At the end of the ninth month, a single impeachment memorial from Shen Xiao tore open the suppressed truth of the flooding that had submerged three counties within Luo Prefecture — and the court erupted into chaos.

Luo Prefecture’s Prefectural Governor Gao Jin was shackled on the spot and hauled off to prison. When officers were sent to search his estate, they uncovered an astounding trove of wealth — every coin of it squeezed from the blood and sweat of the common people. Emperor Zhengyuan flew into a towering rage and immediately issued an order for immediate execution. The Gao clan, which had long lorded over Taiyuan Prefecture with supreme arrogance, fell into ruin from that day forth.

The Ministry of Works’ Left Vice Minister Cui Jinzhi had concealed the disaster and deceived both his superiors and his subordinates — yet in consideration of his subsequent full effort in managing the relief, his merits and transgressions were deemed to cancel each other out. Emperor Zhengyuan did not send him to prison, but stripped him of every official post he held. Cui Jinzhi was reduced entirely to a man of no rank or title.

One Luo Prefecture Prefectural Governor Gao Jin. One Ministry of Works Vice Minister Cui Jinzhi. Both were men of the Eastern Palace.

Though Cui Jinzhi had set his jaw and shouldered all blame for the flooding disaster in Luo Prefecture — wresting the Crown Prince entirely free from the affair — the Crown Prince’s failure to perceive people clearly and his poor judgment in appointing men were faults that could not be concealed no matter what.

The doors of the Hanyuan Hall were shut tight. What Emperor Zhengyuan and the Crown Prince spoke of inside, no one knew — only that when the Crown Prince emerged from the hall, his face was the ashen grey of defeat, his body trembling like a sieve of grain husks.

The very next day, news came: the Crown Prince was punished with three months of house confinement within the Eastern Palace, severing all contact with the outside world.

The court was thrown into shock.

In the inner palace, the Empress pleaded on the Crown Prince’s behalf — and Emperor Zhengyuan promptly stripped her of the phoenix seal. The Empress then removed her hairpins in a gesture of penance and shut herself away in her palace for reflection.

Princess Anle also entered the palace to plead for the Crown Prince. Yet she, who had always been so favored, was met with a withering scolding from the Emperor himself. Word spread that the Princess left the palace in tears.

Following the earlier purge of the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Works underwent another sweeping change of blood. Every man the Crown Prince had planted within the Ministry of Works was scoured out and expelled.

With the severing of Cui Jinzhi — his right arm — and the successive loss of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works, the Crown Prince’s standing plummeted to its lowest point yet.

Whispers circulated through the court: His Majesty had already harbored thoughts of deposing the Crown Prince.

But Shen Xiao — the one whose actions had set this entire storm in motion — knew that His Majesty would not yet depose the Crown Prince. When the Luo Prefecture Governor Gao Jin’s estate was searched, much evidence of tributes paid to the Eastern Palace had been uncovered. Yet the Emperor had deliberately turned a blind eye and suppressed all of that evidence. Three counties submerged — and in the end, it had only bought the Eastern Palace three months of house confinement.

His Majesty’s fatherly affection for the Crown Prince ran deep indeed.

The matters of the Eastern Palace could not be rushed. Shen Xiao understood that the most pressing task at hand was not to contend for power or crush the Crown Prince, but to swiftly manage the disaster relief — to inspect and address the hazards along the riverbanks, and to limit the scale of the catastrophe.

The flooding that had erupted in Luo Prefecture alone had already exposed problems this severe. Along the entire length of the Yellow River, who knew how many parasites were gnawing away at the embankments?

Yet with the Ministry of Works in the midst of a sweeping overhaul, a leaderless situation at its head, who could lead the Ministry forward into disaster relief?

This was precisely the opening he intended to secure for the Seventh Imperial Prince.

* * *

The first day of the tenth month.

Not long after the autumn equinox, the weather had turned abruptly cold. A cool wind carrying splatters of rain swept fallen leaves across the ground.

Princess Pingyang’s carriage rolled toward Qianfu Temple, beyond the city gates.

Inside the carriage, Hong Luo reached out to lower the curtain and draped a cape over Li Shu’s shoulders. “The weather has turned cold — Your Highness must not catch a chill.”

