Outside the great hall, the torturers from the Judicial Review Chamber were silent — not the faintest sound could be heard from them. But the woman’s suppressed, muffled sobs drifted in, intermittent and broken. At first they floated lightly in the air; by the end they had become hoarse, full-throated screaming.

The great hall fell silent again.

After a long while, the man beneath the divine image finally spoke and broke the agonizing stillness.

“Where is Lu Songping? We wish to hear what he has discovered while seeking to redeem himself through service.”

Xu Zhi stood to one side, betraying no reaction. But his eyes swept periodically toward where Xiao Zhun stood among the officials.

Rumor had it that no one could endure half an hour under the most severe torture of the Magistrate’s Office. He had all the time in the world to watch this spectacle unfold.

The palace attendants relayed the summons outward, layer by layer. In a short while, Lu Songping’s figure appeared in the hall.

He was still wearing the Black Feather garrison armor. When he performed his bow, the armor scraped against the hard floor with a piercing sound.

“Your subject Lu Songping pays respects to His Majesty.”

“Lu Songping, We ask you — how was the Bai Shi woman able to escape the Black Feather military camp?”

“The Bai Shi woman claimed her younger brother Bai Zhi had suddenly fallen gravely ill, fearing his life was in danger. Your subject’s troops, bearing in mind His Majesty’s command to preserve her life, drew out a vehicle and escort to take her to a medical hall. Unexpectedly, she exploited the situation, wounded several guards, disguised herself, and escaped.”

Xu Zhi heard this and could not help but give a cold snort. “The Black Feather Camp has men who could each fight a hundred opponents on their own. Even if she had some martial ability, she was unarmed — how could she have wounded the guards keeping watch?”

Lu Songping glanced at Xu Zhi, his expression unmoving as a mountain.

“The Grand Warden seems quite well acquainted with the Bai Shi woman. That is understandable. After all, this task of guarding Bai Yun was originally meant to fall to the Magistrate’s Office — one wonders how and why it was eventually passed off to the Black Feather Camp’s guard.”

One skilled schemer pitted against another — and Xu Zhi came away without the advantage.

Even so, his rank was one level higher, and his skill at maneuvering was polished to perfection.

“For Lieutenant Lu to have taken on this hot potato, he must have had a foolproof plan in mind from the start. It is only unclear how that certainty eventually became an ‘unexpected turn.'”

Lu Songping paid Xu Zhi no further heed, and instead produced something from his person, presenting it to the inner official nearby.

“Your subject has an item to present. I ask His Majesty to examine it.”

All eyes in the great hall instantly fixed on what was in the inner official’s hands. It was, vaguely, a handkerchief — and on the handkerchief, a wooden hairpin.

The inner official carried the hairpin to the main seat. Dan Jiangfei received it with one hand, examined it carefully, then passed it up to the man at the main seat.

After a moment, the man’s voice came, unhurried and measured.

“A wooden branch carved into the shape of a key. Quite skillfully done.”

Lu Songping pressed further: “Your subject asks His Majesty to smell the faint fragrance remaining on that hairpin.”

Dan Jiangfei immediately spoke sharply: “Impertinence! If there is something strange about this hairpin and it injures His Majesty, can you bear the responsibility?!”

Lu Songping bowed his head in salute. “Your subject pledges with his own head that the fragrance will not endanger anyone’s life.”

The Emperor looked steadily at the young Lieutenant kneeling on one knee before him, then lightly held the hairpin near the tip of his nose for a moment.

“The fragrance is subtle and lingering, with a quality that does not readily disperse. It has been deliberately compounded.”

“Your subject confirms this is so. The Bai Shi woman is skilled in the blending of fragrances. Your subject had specifically instructed the garrison beforehand to clear away all flowers and plants from the guest courtyard to forestall any future trouble. However—”

“However what?”

Lu Songping considered for a moment, then ultimately spoke. “However, after last night’s incident, the Black Feather Camp searched the guest courtyard thoroughly and discovered a sedative fragrance composed of powdered beast horn and plum blossom stamens — matching the scent remaining on Bai Yun’s personal effects.”

This statement stirred a round of hushed discussion throughout the hall.

Many had already reached a private conclusion, foreseeing that today’s session might see blood from more than just the Bai Shi woman.

