Chapter 16 — The Secret the Empress Dowager Concealed

A muffled groan echoed from outside the room. Xie Wencheng, unwilling to be outdone, raised his crutch and began stabbing wildly at the space beneath the window sill.

"That's for trying to threaten my sister!"

He lunged with great fervor, though his aim left much to be desired. He nearly struck the hem of my mother’s skirt. She spun around, glaring daggers at him.

"Stab the enemy, you fool!"

Xie Wencheng immediately adjusted his angle. The figure outside was forced to retreat. Seizing the moment, I threw back the latch and burst out. It was a woman dressed as a palace maid, her face obscured by a black veil, a miniature crossbow hidden within her sleeves. My mother had already managed to pin the woman’s arm with an arrow, slowing her movements just enough. I lunged forward, pressing the tip of my dagger firmly against her lower back.

"Don't move."

She let out a harsh, cynical laugh. "You wouldn't dare kill me."

I stared into her eyes. "I just finished stabbing someone to death in the celestial prison a moment ago."

The woman went silent. My mother emerged, still clutching the bow, and demanded, "Who sent you?"

The maid gritted her teeth. I immediately clamped my hand around her jaw. "Don't even think about biting into a poison capsule."

From inside the room, Xie Wencheng roared, "Sister! There might be a poison sac behind her teeth! I read about it in a book!" I didn't even turn to look at him. "You’re being very useful right now, keep shouting."

Xie Wencheng was emboldened. "Her eyes flickered to the left—that means her accomplice is hiding on the left!"

I immediately ducked. As if on cue, a grey-clad assassin lunged from behind a pillar. At that exact moment, Xiao Zhi’s men arrived, a blade stopping the assassin in his tracks. I let out a long breath. From the room, Xie Wencheng smugly announced, "I told you I was good for shouting." Seeing the tide turn against her, the maid suddenly tried to throw herself onto the blade to commit suicide. My mother was faster, delivering a swift, resounding slap. *Crack.* The woman went dazed. My mother said coldly, "You dare seek death in front of me without my permission?" My heart warmed at the sight. Usually, when my mother scolded me about my embroidery or my reading, she was just as fierce. I used to find it annoying, but now, it felt like the most comforting thing in the world.

Xiao Zhi approached quickly, his gaze sweeping over the incapacitated maid before resting on the jade piece in my hand. "You retrieved it?"

I nodded. "I have it."

"Let's go."

"How is it at the Eternal Brilliance Hall?"

"It’s still holding."

Those four words made my hair stand on end. By the time we returned to the palace, the interior looked as though it had been ravaged by a storm. The screens were toppled, the imperial desk was split in two, and over a dozen corpses lay scattered across the floor. Emperor Yuan Sheng was huddled in a corner, shielded by Eunuch Chang, a fresh bloodstain blooming on his shoulder. Xiao Zhi was also splattered with blood. My father looked the most disheveled; half of his robes had been slashed away, his hair was loose and chaotic, and he was still gripping a broken bronze candle stand like a weapon. Yet, the first words he uttered upon seeing me were, "Where is the jade?"

I opened my hand. The half of the Phoenix Feather Jade lay nestled in my palm. The Empress Dowager stood behind her remaining assassins, her complexion ashen. When Shen Huai Nian saw the jade, his smile finally vanished. "Ming Duong, give the jade to me."

I looked at him. "You truly have a vivid imagination."

My father let out a booming laugh. "That’s my girl!"

Shen Huai Nian’s expression turned icy. "You shouldn't trust Xie Guihong. He only raised you because you had utility."

Before I could speak, my father spat on the ground. "Nonsense."

Shen Huai Nian stared at him. "Is it not true?"

My father drove the jagged end of the candle stand into the floorboards. "It’s true that she is useful. And it’s true that I raised her. But I raised her, and it certainly wasn't so a piece of filth like you could come here and sow discord."

My eyes stung with sudden heat. This man had spent the day calling me a stray and using me as bait, yet now he said things that made me want to weep. I forced it back; this was no time for tears. Xiao Zhi pressed the two halves of the jade together. They fit perfectly, without a single gap. Eunuch Chang brought over a bowl of clear water. My father remarked, "Drop the jade into the water, and the hidden text will reveal itself."

Emperor Yuan Sheng shot him a look. "Must I remove my robes?"

My father replied with deadpan seriousness, "Your Majesty may keep them on if you wish, though I will be unable to see anything." The Emperor’s face darkened. Eunuch Chang hurriedly ordered a privacy screen to be erected. My father tried to step closer, but Xiao Zhi grabbed him by the collar.

"Stay back."

"I know a great many things," my father protested.

"Your mouth is far too loose."

Behind the screen, Eunuch Chang dipped the jade into the water. A pale, ethereal light began to radiate from the basin. Xiao Zhi carried the water inside. I stood outside the screen, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. A moment later, Eunuch Chang gasped.

"There are words!"

Everyone in the palace held their breath. Emperor Yuan Sheng’s voice drifted from behind the screen. "Read them."

Eunuch Chang’s voice trembled. "I have wronged the Empress, misled by treacherous villains, which led to the bloody night at the Phoenix Pavilion..."

The Empress Dowager staggered back half a step. Shen Huai Nian’s face went completely deathly pale. Eunuch Chang continued to read. "The Shen clan, conspiring with the inner court, forged military reports to frame the Empress..."

The Empress Dowager let out a piercing shriek. "Silence!" An assassin at her side immediately lunged toward the screen. Xiao Zhi brandished his blade to intercept, and my father stepped firmly in front of me.