The Hall had never felt colder. Its tall vermilion pillars stood like silent sentinels, unable to absorb the fury and grief that now thickened the air.

The Emperor sat, draped in layered robes of deep gold, his face pale but stern, illness hidden behind force of will. Shen Wei stood quietly at his side, arms crossed behind his back.

Bai Shengli was already kneeling in the center of the hall, his bloodstained sleeves rolled to the elbow. He did not even bother hiding what he had done. Beside him stood guards.

Moments later, Jiang Zijing also entered.

The Prime Minister's expression was unreadable, except for the muscle twitching in his jaw. His eyes scanned the room. First to the Emperor, then to Bai Shengli, before finally landing on the young man brought in last, chains still around his wrists, Bai Jing.

Bai Jing's hair was disheveled, face drawn with fatigue, but fury ignited his features when he saw Bai Shengli kneeling unrepentant.

"You..." he snapped suddenly, his voice cracking the silence. "You took her life. You dog! You think you're still worthy of being called Crown Prince after killing all your consorts?!"

The Emperor narrowed his gaze but did not stop him. Bai Shengli raised his head slowly, bloodshot eyes gleaming with dark amusement. A crooked smile stretched across his lips.

"So, the bastard finally gets angry."

He laughed.

"You think her death touches me? She carried your child. Yours. You were ready to raise a hand and take the throne with her at your side. What do you think I should've done? Wait for her to deliver your little disgrace into this world and bow to it one day?"

Bai Jing lunged forward, but the guards held him back.

"That was still a child, an innocent life! You had no right! You dared butcher her like a madman!"

Jiang Zijing's eyes darkened at that.

"Who's death are you all talking about?

— There was no future for that thing she carried. It might've been of royal blood, but it was still a bastard. A mistake. Just like you allowing this, thinking it could work." said Bai Shengli, looking right into Jiang Zijing's eyes.

His laughter returned, rough and erratic, until it turned into a choking rasp.

"You think I care about right or wrong anymore? When my own father turned his back on me? When my ministers whispered behind closed doors? She used me. Just like you all did. I simply gave her what she deserved. I gave myself justice after suffering from all your plots."

Jiang Zijing finally stepped forward, voice low but steel-edged.

"You killed my daughter in cold blood?"

Bai Shengli turned toward him and smiled.

"Your daughter was a traitor. Just like you. The Emperor knows. No need to hide it anymore."

The Emperor's voice, though weakened, rang out.

"Enough."

Everyone fell silent. Only the sound of the wind brushing through the outer corridor could be heard.

The Emperor's eyes were on Bai Shengli now, hard as iron.

"Jiang Zijing's acts won't stay unpunished, but you will confess your crime to me. You will bow before me and answer for what you did. The crown I gave you is stripped. And your fate will be determined by the end of this meeting. Shengli, there is no way back anymore. I cannot save you from the person you became."

Bai Shengli turned his head, spit onto the floor.

"As if your actions did not lead me to this. You are the one who force each one of us to turn this badly."

Bai Jing, breathing heavily, stared down at Bai Shengli, his fury burning.

And Jiang Zijing, though grief was buried deep in his gaze, did not kneel. He could not mourn his daughter yet. He was lost at words and did not know what the Emperor intended to do with him, with them.

The Emperor's hand, frail yet decisive, slammed down on the dragon-carved armrest of his throne.

"Enough!"

The word cracked through the hall like thunder, silencing Bai Shengli's deranged laughter in an instant.

His narrowed eyes glared at the kneeling figure before him. His breathing was uneven, but his voice carried the full weight of imperial authority.

"I turned a blind eye when you humiliated yourself and this court. When you allowed jealousy to guide your hand, and even took your concubine's life, I remained silent, hoping time and the duty that fell upon you could reform you."

He coughed, and Eunuch Zheng stepped forward, but the Emperor waved him off and continued.

"But now, another life has been taken. My grandchild's life with your wife's. This has gone far enough. You are unfit to rule! You are unworthy of the legacy I hoped to leave behind! I might have been a bad father, but I do not think your tendencies are inherited from me! As of today, I strip you of your title. You will be exiled to the northern border. There, you will serve under General Zhao and spend the rest of your days redeeming yourself with labor, for your empire's well-being. That is the mercy this father still can afford for you."

Bai Shengli, however, only began to laugh again. Low, then louder, until it echoed madly again around the chamber.

"Exile?" he wheezed. "You think I'll survive out there, you old geezer? You think that changes anything? You... you will let me rot here all my life, then let the dogs beat me and eat me?"

His wild eyes turned to Bai Jing.

"You hear that, bastard? Seems we're both meant to die outside this city. Let's both go back to were you spent your happy days!"