Li Shu leaned back against the cushioned rest and turned over in her mind the recent affairs of the court.

Stripping Cui Jinzhi of his post had severed the Eastern Palace’s right arm. Successive seizure of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works had stripped the Eastern Palace of its power.

She must seize upon this moment — these three months while the Crown Prince languished in disgrace — and press forward, letting the Seventh Prince emerge fully into the open and accomplish several real, tangible deeds.

While Li Shu was still turning over in her mind the question of how best to support the Seventh Prince, she suddenly felt her body lurch. No longer in control of herself, she pitched forward. Fortunately Hong Luo was quick to reach out and steady her — otherwise she would have tumbled clean out of her seat. Outside, the horse let out a shrill cry, and the carriage came to an abrupt halt.

Hong Luo swiftly helped Li Shu settle herself, then swept aside the curtain and called out sharply, “What is the meaning of this —”

But at the sight of who stood outside the carriage, Hong Luo stopped short, struck silent. “The Prince Consort — ah, no — Lord Cui.”

At the head of the carriage, a man dressed in black sat astride a horse, blocking the road.

That man bore the unmistakable face of the former Prince Consort — the same refined and distinguished features, the same soulful phoenix eyes — yet his bearing had changed entirely.

He was cold all through now. Cold, and carrying a murderous air.

Cui Jinzhi fixed his gaze on the carriage.

Li Shu’s carriage compartment was wide and deep — even with the curtain pulled back, the light could not fully penetrate its interior. All Cui Jinzhi could make out was her face, half-hidden in shadow, and a single pair of eyes — bright and clear, cold as ice and snow — meeting his gaze across the distance.

“Cui Jinzhi. What do you want?”

Those words contained not the faintest trace of personal feeling. They were thick with wariness.

Three months after their separation — this was the first sentence spoken between the two of them.

At the sound of her voice, Cui Jinzhi’s body shifted. He swung down from his horse and crossed to Li Shu’s carriage in long, sweeping strides.

Cui Jinzhi’s complexion was not well. The journey to Luo Prefecture to manage the disaster relief, compounded by the Emperor’s stripping of his posts, had left him visibly thinner than before. Stubble had broken through along his jaw, and the bloodshot threads in his eyes had yet to fade. Not a trace remained of the dashing, carefree air he had once carried.

Hong Luo took one look and was seized with fear. She immediately called the guards to surround the carriage and block Cui Jinzhi’s path, dreading that he intended some harm to the Princess.

Cui Jinzhi was one man against a great many guards, and in any case he had no intention of forcing his way through.

He was held back beside the carriage, and said: “Li Shu. I have only one question.”

“All of these events — was it you behind them?”

Inside the carriage, Li Shu let out a quiet laugh. “I don’t know what you’re referring to.”

A shadow of disappointment moved through Cui Jinzhi’s eyes. Her evasion was, in itself, a kind of answer. His question had even been largely superfluous — he had known without needing to ask. Going purely on his years of understanding Li Shu, he had been certain she was the one stirring things from behind the scenes. He had needed no proof.

He shoved aside the guards blocking his path.

The guards moved to draw their blades — but Li Shu said, “No need to stop him. Let him through.”

This face-to-face confrontation with Cui Jinzhi had been coming sooner or later.

Hong Luo and the guards withdrew to the side. Cui Jinzhi lifted his foot and stepped up into the carriage.

He was tall, with long legs — and though the carriage compartment was wide, it felt suddenly crowded. The entire space filled at once with his presence. Formerly his presence had carried the scent of osmanthus — a fragrance that clung to Qing Luo. Now he had cast aside every last trace of warmth, and his bearing was sharp and frigid as a blade edge plunged into rain.

Cui Jinzhi looked at Li Shu and suddenly asked something with no connection whatsoever to the Eastern Palace. “How have you been lately?”

Three months since the separation. How have you been getting along?

Even though we are now political enemies. Even though you have gone to great lengths to dig pits beneath my feet — still, I cannot stop myself. My first words must be to ask after you.

Yet Li Shu, upon hearing this, only let out a cold snort. She had no patience for his concern. “Say what you’ve come to say. Spare me the false sincerity.”

