The palace shimmered like a jeweled lantern against the night, its corridors awash in molten gold. Hundreds of lanterns burned bright, their light rippling across the marble floors as if the moon itself had scattered pieces of its heart across the halls.
Silk banners cascaded down from polished pillars. Shadows danced across painted ceilings, and the air—thick with jasmine and sandalwood—curled through laughter and distant music spilling from the grand hall.
It was breathtaking.
It was majestic.
It was utterly, mercilessly designed to intimidate.
And Li Mei wanted to throw up.
Her system chimed the moment her slippers crossed the threshold.
[Ding! Warning: High-level court event detected.]
[NPC threats identified: Lady Yun, Lord Wei, Lady Huan.]
[Objective: Survive banquet without scandal.]
[Reward: +500 XP. System upgrade possible.]
[Probability of success: 42%.]
Li Mei's stomach plummeted. Forty-two percent? That wasn't a survival rate—that was the system's polite way of saying: Good luck, you're doomed with style.
She muttered under her breath, "That's basically a death sentence with fancy food."
The system answered like it was enjoying this.
[Ding! New Skill Activated: Accidental Diplomat – Level 3.]
[Passive Bonus: +15 Influence in high-stakes events.]
"Oh good," Li Mei whispered bitterly, "a skill I never wanted, for a situation I don't want to be in. Fantastic."
The gown Celestia had 'subtly approved' didn't help either—translation: forced upon her with imperial menace. It was a blush-colored thing of layered silk and silver-thread embroidery, beautiful and cruel all at once. Every time she moved, it swished like it was announcing her presence to all enemies within a five-mile radius.
Great. If scandal doesn't kill me, tripping in this gown will.
Her palms were damp against the fabric as she scanned the crowd. Nobles glimmered under the lantern light like rare predators in jewels and perfume. Their laughter was sweet poison; their smiles brittle porcelain.
To Li Mei, it wasn't a banquet. It was a battlefield with better lighting.
And like clockwork, her first danger appeared.
Lady Yun swept into view, draped in emerald silk and arrogance. Jewels glittered around her throat like sharpened blades, and two of her sycophants followed—faces pleasant, eyes sharp as needles. They didn't walk so much as glide with purpose, cutting through the air as if they owned it.
Her gaze locked on Li Mei, and that polished smile turned venomous.
"You… are still alive," she said softly, her tone sugar over steel. Her eyes slid over Li Mei's gown, her voice dropping to a hiss. "And somehow… dazzling."
Li Mei froze. Dazzling? Was that a compliment? An insult? A prelude to assassination? Her brain tripped over itself, desperately searching for an appropriate response—and came up blank.
Before she could die of awkward silence, a familiar shadow stretched beside her, tall and unhurried.
Crown Prince Jianyu.
He leaned casually against a nearby pillar, his black embroidered robes catching the light like constellations stitched into night. His face was unreadable—lazy amusement in his gaze, danger curling at the edge of his smile.
"Don't worry," Jianyu murmured, voice low enough for only her. "If she tries anything, I'll intervene."
The word intervene was soaked in threat. And comfort. And something else she couldn't name.
Li Mei groaned softly. "I don't need intervention," she whispered, eyes darting nervously after Lady Yun, "I need invisibility cloaks. Preferably seven."
His lips curved—just a hint of a smirk, almost fond. Lady Yun's glare sharpened as she swept past, her perfume trailing like the scent of a challenge.
The music swelled. Laughter echoed. The banquet was officially beginning.
And Li Mei hadn't even had her first scandal yet.
The banquet began like a storm pretending to be music.
Harps fluttered, drums rumbled under silk laughter, and somewhere a hundred tiny bells chimed as dancers spun in silver light. Platters glided past—lotus buns, crystal fish, candied chestnuts—and Li Mei was just starting to unclench her shoulders when—
[Ding! New Event: Imperial Toast. Probability of Public Humiliation: 67%.]
Her cup almost slipped. "Sixty-seven?!" she hissed. "Can I get a tutorial on not dying of embarrassment?"
[Tip: Keep mouth shut. Maintain neutral facial expression.]
Fantastic advice, she thought. From the same system that made me call noodles a diplomatic strategy.
At the head table, Empress Celestia rose. Every conversation froze as the hall bent toward her like grass before a wind. Even the music faltered, notes hanging trembling in the air.
Her voice was calm porcelain. "Tonight we honor harmony between houses. Let there be no discord… or waste."
No waste? That was Li Mei's cue to do nothing. Absolutely nothing.
So naturally, the servant beside her stumbled. A tray tipped. Crimson wine arced through the air—slow, glittering—straight toward the Empress's snow-white sleeve.
Time shattered.
Li Mei moved before thinking, lunging with both hands. The tray spun, her sleeve caught the splash, and she somehow—miraculously—ended up kneeling, holding the rescued goblet upright like a loyal idiot knight guarding holy liquor.
Silence detonated.
A hundred nobles stared. The Empress blinked once, wine-dark eyes unreadable.
Then, softly: "Resourceful."
[Ding! +150 XP – Quick-Time Crisis Avoidance.]
[New Trait Unlocked: Court Reflexes Lv 1.]
Li Mei's heart thundered so loud she swore the musicians could hear. She tried to bow, but her knee had gone numb from panic. The result was somewhere between a curtsy and a seizure.