But Bai Jing was no longer kneeling.

In one sharp motion, he had stood, wrenching a sword from the guard beside him.

Steel flashed in his hands, grief and rage flaring in his eyes.

"Then let me finish you here. You don't deserve such kindness!"

He lunged, the blade angled straight for Bai Shengli's throat.

Chaos erupted, but Shen Wei didn't move. His gaze was locked coldly on the scene, observing it like a shadow at war. He was actually quite enjoying this drama.

A second guard collided into Bai Jing, pinning his arms back before the sword could land its mark. The blade fell with a clatter to the floor, inches from Bai Shengli's knees.

Bai Jing struggled, red with fury.

"He killed her! He butchered her and my child like nothing, and now you send him to play soldier?! He should die for what he's done! He shows no remorse!"

Bai Shengli, unfazed, chuckled again.

"Ah, so angry. Did it hurt, little dog? Did it sting, learning she died without even a sound for you? Ah... I wish you saw her face when I stabbed her last night. When life left her eyes!"

Bai Jing snarled, trying to break free. Bai Shengli kept going in, voice like poison.

"You were never a prince. You were a dog. A mutt raised on dirt, playing noble. You want justice? You want pity? Go bark for it somewhere else."

He looked to the assembly and spread his arms mockingly.

"And yet I'm still the only one here born to an empress. The rest of you? Should be bowing to me whatever I do."

The Emperor had seen enough. He did not even know how he gave his trust to such a son. How did he come to this?... Was it really his doing?

"Take them both away."

Bai Jing's expression twisted into devastation as he was dragged back, chained. Bai Shengli, laughing still, followed without resistance, his laughter echoing like a madman.

Shen Wei, standing at the edge of the chamber, met the Emperor's eyes.

The hall was eerily quiet after they left. Outside, summer rain began to fall. Soft, unending, like the slow decline of something once great.

In the emperor's private quarters, only a few remained.

Eunuch Zheng stood to the side, fingers clutched tightly around the silken sleeve of his robe. Pei Fan knelt near the threshold in silence, while Shen Wei stood alone, tall and unmoving, facing the bed where the Emperor lay propped up by cushions.

He looked fragile now. The proud sharpness of his face had dulled over the years. His skin was sallow under the lamplight, his breath uneven. All the events of these last days took a toll on him.

But his gaze remained clear as it found Shen Wei.

"You saw what became of them," the Emperor rasped. "Both consumed by obsession and madness."

He paused, chest heaving slightly.

"The throne cannot fall into chaos again after I am gone, Luochen."

Shen Wei's expression did not change.

"Your Majesty has my deepest sympathy," he replied. "I guess you have already made a decision."

The Emperor coughed, a wracking sound, and waved Eunuch Zheng closer to bring him another bowl of bitter medicine.

Instead of drinking, he turned to Shen Wei with the full weight of his will behind his words.

"Luochen. You must take the title."

The silence that followed was immense, for even the rain seemed to hush.

"Luochen." the Emperor said. "Let the empire remember a good rulet. Let it be rebuilt on what you have already done for it."

Shen Wei's gaze did not waiver, as he had expected this outcome. His arms remained behind his back, calm.

"Your Majesty flatters me too highly."

The Emperor's lips drew into a thin line.

"You are the only one left I can trust. I have no son left. No one fit for this task."

Shen Wei took a step forward.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your faith. But I was never meant to take care of the empire. You decided so when you left my mother and me years ago."

The Emperor's eyes narrowed.

"Why not? I know I was not a father to you, but you know how politics work. You know how the court think. You brought down rebels, quelled conspiracies, exposed liars in this very court. You helped your ruler.

— And because I have chosen to live in the shadows, you knew I would refuse you. I chose long ago to not live as your son, and the title you gave me won't change a thing. No matter how I care about this empire, I don't want to live as Bai Luochen. We both decided that I would live as Shen Wei."

The Emperor stared at him. His breath trembled once more.

"Then what choice am I left with?...

— What about Yu Mu? Your sister's son. He's still young, untouched by palace schemes. No ministers have yet sunk their claws into him. And he has a decent heart and belongs to no one in court yet."

The Emperor's expression wavered.

"He's not even nineteen, Luochen...

— Precisely why he must be shaped by someone who understands the empire. If Your Majesty is troubled because of this, I will guide him until he is ready to govern properly."

It took a long time for the Emperor to respond. Then, slowly, he nodded.

"After I am gone, I believe you will take good care of him and the people."

Shen Wei dropped to his knees.

"I swear, with this life of mine. I will serve the future Emperor with loyalty, until the day I am no longer needed."