Cui Jinzhi felt a jolt in his chest. He quickly pressed down his feelings and fixed his eyes on Li Shu. “The grain levy affair — you dealt the Crown Prince a hidden blow. The cliff fall — you cost the Crown Prince the Ministry of War. And now the breaking of the Luo Prefecture levees — the Crown Prince has stumbled again, and it was you who tripped him.”

“Que Nuo — I don’t care how great a grudge you hold against the Crown Prince. Three incidents like these should be more than enough for your revenge.”

“Won’t you step back now? Please?”

There was a faint note of entreaty in his voice.

He drew closer and went down on one knee before Li Shu. “Que Nuo, step back. For the cliff incident — I will apologize on the Crown Prince’s behalf. The Crown Prince has been beaten back by you at every turn — surely that is enough. Surely you know when to be satisfied.”

Li Shu was momentarily startled.

She had never seen Cui Jinzhi like this — his brow furrowed with such dejection, such pleading.

“Are you begging me on the Crown Prince’s behalf?” Li Shu asked.

The Crown Prince could no longer withstand the pressure, and was asking her to show mercy? Impossible.

Sure enough, Cui Jinzhi shook his head. “No. I am begging on my own behalf.”

“Que Nuo — I do not want to come to the point where we are killing each other.”

They had once been husband and wife. Even after the separation, even with no remaining bond between them, Cui Jinzhi did not want to become Li Shu’s enemy.

“Que Nuo — you have already had your revenge, more than enough. Everything you have done against the Eastern Palace until now — I can shield you from all of it. I give you my word: from this point forward, I will absolutely not allow the Eastern Palace to touch a single hair on your head. As long as you withdraw from this moment on — step back from court affairs. When the Crown Prince ascends, I will ensure you want for nothing your entire life. Wealth and honor — they are yours.”

This was Cui Jinzhi’s promise. He was entirely capable of fulfilling it.

He was the Eastern Palace’s foremost meritorious subject. Once the Crown Prince took the throne, he would wield power enough to shake the heavens. To protect one Li Shu was more than within his means.

Yet these words struck Li Shu precisely at her most tender nerve. She let out a sudden, cold laugh, and her contempt for Cui Jinzhi’s concern was absolute. “Cui Jinzhi — why is it that I must be the one to withdraw from court? If you do not want to fight me, why don’t you withdraw instead?”

Cui Jinzhi’s eyes contracted sharply. On instinct he shot back, “Because I cannot withdraw! Because I refuse to withdraw!”

If he withdrew, the Cui Family would be finished entirely. He had no way back.

Li Shu watched the state Cui Jinzhi had worked himself into and let out a short laugh. “Cui Jinzhi — as long as you cease opposing me now, once the person I am supporting ascends, I can also guarantee you a lifetime of peace and comfort.”

She returned his earlier words to him word for word, then tilted one eyebrow in cool mockery. “Cui Jinzhi — are you willing?”

Cui Jinzhi went blank for a moment.

How could he possibly be willing?

Li Shu observed him, and into her gaze crept a look of absolute derision. “Cui Jinzhi — you are truly the most selfish person I have ever met.”

He would not do it himself — and yet he expected her to agree.

Cui Jinzhi looked at Li Shu. The expression in his eyes hardened swiftly. His voice grew cold and rigid, and carried with it the weight of a threat. “Li Shu — do you really think you can bring down the Crown Prince?”

“Three counties submerged in Luo Prefecture — a disaster of this magnitude — and in the end the Emperor only punished the Crown Prince with three months of house confinement.”

Cui Jinzhi suddenly lunged forward, forcing himself directly before Li Shu. His bloodshot eyes bore into hers without blinking, and after a long moment, a ruthless smile appeared on his face. “Do you truly believe you can bring the Crown Prince down?”

His voice was very low, very hoarse, falling right beside her ear — laced through and through with threat.

Li Shu was pressed back into the corner of the carriage by Cui Jinzhi’s advance. She showed not the slightest yielding and met him with an equally cold laugh. “If you never try, how will you ever know whether I can?”