The hands bound behind Xiao Nanhui’s back twisted tightly together. She did not dare raise her head.

In her heart she silently prayed — prayed that the one above would not pursue the inquiry further. As long as he did not press the matter, then—

The water clock ticked three steady counts. And so her heart hung suspended there.

But the Emperor’s voice came, unhurried as ever.

“The beast horn — where did it come from? And the plum blossoms — where did those come from?”

“The beast horn had been fashioned into the shape of an archer’s thumb ring and kept on Bai Yun’s person at all times. Because white rhinoceros horn is naturally as fine-grained as jade, the guards had not detected it previously. As for the plum blossoms — your subject has only established half the truth. The full account remains beyond my reach. I ask His Majesty to hold me accountable.”

Xiao Nanhui was like a fish flung onto the shore, then briefly returned to water — she could not help but draw a breath. But the nightmarish voice pressed close again, as though today it had made up its mind to pursue her to the end and destroy her.

“Lieutenant Lu need not hesitate to state that one half of the truth. As for the remainder, We will judge for Ourselves.”

Lu Songping hesitated a moment, appearing to weigh whether to speak aloud what was — though only partial — a singularly dangerous truth.

Xu Zhi’s mouth set in a downward curve, and in an instant he assumed the manner he used when harshly questioning serious criminals: “Lu Songping — you have yet to clear your own name. Do not become complacent simply because His Majesty has summoned you. If there is something you withhold now and I uncover it later, then by concealing it before His Majesty today you will be guilty of deceiving the sovereign, a crime to be judged accordingly.”

Lu Songping did not look toward Xu Zhi, who was applying pressure at every turn. He ultimately said with cautious precision: “The plum blossom stamens found at Bai Yun’s lodgings cannot be sourced from anywhere within Jiaosong County. The nearest supply would require traveling some dozens of li. Given that this matter is of great importance, your subject respectfully requests His Majesty’s permission to bring forward the Superintendent of the palace lodge’s Lingzhi Garden, Su Kaisheng, to offer testimony in court.”

An uproar broke out among the officials.

Within Chizhou, the only ancient cities renowned for plum blossoms were Nuocheng and Quecheng, and Nuocheng lay far to the south of the Di River. Only Quecheng was merely some dozens of li from Jiaosong County.

If the plum blossom stamens used in Bai Yun’s treasonous scheme had come from the imperial city, then the matter very likely involved one of those closely attending the court. No one had anticipated that what had appeared to be a long-standing grievance from the far western border was in fact a case of being blind to what was right before their eyes.

Suspicion, evasion, angry denunciations, and anxious warnings filled the great hall. The Emperor turned a deaf ear to it all and simply raised his hand lightly, signaling that the summons be issued.

“Summon Su Kaisheng.”

After roughly the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, a lean, wizened old man in plain cloth robes was brought into the hall. He gave a modest bow, and when he spoke his voice sounded as though it came from inside a hollow log.

“Old subject Su Kaisheng pays respects to His Majesty.”

“Please rise. What views does Su Senior have on this matter, if I may ask?”

“Old subject managed medicinal plants in the palace for some decades, then moved the entire family to Jiaosong and took up a post at the palace lodge’s Lingzhi Garden. Over these years, old subject may claim some expertise in the preparation of medicines and fragrances as well. The fragrant powder presented to old subject by Lieutenant Lu has a method of compounding that appears simple at first glance, yet is in truth subtle and intricate. The user understood well the principle of moving others without their awareness — deliberately reducing the more conspicuous notes of the sedative fragrance, and not seeking the dominating potency that renders people unconscious. The result is a powder that confuses the senses and beguiles one without their knowing. All credit, in the end, goes to that one ingredient — the plum blossom stamen.”

The Emperor’s tone was even: “In Senior’s view, from where should those plum blossom stamens have come?”

“Plum fragrance may be divided into subtle and sharp. Those whose fragrance is sharp enough to be distilled into powder are exceedingly rare. Though only the stamen heart of this blossom remains, there is still a trace by which to follow. Old subject departed Quecheng many years ago, but once had the good fortune to encounter this variety of plum blossom there, and would therefore not mistake it for any other. It is old subject’s belief that this plum is without doubt the Yingshui Chonglou.”

