Mei Lin's POV
The Emperor's private chambers were nothing like I expected.
No throne. No gold. Just a room filled with books and scrolls, a simple bed with dark covers, and windows overlooking the palace gardens. It felt almost... human.
Yiren stood by the window, still wearing his formal robes from the throne room. He turned when I entered.
You came.
You asked me to.
I gave you a choice. You could have refused. He moved closer. Why didn't you?
Because I wanted to be here. Because despite every logical reason to stay away, I was drawn to him like gravity.
I don't know, I admitted.
His smile was soft. Dangerous. Liar. You know exactly why. You're just afraid to say it.
I'm afraid of many things.
Name one.
You. The word escaped before I could stop it. I'm terrified of you.
Because I'm the Emperor?
Because you make me forget why that should matter. I wrapped my arms around myself. I came here with a purpose. A mission. You're making me lose sight of it.
What mission? He closed the distance between us. What are you really doing here, Mei Lin?
This was it. The moment where I had to decide how much truth to give him.
I told you. My family was destroyed by political enemies. I want justice.
Justice or revenge?
Is there a difference?
Yes. His eyes held mine. Justice is about balance. Revenge is about pain. Which one do you want?
I thought about my father's execution. My mother dying of grief. Six years of scrubbing floors while my family's murderers lived in luxury.
Both, I whispered. I want both.
And you think I can give them to you?
I think you're the only one who can.
He was quiet for a long moment. Then he reached up and began removing his formal robes. I froze.
Relax. His voice held amusement. I'm just getting comfortable. These ceremonial robes weigh a fortune.
He stripped down to simple inner robes, then sat on the bed and gestured for me to join him.
I hesitated.
Mei Lin. I promised just to talk. I meant it. His expression was sincere. Come. Sit. Trust me.
I sat carefully on the edge of the bed, leaving space between us.
He laughed. I'm not going to attack you.
I know. I just, this feels
Intimate? He shifted closer, closing the gap. It is. That's the point. I'm tired of formal distance. Tired of games and protocols. When you're here, I want it to be real.
What if real is dangerous?
Then we'll be dangerous together. He took my hand, threading our fingers together. Tell me about your father. Not the political version. The real man.
The question caught me off guard. No one had asked about my father as a person in six years.
He was brilliant, I said quietly. Strategic mind, but also kind. He used to wake up early to watch the sunrise and say it reminded him why he fought—to protect beautiful things. My throat tightened. He taught me strategy through games. Chess, Go. He said understanding how people think was more valuable than understanding how they fight.
He sounds remarkable.
He was. Until they killed him for crimes he didn't commit. Bitterness crept into my voice. False evidence. Paid witnesses. They destroyed him systematically.
Who?
The question hung in the air like a sword.
If I said Wei's name, everything would change. Yiren would have to investigate. He'd discover the connection to Lian. He'd realize I'd been manipulating events from the beginning.
But maybe that was okay. Maybe he'd help me if he knew the truth.
Or maybe he'd choose his trusted advisor over a concubine he'd known for two days.
I don't have proof yet, I said carefully. Just suspicions. When I have evidence, I'll bring it to you.
Fair enough. He lifted our joined hands, studying them. But Mei Lin, when you do bring me evidence, it better be solid. Because if you're accusing someone powerful, there's no room for error.
I understand.
Do you? His eyes met mine. Because powerful people fight back. They'll destroy you to protect themselves. And I— He stopped. Swallowed hard. I won't be able to protect you from everything.
I'm not asking you to protect me. I'm asking you to help me get justice.
Those are the same thing.
No, they're not. Protection means keeping me safe. Justice means making them pay. I turned to face him fully. I don't want safety, Yiren. I want truth.
Something shifted in his expression. Respect mixed with concern.
You're going to get yourself killed.
Probably. But at least I'll die fighting.
Or— He pulled me closer, until we were inches apart. Or you could let me help you. Use my power. My resources. My authority. Stop trying to do this alone.
Why would you help me?
Because— He stopped. His jaw clenched. Because I care about you. I know it's insane. I've known you for two days. But when I heard you'd been poisoned, when I thought you might die, I—
He didn't finish. Just pulled me against him, burying his face in my hair.
I held him back, feeling his heart race against mine.
This is happening too fast, I whispered.
I know.
We barely know each other.
I know.
This could destroy us both.
I know. He pulled back to look at me. I don't care. For the first time in ten years, I feel something other than loneliness. You make me want to be more than just the Emperor. You make me want to be a man.
His hand cupped my face. Thumb stroking my cheek.
Tell me you feel it too, he murmured. Tell me I'm not imagining this.
I should lie. Should protect my heart. Should remember my mission.
Instead, I told the truth.
I feel it. God help me, I feel it too.
