Chapter 12 — The Secret the Empress Dowager Concealed

A small stone rolled into the room. Bound to it was a strip of cloth. I picked it up and unfurled it, revealing my father’s chicken-scratch handwriting.

"Do not cry, not dead yet. Do not go tomorrow at noon, there is a trap."

Hardly had I finished reading when Xiao Zhi’s voice sounded from behind me.

"What trap?"

I froze where I stood, the scrap of cloth still clutched in my hand. Xiao Zhi stood in the doorway, his black robes damp with night dew, his gaze chillingly cold. I slowly tightened my fist around the fabric.

"Does the Prince not know how to knock before entering a lady's room?"

Xiao Zhi replied, "This palace is not your home."

"And it is not the Prince’s home, either."

"I am acting under Imperial decree to protect you."

I looked at him. "Protecting me by eavesdropping under the window?"

Xiao Zhi stepped forward. "If I had not overheard, were you planning to keep this hidden?"

I sighed and held out the strip of cloth. "There is no hiding it from you."

Xiao Zhi unfolded it and read the message. His brows furrowed tightly. "So, Xie Guihong truly does have spies within the palace."

My mother gave a bitter laugh. "He has more than just spies; he has a tangled web of schemes."

Xie Xiaoman leaned in. "Father says there is a trap. What kind of trap?"

Xie Wencheng lay on the bed, feebly raising his hand. "I suspect it involves the hour of the Horse tomorrow."

I looked at him. "Your leg is broken, but your brain is still intact."

Xie Wencheng looked satisfied. "Thank you for the compliment, elder sister."

Xiao Zhi interjected, "If Xie Guihong warned you not to go, it proves someone intends to strike at that hour."

I nodded. "But I must go."

My mother immediately protested, "Absolutely not." Xie Xiaoman shook her head as well. "Sister, how many times have you been used as a target already?"

I pondered for a moment, seriously. "Once at the execution ground, once in the celestial prison, once at the palace gate, and once in the Eternal Brilliance Hall."

Xie Wencheng added, "Including tomorrow at noon, that makes five."

I looked at him. "Your counting is quite sharp."

My mother scolded us, "At a time like this, how can you still be joking!" The room fell instantly silent. I took her hand. "Mother, Father sent this message, which means he can see through the situation. He told me not to go because he fears for my life. But if I do not go, those hiding in the shadows will know that we are afraid. If that happens, they will simply choose another time and place to strike, and I will be even less prepared."

Xiao Zhi looked at me. "So, you intend to turn their own scheme against them."

"Correct," I replied, meeting his gaze. "Does the Prince dare to enter the trap with me?"

Xiao Zhi replied coldly, "Provocation will not work."

"So, will you go or not?"

"I will go."

I smiled. "The Prince is easily provoked."

Xiao Zhi remained expressionless. "I do it to catch the culprit."

Xie Xiaoman whispered, "Why do I feel like the Prince actually falls for her tactics every time?" Xiao Zhi shot a look at her, and she immediately ducked behind my mother.

At the hour of the Horse the following day, three tiers of imperial guards stood watch outside the Eternal Brilliance Hall. I changed into a clean set of robes—not prison garb, but a set of light green court attire that Eunuch Chang had brought. He explained that it was the Emperor’s will that since Xie Ming Duong’s identity was not yet settled, I should no longer wear the clothes of a prisoner. When my mother tied my sash, her hands trembled.

"Ming Duong."

"Yes?"

"If there is true danger, do not try to be a hero."

I nodded. "I can run very fast."

Xie Wencheng, lying on the bed, said seriously, "Sister, before you run, can you take Xiaoman with you? She is very slow."

Xie Xiaoman grew indignant. "You have a broken leg, and you’re still worrying about me?"

Xie Wencheng replied, "Because my leg is broken, I understand the importance of running fast all the more."

I could not help but laugh. With that smile, some of the coldness in my heart dissipated. When I left the side hall, Xiao Zhi was already waiting. He glanced at me. "Are you afraid?"

I answered, "I am."

"Then why go?"

"Being afraid and going are not mutually exclusive."

He said no more, only handing me a small dagger. It was slender and small, fitting perfectly into my sleeve. I took it. "Is the Prince not afraid I might use this to assassinate the Emperor?"

Xiao Zhi remarked, "If you intend to assassinate, just make sure your aim is true."

I choked on my own breath. "That is not a very auspicious thing to say, Prince."

"If you don't aim correctly, you will die that much faster."

I tucked the dagger away. "Thank you for the guidance."

At noon, the crowd in the Eternal Brilliance Hall was smaller than the previous night. Emperor Yuan Sheng sat upon his high throne; the wound on his shoulder had not yet healed, and his face was pale. The Empress Dowager was also present, dressed in white court robes, her prayer beads replaced with a new string. Seeing me, her eyes were as calm as the depths of a dark well.

I knelt. "Commoner Xie Ming Duong pays respects to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager."

Emperor Yuan Sheng spoke, "Rise."

Eunuch Chang brought over a jade tray. On it lay items "recovered" from the wall crevices of the prison the night before. In truth, it was meant to be empty; it was a trap we had set. The Emperor looked at me. "Xie Ming Duong, come forward to identify them."

I stepped forward. The jade tray was covered with a red cloth. Every eye in the hall was fixed on my hands. I reached out and slowly lifted the red silk. The tray was not empty. Resting inside was half a piece of jade. My pupils constricted. It was my Phoenix Feather Jade. It was no longer whole—it had been hacked in two from the center. Only half remained.

Eunuch Chang’s face drained of all color. "Your Majesty! This servant knows nothing of this!"