Eunuch has arrived, saying Your Majesty requests your presence in the Southern Study.
Murong Xue's hand, holding a book, faltered slightly. The Southern Study was where the Emperor reviewed memorials and summoned close officials, indicating a greater degree of privacy and authority than the West Warm Pavilion on a previous occasion. She put down the scroll. "Change clothes."
She was still in her simple, plain moon-white usual attire, with only a plain jade hairpin in her hair. As she followed Zhao Neishi into the Southern Study, the first thing that met her eyes was a mountain of memorials piled on a large desk by the window, and the rich scent of ink in the air.
Sima Rui stood with his hands behind his back before a large map of the empire. He turned upon hearing her. He was not wearing his crown today, his hair merely tied with a black jade hairpin. He wore dark, patterned robes, and there were faint traces of weariness beneath his eyes, but his gaze remained sharp as ever. His eyes lingered for a moment on Murong Xue's still pale face before shifting to her slight bow.
"Is your injury better?" he asked in a flat tone, betraying little concern, as if it were a routine inquiry.
"Thank you for Your Majesty's concern, I am mostly recovered," Murong Xue replied, lowering her gaze.
Sima Rui nodded slightly, his gaze turning outward. "You were frightened by the incident at the Altar." He paused before turning to the main topic. "I summoned you today for a matter."
He walked back to the desk, pulled out a memorial from the pile, and handed it to her. "Take a look."
Murong Xue, puzzled, stepped forward and took it with both hands. Opening it, she saw a secret memorial impeaching Li Chong, Minister of War, listing several charges of forming factions, amassing power, and embezzling border funds. Each word was shocking. At the end of the memorial was the imposing red seal of the Censorate.
She suddenly looked up at Sima Rui, her heart suddenly racing. Why was he showing her this? Was he testing her? Or...
"Li Chong has been established in the court for many years; his roots are deep. This memorial cannot move him, for now," Sima Rui's voice was as calm as it was ruthless. "But that arrow at the Altar has already caused many to harbor doubts. I need to add fuel to the fire."
He paced to the abacus by the window, where a complex endgame was already set up, black and white stones tangled in a fierce battle, the situation precarious. "Do you play chess?" he suddenly asked.
Murong Xue looked at the chessboard, then recalled her crushing defeat in the pavilion. She replied cautiously, "I know only the basics; I would not dare to display my ignorance before Your Majesty."
Sima Rui picked up a black stone, not to play it, but to rub it between his fingers. "The way of chess is like the way of politics. Sometimes, sacrificing a piece is actually a way to gain the initiative." He looked up, his gaze piercing as he met hers. "Murong Xue, I give you a choice."
The study was so quiet that the dripping of the water clock could be heard.
"In three days, I will host a small banquet in Linde Hall for the generals who were successful in the northern campaign and the high officials of the court," Sima Rui's tone was unruffled. "Li Chong will also be present. I want you to attend."
Murong Xue's fingertips trembled; she almost dropped the memorial. Have her attend? At a banquet for those meritorious officials, whose hands might be stained with the blood of her people?
"What does Your Majesty want this consort... to do?" Her voice was dry.
"You need not do anything," Sima Rui played the black stone, and the game instantly reversed, a large group of white stones falling into a desperate situation. "You simply need to sit in the seat I arrange for you, wear the clothes I bestow upon you, and appear before them."
He watched her face instantly turn pale and slowly continued, "Your very presence is the greatest reminder and... interrogation for some. I want to see who will become restless, who will be the first to jump out."
So, she was still a piece on his chessboard. A piece used to disturb the opponent's mind and lure the snake out of its hole. Only this time, he was not hiding her in the shadows but placing her in the open, under the public eye, amidst a terrifying storm of blades.
A wave of humiliation and chill washed over her again. But this time, Murong Xue did not immediately refuse or feel angry. After the Altar incident, she had understood that in the center of this vortex, simple anger and fear were useless.
She looked at the abandoned white stones on the board and recalled the wound on his arm, torn by an arrow when he pushed her away that day. Was he using this method to draw her into an even deeper scheme, while also giving her a chance to see her enemies clearly, and perhaps... an opportunity to do something?
"This consort..." she took a deep breath, meeting Sima Rui's scrutinizing gaze. "I need to know how Your Majesty intends to deal with Li Chong? And... my elder brother?"
This was the first time she had proactively and clearly presented him with a condition.
Sima Rui's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, which was quickly replaced by a deeper scrutiny. He did not answer directly but instead asked, "Do you know why I have kept you here until now?"
Murong Xue remained silent. Because she was useful? Because of her identity? Or because of that inexplicable... interest?
"Because you appear fragile, but deep down, you possess a resilience and clarity that is no less than any man's," Sima Rui's voice deepened. "What I need is not a bird that only clings, nor a blade full of hatred that can easily backfire."
He walked up to her, close enough for her to smell the clean, ink-like scent on him and a faint trace of ambergris. "Murong Xue, prove to me that your value is more than just a beautiful chess piece."
He reached out, his fingertip lightly brushing her temple, still carrying the faint scent of medicine. The gesture was gentle, yet carried an irresistible force. "Three days from now, let me see your choice. And let yourself see how far you can move in this game."
His touch was fleeting, yet Murong Xue froze. The temperature was cold yet burning.
She slowly knelt to bow, her voice unusually calm. "This consort... obeys."
As she exited the Southern Study, the afterglow of the sunset dyed the palace path a bloody red. Murong Xue clenched her hands in her sleeves. The secret memorial impeaching Li Chong felt like a branding iron burning her palm.
Sima Rui had thrown the choice to her. Would she continue to be a pawn passively accepting her fate, or... try to grasp that faint, minuscule opportunity to make a move?
Three days later, in Linde Hall. It would be her first time actively stepping into the core of the Empire's power, facing those enemies who decided the fate of her and her people.
The wind begins at the smallest ripple. And the storm in this deep palace seemed to be just beginning to brew.
(End of Chapter 12)