Rats in The Palace

Xiao Liu followed Sira out of the room, his heartbeat still hammering in his chest. Damn it. He had slipped. He had spent years training his expressions, his posture, his very presence to blend in like a shadow, and yet—one name. One name was all it took to shatter his mask.

"Liang."

The sound of his family name on a stranger's lips sent a sharp pang through his ribs, like a blade lodged between them. He hadn't expected to hear it. Not here.

His family was gone, his name erased, their lands stolen and absorbed into the empire—yet the prince and that man had been speaking about them as if they still existed. Why? What did they know?

His hands curled into fists as Sira led him back to the kitchens, still grumbling under her breath.

"Ugh, you're slower than a crippled mule," Sira grumbled, shooting him an annoyed glare over her shoulder. She hadn't stopped complaining since they left the study. "Listen, you must have been some master's favourite pet to get assigned directly to His Highness, but let me tell you this—you don't get second chances with Prince Kai En. You're damn lucky he's in a good mood today, otherwise…"

She ran a finger across her neck in a sharp motion.

Xiao Liu barely heard her. He kept walking, his thoughts churning. He had to get back there. He had to hear more.

Sira huffed at his silence. "You deaf too? Tsk. I said the prince is usually much harsher with new servants. The fact that he didn't so much as flick his fan at you means he's amused—or suspicious. Probably both." She gave him a sideways glance, her sharp eyes gleaming with curiosity. "What did you do to catch his attention?"

Xiao Liu kept his expression neutral. "Nothing."

She snorted. "Right. Nothing. Well, enjoy your luck while it lasts. The prince is like a cat. He plays with things that interest him, but when he gets bored, he doesn't hesitate to tear them apart."

Xiao Liu didn't reply. His mind was still on the conversation in the study.

What had the prince meant when he said he was close to cracking a case? What did the man mean about Liang lands?

The way Kai En's sharp gaze had flicked to him at that one moment. Had he noticed his reaction? Of course, he had. That bastard was far too perceptive.

"You better listen up," Sira snapped, waving a hand in front of his face. "The prince doesn't take in personal servants. Ever. You're the first in a long time. And I'm not sticking my neck out for an idiot who can't even keep his head down."

Xiao Liu glanced at her, mind racing. The way she spoke to the prince earlier—so informally. Unlike the other servants, who cowered or spoke in rigid formality, she had scolded him, teased him, as if she wasn't afraid. That should have piqued his curiosity, but right now, it didn't matter. All that mattered was what the prince and that man were talking about.

I need to hear more.

"I don't know what you did to catch his eye, but don't think it means anything," Sira continued, shaking her head. "His Highness doesn't take in new servants—especially not ones like you. Half the staff already think you're some kind of pet."

That managed to get xiao Liu's attention for a few seconds. He was no one's pet. If anything, he'd have the prince on his knees begging him first. 

Whispers followed them as they entered the kitchen. Servants huddled in corners, murmuring among themselves. Some looked envious, others suspicious. Xiao Liu ignored them.

The whispering of the other servants reached his ears as they walked through the halls.

"Who's the new one?"

"His Highness's new personal servant." 

"Prince Kai En actually let him stay? Strange…"

"He must have done something to please him."

"He's an alpha, right? Don't say things like that or you'll get in trouble." 

"Or he's just a new toy. He won't last long."

"Not you too." 

Xiao Liu ignored them. Their assumptions didn't matter.

What mattered was getting back to that study.

Sira wasted no time leading him to the back of the kitchen. She pointed to a stack of large basins pushed against the wall. "These need to be moved to the shelf over there."

Xiao Liu carried the basins, brows furrowing in slight surprise at how heavy they were. He moved them silently, peering out the door intermittently. 

Sira continued assigning him tasks, her sharp eyes assessing his work. She was testing him. He should have cared, should have played the role of an obedient new servant, but his focus was elsewhere. Every moment wasted here was another moment he could be gathering information.

Finally, he gave up pretending.

"I'll get water from the well," he announced, grabbing a bucket.

"Hey—wait! You're not done—"

The moment he stepped outside, he took a deep breath, letting the cool evening air clear his head. His fingers tightened around the bucket's handle as he moved swiftly through the palace grounds. 

Walking through the palace grounds, he forced himself to slow his breathing. His sharp gaze took in everything—the positioning of the guards, the pathways that led to different wings, the places where shadows pooled at different times of day.

Earlier, inside the study, he had already mapped out its doors and windows, looking for the best way to slip in unseen and end the prince's life. But Prince Kai En had noticed. The bastard was sharp.

Too sharp.

It would be harder to get the drop on him than Xiao Liu had anticipated.

He reached the prince's study. The open window was a blessing. Staying low, he crept behind the thick shrubs just below, pressing his back against the cool stone. The voices inside were still speaking.

He strained his ears.

"...finally have him in the cells," the unknown man was saying. His tone was confident but wary. "Minister Zhang's confession was more useful than expected. He admitted to skimming funds from the grain tax, but it's what he did with the money that's interesting."

Kai En's voice followed, smooth but laced with something sharp. "Go on."

"He funnelled large sums to a faction of exiled nobles—families who had been stripped of their titles after Empress Dowager Zhao's purge. He was helping them build influence again, funding their return to court."

Xiao Liu's fingers curled into his sleeves. Exiled nobles. Stripped titles. The purge.

Was this connected to his family?

Kai En hummed. "Fools. Clawing their way back to power with stolen money. Did he mention any names?"

"He hesitated. I suspect there's more he's hiding."

Xiao Liu committed every word to memory. Minister Zhang—an official who had dealings with exiled families. Perhaps he was a lead. If he could get into the dungeons and speak to this man, he might learn something about the ones who had framed his father.

"It was a terror bringing him in. Like him, Minister Zhang had been stubborn to the end." 

Kai En let out a short, humorless chuckle. "They always are. When a man is guilty, he'll cling to denial like a drowning rat."

Xiao Liu narrowed his eyes.

Who are they talking about now?

"It's almost a shame," the man mused. "Minister Zhao was once one of the emperor's most trusted men. But I suppose no one stays clean in court for long."

Xiao Liu froze.

Minister Zhao?

His fingers curled into the dirt. That name… it was familiar. His father had worked closely with Zhao before—back when he had still been alive. Could there be a connection?

Kai En sighed. "I'll give him one more night to stew in that cell. By tomorrow, he'll start talking."

Xiao Liu filed the information away. If this Minister Zhao was truly guilty of corruption, then he might have had ties to the same people who framed and executed Xiao Liu's family.

Perhaps a visit to the dungeons was in order.

There was a pause inside. Then the other man chuckled. "Well, you're certainly enjoying yourself."

"I don't enjoy the mess," Kai En corrected. "But I enjoy the moment before everything comes together. The moment right before the final piece falls into place."

There was the clink of porcelain. The sound of tea being poured. Then a casual sigh.

"…By the way, there's been a rat infestation in the palace lately."

Xiao Liu froze.

"I wonder how they're getting in," Kai En continued, voice smooth.

The unknown man exhaled. "Infestation? We just returned from the field and they make you deal with this? Where this time?"

The floor creaked softly. A chair shifting, perhaps. Or someone standing.

Kai En's next words sent ice down Xiao Liu's spine.

"You'd think the staff were on the case, yet they're here. Right under our noses."

The silence stretched.

And then, so casually it almost seemed like an afterthought—

"Right, servant?"