Though she had known the answer already, when she heard that name spoken aloud in the great hall, Xiao Nanhui’s heart still gave a hard lurch.

She heard the urgent voices of discussion rising around her — the hasty judgments and the rush to be first with a verdict, like dark omens, each one waiting for the moment of its fulfillment to arrive.

Someone spoke up with a question: “Nuocheng also has the Yingshui Chonglou. Why say it comes from Quecheng?”

Su Kaisheng seemed to have anticipated this challenge. His voice remained worn and old, yet the answer he gave was as firm as a nail driven into a board: “The Yingshui Chonglou favors sandy soil. North of the Di River it blooms a deep red; south of the Di River it blooms a carmine. The plum blossoms found in this guest courtyard are the color of blood — they must be from Quecheng, north of the Di River, without question.”

“Lu Songping — do you know the magnitude of your error?!” Xu Zhi’s voice fell like a mountain stone. “The garrison of the metropolitan area falls entirely under the Black Feather garrison’s charge. You were completely unaware of this. Whoever it was who brought the Yingshui Chonglou into the guest courtyard — you, as Black Feather Lieutenant, are already delinquent in your duties and are to be dealt with under military law.”

The metropolitan garrison was split between the Black Feather and Light Vanguard units. If the Black Feather was entangled in this, the Light Vanguard could not remain unscathed.

Duke Xuanyuan Su Che spoke in a heavy voice: “May I ask the Lieutenant — in the days before the incident, did anyone outside the Black Feather Camp enter the guest courtyard?”

“There was.”

“Who?”

Lu Songping looked toward a figure standing straight and still among the officials: “The Qinghuai Marquis, Lord Xiao.”

The uproar that erupted this time carried no attempt at concealment or restraint, swallowing even the ticking of the bronze water clock.

Yu Youwei, who had been silent until now, stepped forward at this moment. His tone carried a pressure that left no room for evasion: “Word has it that the Bai Family’s sixth young miss was once herself a remarkable talent for weapons-crafting, and could be said to have known the Qinghuai Marquis since the days of their youth, with a bond that was no ordinary friendship. Grand General Xiao — would old subject be correct in saying so?”

“Director Yu’s words are accurate.”

That the second young master of Prince Shuo’s estate had once been close to the Bai Family’s young miss was a matter that drifted like wind through the forest — with traces to follow. But no one had anticipated that Xiao Zhun would admit to it openly in court.

And yet the very next thing Xiao Zhun said was what truly astonished.

“It is precisely because your subject knows the Bai Shi woman deeply that your subject had previously petitioned His Majesty to confine the Bai Shi daughter to the guest courtyard — with the intention of having her turn over her knowledge of bow-making, metalwork, and weapons craft in exchange for her life.”

The officials were stunned and looked again to the one above.

The Emperor’s expression was composed, as though what Xiao Zhun spoke of were nothing more than a trivial matter of no consequence.

“Indeed, this is so. Grand Warden Xu, what does he make of this?”

The Emperor turned and lobbed the searing iron ball squarely at Xu Zhi, who had no choice but to grit his teeth and catch it.

“Since the Qinghuai Marquis is innocent, and the plum blossom matter cannot be resolved at present, your subject suggests that His Majesty deal first with the Bai Shi woman, then dispatch capable officers from this ministry to investigate the affair thoroughly — that would also serve to give Lady Cui Shu an answer for today.”

Just as Xiao Nanhui had expected — Xu Zhi had not let Xiao Zhun go so easily.

Whether it was her imagination or not, she felt that the Emperor — who had not looked in her direction at all from a moment ago — seemed to have glanced at her very briefly.

But the next instant, that briefly lingering gaze was withdrawn. His face settled into a familiar yet frightening stillness, and when his voice came, it remained without the slightest inflection — yet every word was laced with the force of one who had power over life and death.

“The Bai Shi daughter — stubbornly unrepentant and unyielding to reform. Her attempt at assassination has failed, and her conduct is laid bare for all to see. The crime warrants death by vehicle dismemberment, with the body exposed for three days as a public warning.”

A barely perceptible flash of satisfaction crossed Xu Zhi’s face. He watched as Xiao Zhun took nearly an involuntary step forward.

