—a disgraced courtesan—died in disgrace. You were raised not as a lady, but as a weapon." Li Huayuan's voice dripped with satisfaction. "An *illegitimate* weapon."
The words hung in the air like a blade waiting to fall.
Meishan exhaled slowly. Good.
"If His Majesty already knows the truth," she said coolly, "then why am I here?"
Minister Xu Heng chose that moment to step forward, his face still mottled with bruises.
"Because, Lady Yu," he spat, "you are not only a bastard—you are violent." He gestured to his injuries. "Just last night, you attacked me in a warehouse near the dye pits. Threatened me. Do you deny it?"
Meishan tilted her head. "No."
The court erupted.
Crown Princess Ruolan's fan stilled. The emperor's gaze darkened.
"You admit it?" Dowager Empress Xianfei demanded.
---
Meishan smiled. "Why wouldn't I? I did strike you, didn't I, Minister Xu?" She tilted her head, examining his bruises with mock sympathy. "Though you look far better in indigo than I imagined."
Xu Heng's face purpled. "Look at her, Your Majesty! She shows no remorse!" He turned to the court, playing the victim with practiced ease. "This violent woman is unfit to marry into the imperial family!"
"Enough."
The voice cut through the chaos like a sword through silk.
Every head turned.
Wen Renshu stood in the doorway, his riding cloak still damp with evening dew. The northern dust hadn't even settled from his boots.
What is he doing here? Meishan's eyes widened. This wasn't part of the plan.