Wei Manor – Rainfall Evening

The storm came without warning—swift, cold, and relentless. Thunder rolled through the corridors of General Wei Xuanzhi’s estate as he stood beneath the awning, watching the rain slice through the garden.

He didn’t hear Zhou Mei enter until her soft footsteps echoed against the marble.

“You used to pour me tea when I returned from battle,” he said without turning.
“Now you just bring thunder.”

Mei’s eyes shimmered with desperation, though she hid it well. She wore mourning grey, even though no one had died—yet.

“Do you know what they call her now?” she said bitterly.
“The Unburned Bride. The Empress-Who-Waits. She’s turned every whisper against us.”

Xuanzhi remained silent.

She stepped closer and placed a delicate, steaming cup between them on the table.

“One last alliance,” she said, voice trembling. “If we strike now, we can still undo her.”

He finally turned to her.

And what Mei saw chilled her more than the storm: apathy.

“She’s already won,” Xuanzhi said. “Not because she out-fought us… but because she became someone we never saw coming.”

“You loved her once—!”

“No,” he interrupted, eyes sharp now. “I loved owning her. There’s a difference.”

Zhou Mei’s fingers clenched around the tea tray.

“Then what am I?” she whispered. “A placeholder? A pawn?”

“A woman who thought she could play queen with counterfeit pieces.”

Mei said nothing.

She simply lifted the cup she had poured for him… and drank it herself.

Bitter. Poisoned. Just enough to make a point.

Not enough to kill.

“Then I’ll burn alone,” she said, tears finally falling, “but at least I’ll do it with pride.”

She turned and walked into the rain, disappearing into the dark.

Imperial Palace – Crown Princess’s Study

Shen Lianhua read the report brought by one of her shadows:

“Zhou Mei attempted to poison the general. No casualties. She's withdrawn from court for now—under surveillance.”

She folded the scroll.

Li Shenzhao entered moments later, already sensing something had shifted.

“Is it over?” he asked.

Lianhua looked out the window at the clearing sky.

“No,” she said. “But her war is.”

“And yours?”

She turned to him.

“My war ends when I am Empress, and every daughter in this empire learns that silence is not the cost of survival.”

He crossed to her, gently taking her hand.

“Then let’s build that empire.”