The air inside the banquet hall was syrup-thick with wine and tension, the kind that gathered when people smiled too long and waited for something to go wrong. The banquet had been going on for hours, and not a single one of the ministers or their families could leave until the Emperor retired for the night.
And it appeared that he wasn't going anywhere.
While others might have been upset over that, Lady Zhao felt that it was absolutely perfect. She had one last act to perform, and it was almost time to start.
She sipped her tea slowly, watching the dancers swirl across the polished floor. Her gaze slid toward the doors where Zhao Xinying had exited nearly an hour before. She was late returning, but that, of course, was intentional. She would have been more upset if she had returned back to her seat beside the Crown Prince, perfectly put together, and her reputation still intact.
Taking one last sip of tea, she forced her smile away. It was time.
