12.Poison in Words

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That morning, before the sun fully crept above the palace roofs, a servant dressed in deep crimson arrived carrying a scroll sealed with jade.

An invitation from Xiangluang Pavilion. The words were few, merely a command:

"Concubine Qingyin is expected at the morning tea gathering."

Zhenyu knew when an invitation came from Ji Suling, it wasn't a mere courtesy.

It was an invitation that could easily become a test. But she didn't falter.

She donned the simplest dress she could find and walked to the lion's den with her head held high.

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The sky above Xiangluang Pavilion that morning was draped in a heavy gray, as if harboring a bad omen.

The peonies in the courtyard bloomed half-heartedly, and the maids who usually moved swiftly kept their heads bowed lower than usual. They knew who sat in the inner hall.

Zijiang Zhenyu, now living as Helian Qingyin, stood with her head slightly lowered. A pale green robe of thin fabric wrapped around her frail frame, but her gaze held no fear. Before her sat a woman who needed no crown to command tension.

Ji Suling. The Emperor's Second Consort. Not the Empress, but her shadow extended farther than any title. Her smile was soft, yet the chill in it seeped down to the bones.

"Qingyin," she said slowly. "There's something different about you. I almost didn't recognize you."

Zhenyu raised her head slowly, bowing slightly in courtesy, her voice calm.

"I wouldn't dare to change before Consort Ji. I merely try to live more decently."

"Live more decently?" Consort Ji echoed, stirring the tea in her jade porcelain cup. "You used to never speak, even when your maid was whipped for your mistake. And now… you speak like a court scholar."

Zhenyu gave a faint smile.

"Perhaps staying silent too long has taught me to listen more."

Consort Ji leaned forward.

"Or perhaps… you are no longer the same person."

The words hung heavily in the air. Bai Ruoxi, standing at a distance, pressed her lips tightly together.

"I used to think you were just a mute woman with no use. But now your tone, your posture, even your gaze has changed."

"You remind me of someone... who should never have set foot in this palace."

Zhenyu bowed slightly.

"If I remind you of someone, perhaps it's because our wounds are alike."

"Or because you're not Qingyin," Consort Ji said sharply.

Within her, Qingyin's spirit trembled. A gentle whisper echoed in Zhenyu's mind: She senses us. Don't let her provoke you.

Consort Ji rose from her seat and walked slowly toward Zhenyu. Each step made no sound, yet the air grew heavier with her approach.

"Do you know the old legend from Rongxu Monastery?" she asked quietly. "They say if the wrong spirit resides in a body, the body will begin to reject it. Hair starts falling. Skin grows pale. Mirrors cease to tell the truth."

Zhenyu responded steadily,

"Mirrors always tell the truth, Consort Ji. Only human eyes fear the reflection of truth."

Consort Ji halted a breath away. She lifted Zhenyu's chin with soft fingers.

"You speak like a learned woman. Not a concubine shaped by orders and whips. You're hiding something… something Qingyin never possessed."

Zhenyu met her gaze.

"What I hold… is the dignity of someone who once lost everything."

Consort Ji stared at her for a long moment, then chuckled softly.

"You're clever with words. But remember this, Qingyin… poison isn't always poured into tea. Sometimes… it hides in sweet words."

Once Consort Ji left, Zhenyu returned to Snow Pavilion. Bai Ruoxi followed behind cautiously. As soon as they entered the inner chamber, Ruoxi closed the curtain and brought warm water in silence.

"Milady… Consort Ji… spoke as if… she was hinting at something," Ruoxi muttered quietly. "I don't understand her meaning. But… her tone was frightening."

Zhenyu didn't answer. She slowly walked toward the Rongxu Jing an ornate silver-framed mirror standing like a silent sentinel in the corner. Sitting before it, she saw a faint reflection emerge Helian Qingyin.

She knows, whispered Qingyin. She can sense my spirit. If she finds the Shadow Mirror, we could be torn apart. And I… will vanish.

Zhenyu swallowed and murmured back,

"I won't let that happen. I need you to stay. This world is too treacherous to face alone."

Then we must prepare. Ji Suling won't stop at words.

The mirror shimmered slightly. A subtle tremor that signaled the veil between the mortal world and the spirit realm was thinning.

That night, as clouds rolled across the sky and mist descended over the palace grounds, Zhenyu lit a sandalwood incense. Its scent filled the room like an unseen shield. Behind the bed curtains, she drew ancient symbols using powdered herbs from Rongxu Jing. Each stroke brought a dull ache, as though her body remembered memories it never lived.

"Blood tree," Zhenyu whispered. "Symbol of Qingyin's lineage…"

The spirit's memories flowed: protective incantations, sigils known only to women from the guardian bloodline of soul gates.

Bai Ruoxi entered, carrying a small tray with a worried expression.

"Physician Xun sent a tonic. He said… your blood fever symptoms may return."

Zhenyu turned and gave her a faint smile.

"Maybe this body hasn't fully recovered. But I… must remain standing."

"But if Consort Ji accuses you of sorcery"

"Then I'll disprove her with evidence. But before that, I must prepare."

"Because Ji Suling's words today… were the first drop of poison."

In Consort Ji's Residence Jingxin Pavilion

The air inside Jingxin Pavilion was cold and still, broken only by the soft drip of water from a jade basin. Ji Suling sat on a velvet-cushioned chair, her gaze fixed on an unsealed letter.

In her left hand, a slip of parchment—the latest surveillance report from her shadow servant.

"She speaks like a priest…"

"She's hiding something…"

"Her body isn't rejecting the last poison…"

Ji Suling smiled faintly. The purple orchids in the jade vase looked wilted, as though they too sensed their mistress's aura.

"Qingyin… or not."

She raised her hand, and a servant approached with head bowed.

"Order Yin Hou to prepare a small banquet. Invite all concubines within three days."

"And tell Shuya… it's time we test her blood."

The servant bowed and departed in silence. Behind the flicker of lanternlight, Ji Suling narrowed her eyes.

"Let's see… what kind of spirit you're hiding in that body."

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