“Your Majesty!”

From a moment ago, Xiao Nanhui’s gaze had been fixed on Xiao Zhun’s profile.

The deep anxiety and helplessness on his face — it was an expression she had never seen on him before.

All the expressions she had never once glimpsed on him in the past ten-some years — within the span of one short month, she had seen them all.

Xiao Zhun’s reaction did not escape the eyes of a single person in the room. Yu Youwei’s expression had already turned quite unpleasant.

“What does the Qinghuai Marquis mean by this? Could it be that the orphaned heir of the Prince Kang’s clan does not compare to the life of this treasonous criminal? The arrow on the night of the ceremony was most dangerous — had it not been for my niece stepping in to intercept it for His Majesty, the consequences would have been unthinkable. If the Qinghuai Marquis now wishes to plead for that Bai Shi woman, where does that leave His Majesty’s safety?”

Outside the great hall, Bai Yun’s screaming had already grown almost inaudible.

If Xiao Zhun now fell silent, Bai Yun would be lucky if she were not immediately sent to the execution ground — she would almost certainly be beaten to death.

But if he opened his mouth, it would either confirm his private relationship with Bai Yun or substantiate the claim that the two of them had been conspiring in secret.

In the moment when everyone deliberately slowed and quieted their breathing, even the ticking of the bronze water clock seemed to stretch on without end.

At last, she heard Xiao Zhun’s voice rise with great difficulty.

“In reply to His Majesty — it was your subject who brought the Yingshui Chonglou—”

“It was I who brought it into the guest courtyard!”

Xiao Nanhui’s mouth was half open. Only after the words had already fallen did she realize they had come from her own lips.

Unlike the earlier uproars, the great hall was now as still as the depths of a dark abyss.

Xiao Nanhui could hear her own heartbeat — thundering a moment ago, now suddenly slowing to calm. It was as though a blade that had been hanging above her had at last come down and sliced cleanly through that last remaining thread of uncertainty.

She had still come to this point after all.

Xu Zhi’s cold gaze settled on her, as though examining an imitation with obvious flaws.

“You say the plum blossoms were brought in by you — meaning you are admitting your involvement in the treasonous scheme?”

“I am not.” Xiao Nanhui denied it quickly, yet her voice was strangely steady. She felt she had never been as clear-headed and composed as she was in this moment. “I was jealous that my adoptive father was frequently visiting the guest courtyard, and I also knew that the Bai Shi woman loved plum blossoms most of all. Some days ago I obtained a few sprigs of Yingshui Chonglou by chance at the Mei household, and thought to bring them to humiliate her — little knowing I would inadvertently cause such a grave error.”

The moment her words left her mouth, Su Pingchuan’s voice rang out behind her with something close to fury.

“You are speaking nonsense! That day at the Mei household, you clearly—”

“Why must the Left General deceive himself as well as others?” She had never known she was capable of speaking in such a venomous tone while her heart was quietly bleeding. “The old master of that household is advanced in years and has difficulty with his eyes. It would have been easy enough for me to pocket a few plum branches without disturbing anyone.”

Su Pingchuan’s voice did not rise again. The only voice in the great hall that would have spoken in her defense had gone entirely silent.

The bitter note in Xiao Nanhui’s sardonic smile deepened. With a light, offhand air she added one more charge to her own account.

“Your subject previously entered the guest courtyard on the pretense of practicing archery. The Black Feather guards on duty at the time can all bear witness.”

At those words, even Lu Songping looked over at her.

In the great hall, countless gazes fell upon her — carrying curiosity, judgment, contempt, and a trace of enjoying the spectacle. They pressed down on her spine, bending it, bending it, until it seemed it might merge with the dark floor beneath.

The man beneath the divine image had still not spoken. She did not know what expression his face held at this moment.

She did not dare look — afraid to see a face filled with disappointment and revulsion, and equally afraid of seeing the same expression as that divine image: neither sorrow nor joy.

“Your Majesty.” Xiao Zhun’s voice came from nearby, carrying a barely perceptible tremor. “Your subject’s adopted daughter has been raised and taught by your subject’s own hand. That today’s events occurred without your subject’s foreknowledge and prior discernment is a failure of instruction and supervision on your subject’s part. Your subject is willing to accept punishment in her stead.”