Laughter rippled through the hall—not cruel, just startled—and suddenly the air shifted. The Empress's lips curved, faint and dangerous.
"Perhaps our little diplomat should oversee the wine service," she said.
"Oh no," Li Mei whispered. "Oh no no no—"
But orders were orders. She was handed a fresh decanter the size of a toddler and told to pour for the high table. Each noble she approached smiled too wide, watching for a mistake.
Her hand trembled; the liquid sloshed.
[Stability Check in Progress… Fail Rate: 39%.]
Jianyu's low voice slid to her from his seat, lazy but precise.
"Breathe. You look like the wine might pour you."
"I'm fine," she lied, nearly baptizing his sleeve.
He caught the cup from her, fingers brushing hers—cool, deliberate, steadying. "Now you're fine."
Heat hit her cheeks like fire. Around them, whispers fluttered again. Lady Yun's smile sharpened into a blade.
Li Mei straightened, forcing a shaky grin. "See? Controlled chaos. Totally part of the performance."
[Ding! Improvised Charm Check: Success.]
[+50 Influence with Crown Prince.]
Oh wonderful. Just what she needed—romantic XP in a death trap.
By the time she staggered back to her place, the court had moved on to polite applause for the musicians, but she could feel the undercurrent—the eyes, the murmurs, the soft shock that this ridiculous girl had not yet died.
The system purred in her head.
[Event Status: Survived.]
[Bonus Objective Completed: Entertain the Imperial Family without Bleeding.]
[Reward: +250 XP | Title Updated → "Survivor of Spectacle."]
Li Mei sagged against the pillar, exhaling the world out of her lungs.
Survived. Barely. Again.
Then the music swelled for the next course, and she realized the night was far from over.
By the time the last toast faded, the night had gone strangely still. The musicians packed their strings in silence. Lanterns guttered one by one, bleeding gold into the dark. The air smelled faintly of plum blossoms and spiced wine — and under it all, the sharp metallic note of danger cooling.
Li Mei bowed out with the rest of the attendants, every nerve still vibrating like a plucked string. Her sleeve was stained from the wine incident, her hair had lost all structural integrity, and her dignity was somewhere under the Empress's table—but she was alive. That counted.
[Ding! Quest Complete: "Don't Die at the Banquet."]
[Reward: +300 XP | Trait Upgrade – Adaptability Lv 2.]
She nearly wept from gratitude. "Adaptability. Perfect. Maybe next unlock is emotional stability."
"Miss Li."
The voice was silk over glass.
Empress Celestia stood near the departing dais, the faintest smile ghosting her lips. A gesture, and everyone else in the hall conveniently found something fascinating to look at far away. Only Li Mei remained, pulse in her throat.
Celestia's gaze drifted over her — not cruel, just impossibly knowing. "You handled yourself… creatively."
Li Mei's voice squeaked. "Your Majesty, I—uh—improvised under pressure?"
A single brow rose. "Indeed. Most crumble. You adapt."
There it was again, that impossible balance of warmth and threat, like sunlight refracting on a knife's edge. Celestia's next words were soft enough to chill bone.
"Be careful, Li Mei. The court adores novelty — right until it decides novelty is dangerous."
Li Mei bowed so fast her spine popped. "Understood!"
The Empress turned away, the matter settled — or buried. As she passed, Lady Yun emerged from the shadows of a column, her expression carved from moonlight.
"Interesting," Yun murmured. "You make quite the impression for someone who doesn't belong here."
"I try not to," Li Mei said, smiling just enough to be polite, praying her knees wouldn't give out.
Yun's smile was refined cruelty. "Then try harder."
And with that, she was gone — perfume and poison lingering behind her.
Li Mei let out a strangled laugh once she was safely alone behind the servants' corridor. "Great. Survive humiliation, impress Empress, antagonize scary noblewoman. That's… progress?"
[Ding! Emotional Resilience +1.]
The corridor door creaked. Jianyu leaned lazily against the frame, moonlight sketching him in silver and shadow. "You do realize you just outmaneuvered half the court with a wine jug?"
"Accidentally," she muttered. "I specialize in unintentional chaos."
He tilted his head, studying her like an equation he wasn't sure he wanted to solve. "Maybe. But chaos has teeth when it's underestimated."
"Are you… complimenting me or warning me?"
"Yes." His mouth curved, sharp and soft all at once. "Don't let them swallow you whole, little diplomat."
Before she could retort—or breathe—he was gone, the echo of his steps fading into the long marble silence.
Li Mei stared after him, the absurdity of the night settling in layers: fear, relief, the faint thrill of survival.
Her reflection glimmered faintly in a bronze mirror by the door — hair wild, eyes bright, heart still racing. She almost didn't recognize the woman looking back.
You're really doing this, she thought. You're really still alive.
[Questline Updated: The Game Board Expands.]
[Objective: Learn the Rules or Rewrite Them.]
She sighed, dragging herself toward her quarters. "Great. A game where the tutorial kills you and the prize is… not dying."
Outside, the last lantern flickered out. The night folded around the palace like velvet laced with blades.
Li Mei looked once over her shoulder — toward the hall of gold and ghosts, toward Celestia's smile, Lady Yun's venom, and Jianyu's unreadable eyes.
Then she whispered to herself, half-laugh, half-prayer:
"Boss-level intrigue approaching."