Eunuch Zheng had already prepared the brush and the edict scroll, as if foreseeing the Emperor's intentions. Shen Wei moved to the low table and drafted the imperial decree proclaiming Yu Mu as the next crown prince.

When it was done, he placed it before the Emperor, who drew the final signature and sealed it. The red mark shimmered as it dried.

"May Your Majesty rest easy."

The Emperor looked at him for a long moment. Then, softer than before.

"Will this be the last time I see you, Luochen?"

The faintest flicker passed through Shen Wei's eyes. He stood silently for a long moment, then offered one final bow.

"Take care of yourself, Father."

The word was barely audible, vanishing like smoke on the wind.

Then, without another word, Shen Wei turned and left the room, his white robes trailing behind him like the closing curtain of a long act.

As he stepped out into the rain-drenched corridor of the Palace, he did not look back.

✤

The sky above the manor was washed in the soft gold of late afternoon, the kind of light that made people feel at peace. In the quiet of the inner garden, the swing beneath the plum tree creaked gently in the breeze. Qin Yufei sat there with her arms wrapped loosely around herself, her eyes distant. The petals overhead shifted, but she remained still, until she heard the gate click open.

She stood at once, her gaze darting toward the path.

"Shifu..."

Shen Wei stepped through the archway, dust clinging faintly to the hem of his dark robes. He looked tired and yet his composure was as carefully guarded as always. His eyes met hers and for a moment, neither of them spoke.

He came to her without haste. Each step pulling him closer.

"It's finished," he said, voice low. "Everything is over now."

Yufei's brows furrowed slightly on her pale face, her throat tightening.

"What do you mean?"

He drew a deep breath, as if steadying something in himself, and pulled one document from the inside of his sleeve.

"You're now safe," he continued. "There is no one left to harm you. Bai Shengli and Bai Jing will never return. They've been sent to exile. Also Jiang Mu... was... killed by Bai Shengli last night. The Emperor agreed to write an edict for you to live as you wish."

He held the document out to her, his hands steady.

"Here the imperial edict that officially severs all ties between you and the Qin family. You no longer owe them duty. No more filial obligations. You don't have to return to them. Not now. Not ever."

Yufei stared at the papers so light, yet filled with so much. Her breath caught in her chest.

"You... did all this..."

He didn't answer. His eyes only held hers.

The wind stirred her sleeves as she looked down again at the edict.

"Also," he said in a plainer voice, "You still have the divorce letter I wrote you. I left it to your choice. And I still do. So now, feel free to use it if you would like to."

Her fingers curled slightly, then lowered again.

She only stood there, staring at him, full of hesitation.

The silence between them stretched.

Qin Yufei finally raised her head, her lashes trembling. Her gaze sought his, hesitant, but steady.

"Shifu... If I... if I say I don't want to use this divorce letter," she whispered, her voice just above the rustling leaves. "If I say I want to stay... not as your disciple... but as your wife... Is there a place for me in your life that way?"

The question hung in the air like the falling plum blossoms seemed to, around them, soft, fragile, daring.

Shen Wei froze. For a man so swift with words, so sharp in mind and measured in voice, no reply came.

He simply looked at her. As though he was seeing her for the first time.

As though he hadn't expected this question to come from her lips, not like this, not expecting to hear this in this life.

Seconds passed. Then more. She waited. Hope slowly dimming in her eyes.

When the silence dragged on too long, her throat tightened. Her fingers curled around her sleeves, and she dropped her gaze to the stone path.

"Shifu, please forget what I just said," she said quickly, forcing a small smile.

She turned, her foot already stepping away, heart aching in the retreat.

But his hand caught her wrist. Gently. Firmly.

She stopped, her breath catching. He didn't pull her back, but didn't let go either.

"Do you still remember how to play the zither?" he asked softly, his voice lower than before, almost rough around the edges.

She blinked, turning to him again, eyes wide.

"What...?"

He tilted his head slightly, the corners of his mouth lifting in the smallest, quietest of smiles.

"In the garden. Let's go play music," he said. "I'll accompany you. If you don't mind."

For a moment, she couldn't answer. Then her lips curved, the tremble in her chin barely hidden as tears welled in her eyes.

"I'd... gladly do so," she whispered. "If you don't mind my poor skills."

A short breath of laughter escaped Shen Wei's lips, rare, fleeting.

Her cheeks flushed, the sound staying with her even after he released her wrist and turned slightly toward the garden.

"Come," he said gently. "I'll correct your posture if your fingers stumble."

She followed him, step by step, beneath the plum tree canopy, where spring still lingered, and peace at last had made a home between two hearts long bruised by their families.