Chapter 62: Beneath the Azure Gaze

The Celestial Bell rang six times—deep, resonant, and absolute. Within the heart of the Eastern capital, the Hall of Heaven's Mandate stood silent, its marble dome gleaming like frozen starlight.

Kai Jin walked alone beneath its vaulted arches, every step echoing across jade-veined floors. He wore no armor—only his envoy's robe, black and silver, marked by the imperial sigil. The Mt. Luoyang blade remained at his side, though it had been peace, not steel, that earned him this summons.

Before him, the Emperor of the Eastern Dukedom sat unmoving upon the Jade Throne. His garments shimmered with layered blue silk, embroidered with coiling dragons and crowned by a circlet of silver phoenix feathers. No emotion marred his ageless face.

Kai bowed deeply. "Your Radiance."

The Emperor's voice was low and clear. "Rise, Envoy of the Broken Sky."

He did.

"I am told you return not only alive, but with peace in hand."

Kai met his gaze. "The Two-Rivers Accord has been sealed. The Southern Regent accepted the terms, and the emperor's seal has weight even in his court."

"And the forest ambush?"

"Dealt with. Silently."

A pause stretched.

"You suspect it was orchestrated?"

"I do," Kai said. "And not by the South."

The Emperor's fingers tapped once against his throne armrest. "It would be a bold move to strike at one bearing my seal. Tell me, Kai Jin, what would you do with such treachery if proven?"

Kai's voice was steady. "Face it. Publicly."

That earned a subtle flicker of amusement. "Bold. Dangerous."

"Necessary."

The Emperor stood slowly, descending one step from the dais. "Peace… is often more threatening than war. It exposes ambitions better left cloaked."

Kai said nothing.

"You have made allies—powerful ones. Even among my people. Lady Yue Zhu. Healer Bai Ru. And Lin Su." He let her name linger. "Each… dangerous in their own right."

Kai's expression remained still. "They've earned my trust."

"And thus, my court's suspicion," the Emperor replied smoothly.

A chill passed through the hall, though no wind stirred.

"You walk a blade's edge, Kai Jin. Peace brings attention. Loyalty, envy. Every hand that claps for you, another may draw a blade in silence."

Kai inclined his head. "I did not seek glory."

"No," the Emperor agreed. "But glory has a way of finding those the world begins to follow."

He turned toward the golden veil behind the throne. "You have fulfilled your mission. You may return to your estate."

Kai bowed again. "Does the court intend to acknowledge the Accord?"

The Emperor did not face him. "The court… is slow to awaken. Let it sleep a little longer. It dreams of past power. Let us not wake it too rudely."

⸻

Outside the Hall

Yue waited under the Jade Magnolia Pavilion, where sun filtered through pale blossoms onto polished stone. She rose as Kai approached, studying his expression.

"He didn't praise you," she said. "But he didn't scold you either."

"No. He just… watched."

Yue nodded grimly. "That's worse."

They walked in silence down the terraced steps. Below, the capital moved like clockwork—markets calling, banners waving, the illusion of order wrapped around tension like silk over steel.

"He knows," Kai said softly.

"Of the ambush?"

"Of everything."

⸻

In the Palace Depths

That night, deep within the Ministry's inner archive, Elder Song stood beside a candlelit scroll, his wrinkled fingers drumming faintly.

"He said nothing of reward?" asked a robed younger minister.

"Nothing," Song replied. "And yet, he summoned the boy alone. No one else. No advisors. No scribes. That… is telling."

The minister frowned. "Then the Emperor favors him?"

Song smiled, slow and sharp. "No. The Emperor is watching him—closely. And those the Emperor watches too long… rarely rise."

⸻

[To Be Continued…]