Cui Jinzhi was provoked into fury by Li Shu’s unyielding defiance. He shot out a hand and clamped it around Li Shu’s wrist, pinning her against the wall of the carriage.

“Li Shu — out of regard for the bond we once shared, I am warning you one final time: stand down. Stop opposing the Eastern Palace.”

Li Shu: “And if I insist on opposing?”

At those words, Cui Jinzhi suddenly released Li Shu’s wrist — and then he reached out and, with an expression of exquisite, lingering tenderness, stroked her cheek. But his tone was utterly merciless. “Then whatever harm I cause you in the future… do not blame me for it.”

The Eastern Palace he had dedicated himself to supporting would not be pulled down by anyone — not even by his former wife. Whoever stood in the way of the Eastern Palace’s path forward was his absolute enemy.

The two of them were so close that Li Shu could feel Cui Jinzhi’s body warmth — and he was so cold. It was as if he had stripped away every trace of warmth and human feeling the world had to offer. From this point forward, anyone who stood between him and power would find no mercy in him.

Cui Jinzhi had become this.

The man who had once stretched out his hand toward her in the Cold Palace — those warm palms that had lifted her from the dust — was gone entirely.

Li Shu was, for a moment, stunned.

The two of them faced each other in the carriage, the only sound between them the sound of breathing. Suddenly footsteps came from outside, and a familiar voice rose. “Your Highness.”

Through the open curtain, Shen Xiao took in the scene inside the carriage — Li Shu and Cui Jinzhi, in such close and intimate proximity.

His voice dropped to a lower register. “What are you two doing?”

Today was the first of the month — Li Shu’s day to go to Qianfu Temple to burn incense. Shen Xiao had made a point of leaving the city, expressly to see her.

He had seen her, indeed. He simply had not expected to find someone else there as well.

Li Shu swiftly turned her head, and saw Shen Xiao standing just beside the carriage. His expression, as always, was composed and cool — difficult to read for joy or anger. Yet Li Shu could clearly sense that his eyes were darker than usual.

He was angry.

Li Shu felt a wave of unexplained guilt wash over her, and only now realized how very close she and Cui Jinzhi had been. She and Cui Jinzhi had been husband and wife for many years — physical closeness between them had never required the same deliberate maintaining of distance.

Li Shu shoved Cui Jinzhi away and moved herself to the window.

Shen Xiao observed this, and some of the coldness in his gaze receded. He fixed his eyes on Cui Jinzhi inside the carriage. “The Princess is sovereign; you, Lord Cui, are now without post and are a commoner. You must not transgress the proper boundaries between sovereign and subject.”

“If you have something to report, step down from the carriage and say it.”

Cui Jinzhi let out a cold laugh. “Lord Shen’s authority is considerable, if it reaches all the way to matters concerning me.”

Cui Jinzhi had wielded high office for many years. He was not about to let Shen Xiao throw his weight around before him. He had merely had his posts temporarily stripped — once the Crown Prince emerged from house confinement, he would return to the court as before.

A man of humble origins. A man who had entered court by way of being a favored companion — and he dared to banter with him.

Cui Jinzhi narrowed his eyes and looked at Shen Xiao for a moment.

As for the Eastern Palace’s current house confinement, Cui Jinzhi had reached his conclusions purely through his years of knowing Li Shu — he was certain she had been working behind the scenes, but in truth he had no concrete evidence.

Shen Xiao, however, was the one who had directly impeached the Eastern Palace. One could say that everything the Eastern Palace now suffered had been directly brought about by him.

Cui Jinzhi looked at Shen Xiao. Then he looked at Li Shu.

The two of them worked together beautifully — one operating in the open, one operating in the shadows — and had dug a magnificent pit for the Eastern Palace.

Cui Jinzhi’s gaze settled on Li Shu. “Li Shu — this is my final warning. From this moment, let go and withdraw from court affairs.”

“Otherwise…” Cui Jinzhi glanced once at Shen Xiao, and his eyes were utterly cold with cruelty. “Whatever I do in the days to come that pierces your heart to the core — do not blame me for it.”

With that he looked at Li Shu no longer. He leaped down from the carriage, swung back up onto his horse, and galloped away.