Chapter 14 (Part II) – In the Presence of Silence

The corridors leading to the Emperor's private study were lined with polished jade and inlaid panels of aged rosewood. Meiqi walked between them with careful steps, her eyes lowered, her expression serene. Her heart, however, was a different matter entirely.

It beat quickly, rebelliously, as though it had not learned the rules of court.

The eunuch who guided her slid open the lacquered screen and bowed deeply. "Your Majesty. Lady Meiqi."

The Emperor stood with his back to her, hands clasped behind him as he looked out through the open doors toward the koi pond below. He didn't turn immediately.

The quiet stretched.

Meiqi lowered herself into a bow, long and respectful. "This servant greets Your Majesty."

A moment passed, then another. The Emperor's voice, when it came, was quiet. "I've been told the Queen has taken to hosting scholars. A poetic gesture to feign serenity."

Meiqi remained still. She had learned that the Emperor's conversations were rarely about the subject they appeared to be.

"She seeks influence in gentler ways," Meiqi offered.

Finally, the Emperor turned.

His eyes—dark, contemplative—rested on her with the weight of unspoken questions. He was older than the Crown Prince by at least twenty-five years, but age had not worn him down. If anything, it had carved authority into his bearing. He looked like a man who did not speak unless he wanted something to be heard.

"I heard you refused an invitation to join the Queen's reading circle."

"I was not sure if I was permitted."

His brow arched ever so slightly. "And if you had been?"

Meiqi met his gaze. "Then I would have gone. It is not good to be left out of a Queen's gaze."

The Emperor took a step closer, the brush of his robes almost silent.

"You do not flatter," he said. "Not even me."

"I was raised in a merchant household, not a noble court. We trade in honesty, Your Majesty, or else we fail."

His eyes flickered, unreadable. "And yet here you are. You've done well for a girl gifted like a jewel with uncertain worth."

Meiqi felt heat rise to her cheeks but held her composure. "I only sought to be of use."

The Emperor studied her. "That is precisely why I have kept you where you are. The court still debates whether you are servant or consort. Let them debate."

She didn't answer. She knew better.

"You are not to be given away," he said, voice sharper now, though not angry. "Not to a prince, nor to marriage alliances. Not even to the Crown Prince, though his advisors inquired."

Meiqi's breath caught, not in joy, not even in fear—but in recognition of something she hadn't anticipated. Possession. She was his.

"Why?" she asked before she could stop herself.

The Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly, not in irritation, but in curiosity.

"Because usefulness is rare," he said. "And you are… useful. Observant. Subtle. And you do not flatter."

He turned back to the open air.

"Continue to be useful, Meiqi," he said. "And you will not be forgotten."

"Does usefulness warrant a heart?" she asked suddenly, before she could leash the words.

His hand paused at his side.

Then, the softest sound—a faint breath of amusement.

"Even emperors do not answer every question," he said.

And with that, she was dismissed.