He kissed me then. Soft at first. Questioning. Then deeper when I responded.
I'd been kissed before. Clumsy stolen kisses from boys before my family fell. But this was different. This was consuming. This made me forget everything except the taste of him, the warmth of his hands, the way he held me like I was precious.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, he rested his forehead against mine.
Stay, he whispered. Not for—just stay. Sleep here. Let me hold you.
Every logical part of my brain screamed no. This was too fast. Too intimate. Too dangerous.
But my heart was already answering.
Okay.
His smile was beautiful. Relieved.
We lay down together, him pulling me against his chest. His arms wrapped around me, warm and solid.
Tell me something true, he murmured against my hair. Something you've never told anyone.
I thought about all my secrets. My identity. My plans. My revenge.
I'm lonely, I whispered. I've been lonely for six years. Surrounded by people but utterly alone. Until you.
His arms tightened. Me too. We're lonely together now.
That's not how loneliness works.
Isn't it? I felt him smile. I think loneliness is just waiting for the right person to make it disappear.
We lay in comfortable silence. His breathing gradually slowed. Deepened.
He was falling asleep.
I should leave. Sneak out before morning. Maintain some propriety.
Instead, I let myself relax into his warmth. Let myself feel safe for the first time in years.
Just for tonight.
Tomorrow I'd go back to planning. Back to revenge. Back to the careful game of manipulation and strategy.
But tonight, I was just Mei Lin. Held by a man who saw me. Who understood me.
Who might destroy me or save me. I wasn't sure which.
I was drifting toward sleep when I heard it.
Footsteps. In the corridor outside.
I tensed. Yiren's breathing stayed deep and even. Still asleep.
The footsteps stopped outside the door.
Then voices. Whispering.
—certain she's inside?
Yes. I saw her enter an hour ago.
My blood went cold. I recognized that second voice.
Prime Minister Wei.
Perfect. Then we wait until morning. When the Emperor discovers who she really is, he'll have to act. Even his feelings won't protect her from treason.
And if he doesn't believe you?
Oh, he'll believe me. I have proof. Documents showing her father's crimes. Evidence she's been hiding her identity. By noon tomorrow, Lady Xian Yue will be executed for deceiving the throne.
My heart stopped.
Wei knew everything. He had proof. And tomorrow he'd destroy me publicly.
Unless I ran. Right now. Disappeared before morning.
But running meant leaving Yiren. Leaving any chance at justice. Admitting defeat.
The footsteps retreated. Silence returned.
I lay frozen in Yiren's arms, mind racing.
I had maybe eight hours before Wei struck. Eight hours to decide: run or fight.
Eight hours to figure out how to tell the man holding me that I'd been lying since the moment we met.
That I was the daughter of the traitor he'd executed.
That everything between us was built on deception.
Yiren stirred in his sleep, pulling me closer. Murmuring something that sounded like my name.
He cared about me. Maybe even loved me.
But would he still care when he knew the truth?
Or would he hate me for using him?
I closed my eyes and felt tears slide down my cheeks.
Tomorrow, everything would fall apart.
Tomorrow, I'd lose him.
Unless I found a way to turn Wei's trap against him first.
I carefully extracted myself from Yiren's arms. He mumbled in protest but didn't wake.
I pressed a kiss to his forehead. I'm sorry, I whispered. For everything I'm about to do.
Then I slipped from his chambers into the dark palace.
I had eight hours to gather evidence against Wei.
Eight hours to build a case so damning even the Emperor couldn't ignore it.
Eight hours to choose between love and revenge.
The palace was silent as I ran through the corridors. But my mind was screaming.
Because I'd just realized something terrible.
I'd fallen in love with Emperor Zhao Yiren.
And that meant I had everything to lose.
Tomorrow, I'd stand in that throne room and either destroy my enemy or be destroyed myself.
But tonight, tonight I was going to fight.
For my father. For my family. For justice.
And maybe, impossibly, for the man I'd fallen in love with despite every reason not to.
I reached Tang Qing's quarters and pounded on the door.
She opened it, eyes bleary. Mei Lin? What
We're out of time. Wei knows everything. He's moving against me tomorrow. I grabbed her shoulders. I need you to help me break into his office. Tonight. We steal the evidence he's planning to use against me, and find proof of his crimes.
That's suicide.
It's the only option. I met her eyes. Are you with me?
Tang Qing was quiet for only a moment.
Then she grabbed a dark cloak. Always. Let's go commit some treason.
We disappeared into the night.
And somewhere behind us, in the Emperor's chambers, Yiren slept alone.
Unaware that by morning, everything he thought he knew about me would shatter.
Unaware that the woman he was falling for was about to risk everything.
Unaware that tomorrow would change both our lives forever.
The game was ending.
And I had no idea who would win.