Imperial Council Hall – Midmorning

The court was already tense.

A rare full assembly had been called—by the Crown Princess herself.

Every minister, general, and noble who mattered stood beneath the vaulted jade ceiling. Rumors buzzed like hornets. Even the Empress Dowager watched from behind her veil, perfectly still.

At the head, Crown Prince Li Shenzhao stood like a blade in a sheath—present, restrained, dangerous.

Beside him, Shen Lianhua stepped forward.

Clad in black and gold, her phoenix insignia gleamed like firelight. Her hands held a single scroll.

The room fell silent.

“This,” she said calmly, “is a military directive drafted without imperial approval.”

“It bears the signature of Minister Yu and General Wei Xuanzhi.”

A ripple spread. Faces turned.

Wei Xuanzhi, near the front, straightened. “What is this performance?”

Lianhua raised the scroll.

“This document, if enacted, would have violated three imperial military laws. It would’ve shifted troops away from the northern border—leaving the Empire vulnerable.”

She unrolled the scroll and held it up.

“And this… is your signature, General.”

Wei’s face darkened.

“Forged—”

“We compared it against six prior records,” Lianhua cut in. “Same ink stroke. Same seal. Same arrogant curve in the ‘Xuanzhi.’”

Laughter cracked through the hall. The Crown Prince said nothing. He didn’t need to.

Lianhua turned to the Emperor’s magistrate.

“As per imperial law, unauthorized proposals of treasonous troop movements are to be tried immediately before the Council.”

The magistrate bowed. “Confirmed.”

Lianhua walked slowly toward Wei Xuanzhi now. She stopped a single pace away.

“Once, I bowed to you. Trusted you. Loved you.”

He blinked.

Her eyes turned to iron.

“And now, I strip you of every lie you ever wrapped in silk.”

She stepped aside.

The magistrate unrolled the confession from Wei’s former aide—signed, stamped, coerced with coin and guilt. Confirming the plot. The plan. The betrayal.

Gasps.

The Empress Dowager exhaled softly behind her fan. That was the closest anyone got to shock.

“Do you deny your involvement?” the magistrate asked.

Wei’s fists clenched.

“This court is rigged,” he snapped. “It bends to her—”

“It bends to the truth,” Lianhua said coldly.

“And the truth is: you betrayed your oath. As a soldier and as a man.”

Silence.

The magistrate turned. “General Wei Xuanzhi. By order of the court, your rank is hereby revoked. Your holdings seized. You are stripped of command and placed under imperial arrest.”

Shenzhao stepped forward at last.

“Take him.”

Wei didn’t resist.

He looked at Lianhua as the guards seized him.

And for the first time… she saw it.

Recognition.

In his eyes—not just confusion.

But fear.

You remember, she thought.
You know now. Somewhere deep down… you remember the woman you murdered.

And you finally understand:
She lived.