Yet Xu Zhi suddenly seemed to find within himself a kind of compassion and principle that, paired with the faint cruel refinement in the corners of those eyes, made him more formidable than usual: “Given what the Qinghuai Marquis has said, this seems to carry the suggestion of taking another’s punishment upon oneself. The Xiao Family is a house of loyal and steadfast service, and His Majesty would surely not be unmindful of old bonds and go so far as to reprimand at will. At the core, this matter is the fault of your adopted daughter. There is no need for you to become entangled in it and place His Majesty in an awkward position.”

“Qinghuai Marquis — We had not wished to make this difficult for you. Yet this matter involves an innocent woman from outside who suffered for no reason, and We must give the Prince Kang’s bereaved family an accounting. You shall make a choice between the two.”

If the punishment fell on Xiao Zhun, his rank as Marquis would inevitably be taken into account and the sentence reduced accordingly. For certain people present, that was an outcome they could never accept.

Xiao Nanhui did not need to look sideways to sense the struggle in Xiao Zhun at this moment.

Yet by now, she could see clearly what the best choice was for them both.

Before Xiao Zhun could open his mouth, she spoke that choice aloud.

“This guilty subject, Xiao Nanhui, is willing to accept any punishment. I ask His Majesty to pass judgment.”

For a long time, Xiao Nanhui heard no response.

She was kneeling prostrate on the ground, unable to see that the sovereign seated high above had slowly risen to his feet.

Everyone in the great hall watched what was unfolding before them. Of all the scenes in this spectacle today, this was the most inscrutable.

Yuanming walked slowly down the stone steps. The heavy moonlit-white cape unrolled behind him, descending each tier of the stairs in silent, imposing gravity.

He walked to a position close enough to her, his voice coming as though from just above her head.

“The death sentence may be spared — but living punishment cannot be escaped. Have you ever heard of the punishment of bone-splitting?”

Xiao Nanhui shuddered. Both hands pressed hard into the ground.

The bone-splitting punishment — one of the military codes. Not among those that most readily took a life, yet for someone who had trained in martial arts, it was the most cruel.

The instrument of punishment was a freshly split green bamboo cane, applied after the manner of a beating with a staff. While it appeared less dangerous than a military rod, the bamboo’s suppleness concealed a lethal precision — each blow landed exactly where the shoulder blade met the great bone joint, and frequently shattered the tendons of the recipient’s shoulders, leaving them permanently unable to exert full force or wield a weapon for the rest of their life.

“This matter arose from a bow and arrow. You shall therefore be forbidden for life from drawing a bow and releasing an arrow. Does that seem fair?”

Within that question seemed to hide an emotion, held down and kept from release.

The officials were baffled still further — did a sovereign, in passing sentence, need to ask a criminal whether it was fair?

But at this moment Xiao Nanhui could not perceive those fine distinctions. She only knew that the Emperor was waiting for her response.

What was he waiting for? For her to beg for mercy?

She would not beg for mercy. She could not beg for mercy.

She forced the fear down to the bottom of her heart, and when she opened her mouth she found that her own voice sounded strange to her.

“Fair.”

“Very well.” The moonlit-white cape swept past before her in a single motion, leaving behind only a thin trace of shadow. “Right General of the Light Vanguard Camp, Xiao Nanhui — dereliction of duty, unauthorized entry into a heavily guarded position, suspected of conspiracy. Yet in consideration of distinguished service in the western campaign, and with the guarantee of the Marquis Mansion, the matter shall not be further pursued. Stripped of the rank of Right General, demoted to camp guard. To be punished under military law by the bone-splitting penalty, effective immediately.”

She had offered him a sacrifice of pure white — and he repaid her with a hell of pitch black.

“Xiao Nanhui — do you admit your guilt?”

He seemed to ask one final time.

And at this moment she lay prostrate on the ground, the last fragment of dignity already shattered and fallen. What the answer was no longer mattered.

“Your subject — admits guilt.”

An unusual silence seemed to settle over the air. After a long while, the sovereign’s voice rose again.

This time, it carried not a single shade of feeling.

“Someone — drag her out.”