Imperial Court – Hall of Binding Oaths
The incense hung heavy.
Too heavy.
As if even the air was being forced into obedience.
We knelt before the Lord Protector — my father. The Emperor sat veiled behind his screen, silent as usual. The ministers lined the chamber like blades hidden in lacquered scabbards.
At our sides, Wu Kang bowed with practiced rage. His fingers trembled, though he smiled with the restraint of a son pretending not to want blood.
I kept my eyes lowered.
The silence held for a full minute before the Lord Protector spoke.
"I mourn my wife."
The words rang across the hall. Cold. Precise. Without softness.
"Lady Consort Xian was not only your mother, Wu Kang, but the Imperial Queen of this realm in all but name. Her memory should have united this court. Instead—"
He stood.
"Instead, I see bickering. Shrine fire. Scandal. Superstition. The streets whisper more than the ministers. The south burns incense to ghosts, and the nobles write songs about veiled women in smoke."
Wu Kang's voice broke through first.
"Father, it was he—"
"Silence."
The word struck like a blade.
"You both brought shame to this family."
I did not argue.
I could feel Shen Yuan's glare from the back of the chamber. Wu Jin remained unreadable.
The Lord Protector's next words came slowly.
"To restore balance, I issue this decree."
Both Wu Kang and I looked up at once.
"The Eastern Palace will be granted authority to inspect all outer shrine districts. Wu Kang, you are to reorganize their oversight and submit a formal proposal by the end of the quarter."
A gift. Dressed as duty.
"And you—" he turned to me. "Wu An, you are hereby tasked with internal city affairs. Merchants. Guilds. Ritual finances."
I bowed my head. "As Your Grace commands."
It was a demotion in appearance. But I saw the glint in Wu Kang's eyes.
He believed he'd won.
Which meant the real game had just begun.
Outer Corridor – After the Assembly
The court filed out in silence. Wu Kang lingered by the lacquered pillars, hands clasped behind his back.
"You said nothing," he murmured.
"There was nothing worth saying."
"She was my mother."
"I know."
His eyes flashed. "Did you feel it when she stood behind you? Or was that just your gods feeding you another lie?"
I said nothing. His voice lowered.
"One day, Wu An, you'll run out of ash and smoke. And when you do—there will be no shrine to save you."
"And you'll still be chasing ghosts," I replied.
He turned and left.
Wu An's Estate – Late Evening
The fire crackled too quietly.
Shen Yue stood by the map-table, watching shadows crawl along the routes leading into the capital.
"Wu Kang's been given full temple access," she said.
"Good. He'll think it means something."
"You're taking this calmly."
"I've already begun."
She narrowed her eyes. "What?"
I opened a drawer and laid out a sealed parchment. Inside — shrine tithe discrepancies. The ones Shen Yuan thought were hidden.
"Internal affairs," I said softly. "Means I watch the purse. And the people."
She smiled.
Then came the knock.
Quiet. Deliberate.
The servant bowed. "A man arrived. No seal. Said he came with grain records. From the Land Bureau."
I raised an eyebrow.
Shen Yue tilted her head. "Let him in."
The man who entered was ordinary. Plain robes. Ink-stained fingers. But his eyes — those were sharp. Watching. Measuring.
"I am Liao Yun," he said. "You may not know me. But I served under Wu Kang's registry."
He placed a scroll down gently.
"I no longer do."
Southern Shrine District – Hidden Shrine Room
The brazier had not gone cold.
Not truly.
Every night I returned, and every night the air thickened. The ash no longer shimmered, but I knew — the fire was listening.
"You called me something before," I whispered.
No answer.
"You said I was ready."
Still silence.
I knelt anyway.
The thread of red that had once risen from the ash now curled faintly again — like a question forming.
And deep within my spine, something answered with heat.
Eastern Palace – Wu Kang
The ledgers had been altered.
He knew it.
But no one confessed. The shrine district's record-keepers were too well-trained, or too afraid. The monk he had tortured bled to death without ever naming Wu An.
Still, he smiled.
Because the Lord Protector had given him public authority.
And perception was power.
"Let him keep his little rituals," he told Taian. "Let him bathe in incense and priesthood. I will bleed him dry through regulation."
"And if he finds allies?"
"I will find their fathers."
Court – The Next Morning
Shen Yuan paced the back of the chamber.
"The accounts are out of balance," he hissed to one of his aides.
"Wu An's office submitted revisions."
"Too quickly."
He moved through the chambers until he found the Lord Protector alone.
"My lord, we must reconsider granting Wu An any fiscal authority. The Ritual Office is being undermined."
The Lord Protector looked tired.
"He has done nothing I can punish yet."
"But the people whisper—"
"So let them."
Silence fell. Then the Lord Protector added, almost wistfully:
"She gave birth to two sons. But I wonder now—who carries her blood more clearly?"
Shen Yuan did not respond.
But later that evening, his scribes were ordered to begin destroying records—quietly.
Wu An's Estate – Private Study
Liao Yun sat across from me, unblinking.
"You know they'll come after me," he said.
"You're not important enough yet."
"Then make me important."
I poured wine into two cups and raised mine.
"To the forgotten."
He raised his in return.
"To the ones who never were."
Longevity Palace – Dusk
Wu Ling burned a letter.
The wax seal melted last.
It bore her brother's name.
She turned to the monk beside her. "Begin the offering."
"To whom, Your Majesty?"
She looked east.
"To the brother who does not yet know he has won. And to the one who thinks he has not yet lost."