The announcement was swift, decisive, and loud:

“By decree of His Majesty the Emperor,” the eunuch read aloud, “the wedding of His Highness Crown Prince Li Shenzhao and Lady Shen Lianhua shall take place at the next full moon.”

Only fourteen days away.

The court erupted.

Some in awe. Some in outrage.
All caught off guard.

Shen Lianhua, standing beside the Empress, bowed with graceful precision—her eyes revealing none of the satisfaction burning beneath her lashes.

The Empire had expected a spectacle.

What it got was a warning.

Zhou Manor – That Same Night

Zhou Mei tore her jade hairpin from her bun, flinging it across the room.

“Fourteen days?” she hissed. “She dares to crown herself before I even strike?”

Wei Xuanzhi stood nearby, arms crossed, face unreadable.

“You’ve had your chance,” he said flatly. “You failed.”

“She humiliated you too,” Mei snapped. “And yet you stand there like some monk, watching her walk into the palace with your title.”

His eyes sharpened. “That was never her title. It was a leash. One she was smart enough to slip.”

Mei went still.

“So you’ve turned, too?”

“No,” he said quietly. “But I know when I’ve lost a war.”

Mei’s hand trembled.

“Then I’ll win it without you.”

Imperial Tailor's Hall – Five Days Later

Silks flooded the hall—red, gold, silver-threaded phoenix patterns. The final fittings for the Crown Princess’s wedding robes were underway.

But Lianhua didn’t care for frills.

She stood before the mirror not admiring her train—but checking its movement, weight, and ability to conceal a blade if needed.

Xiao Fen whispered, “You truly mean to wear your dagger during the ceremony?”

“Let them decorate me like a flower,” Lianhua said. “They’ll find thorns when they try to pluck me.”

Palace Perimeter – Sunset

In the shadows of the western gate, a cloaked figure exchanged silver for silence with a disloyal guard.

“When she kneels for her wedding rites,” Mei’s agent said, “she will not rise again.”