A Chill Wind Through the Hall of Oaths

In the imperial palace… even the wind has ears.

The bronze bell above the gate of the Hall of Oaths rang three times softly, solemnly amidst the golden hush of dusk. Sunlight filtered gently through a veil of clouds, casting a delicate radiance over the white marble walls of the sacred hall. Footsteps glided across the stone floor light yet resolute, like one who walks a path of thorns without hesitation.

Today, no official ceremony had been scheduled. No edict was issued, and no summons came from any department. Yet word spread quietly, and one name was inscribed into the shadowed annals of the palace.Xianlan had been "invited" to enter the Hall of Oaths.

She voiced no protest, offered no excuse, nor invoked any right though she could have.She simply arrived clad in muted gray silk, refined but unadorned.Her long hair was drawn up in a simple knot, held by a single white jade hairpin.

When she stepped inside… her figure did not shine nor demand attention.Yet every eye in the hall was drawn to her.

Inside, the silence was so complete that even the movement of air could be heard.On the stone table at the center lay a set of documents requests for withdrawals from the rear palace's treasury.The paper was new, but the seal at the bottom bore the plum blossom crest and the inscription: "Be humble, yet bold" a mark not easily forged.

And yet today, that very seal had been placed before her, alongside an accusation:Forging a royal seal.

Xianlan stood still, eyes fixed on the document without touching even its corners. Her gaze was calm, discerning every stroke of ink.

"How curious…" she thought."Anyone bold enough to forge my seal must know I can recognize the weight of my own hand to the finest pressure. Why, then, would they cast such a clumsy piece upon the board?"

Suddenly, a voice rang from the shadows.

"You seem far too composed for someone accused of forging the seal of the imperial house."

The voice was sharp, laced with faint mockery.Wen Yichen stepped from behind one of the carved wooden pillars, his tall figure robed in ivory silk embroidered with golden trim. He leaned against a pillar etched with sleeping phoenixes, arms crossed, entirely unbothered.

Xianlan cast him a glance, then returned her eyes to the document."You think I'd be foolish enough to stamp my seal on a decree that didn't come from my lips?"

"I think you're wise enough to see this was never about the seal," he replied smoothly, "but about pulling you onto the stage bound by a rope someone has already laid."

Her lips curled faintly.

"Someone wishes to see me fall… gracefully. And the one who steps in to 'rescue' me will appear all the more heroic."

Wen Yichen let out a soft laugh."You always do read the script too well."

He laid another scroll beside the forged decree."A record of those who've entered the treasury in the past three days. The name 'Zhao Rusu' a close attendant of Su Mengyu appears twice. Odd, considering she has no authority to withdraw anything on behalf of any palace."

Xianlan took the scroll in hand, her eyes steady, expression untouched.

"I do not wish to begin a war… but if I don't, I'll be buried in shadows forever."

There was a pause before Wen Yichen spoke again.

"Sometimes, you ought to feign weakness… Let others believe you're capable of mistakes."

Xianlan smiled faintly."To err on purpose and to err from foolishness there's a fine line between the two."

"And I trust you know precisely where that line lies," he replied, turning to go.

His footsteps faded slowly over stone.Xianlan stood alone in the Hall of Oaths, face composed, lips barely moving.

"The game has begun… Let's see who trips over their own shadow first."

—

Night fell gently over the palace.

The shadows cast from the high walls stretched long, like a shroud of ash covering truths buried beneath them.

Xianlan returned to her quarters with the grace of one untouched by accusation. The flickering candlelight shimmered across the chamber. Her steps made no sound.

Then… a faint breeze drifted through the open window.A strange scent light, but unfamiliar wafted in the air.

That scent… did not belong to Hua Lan Palace.

She paused, fingers brushing the edge of the unglazed clay tea tray on the shelf.A thin piece of wood shifted slightly. She nudged it revealing a single broken silk thread and strange, fine powder beneath the tray.

She leaned down to inhale. Her eyes narrowed.

"A mild sedative… but when combined with this particular oil, it causes brief unconsciousness."

She said nothing more, only murmured with an icy tone,"The one who planned this isn't a mere thief… They assumed I wouldn't awaken before they acted."

She walked to her writing desk, drew out a blank slip of paper, and wrote a single word in bold black ink:

Mistake.

Then she set the paper alight, letting it burn to ash in the oil lamp's tray.

The smoke rose into the air… laced with sandalwood sharp, and edged like a hidden blade.

—

Elsewhere in the palace — Jiang Xinluo's residence

In a night so quiet one could hear the sound of their own breath,Jiang Xinluo sat before a small brass mirror, eyes reflecting both her own image… and the growing silhouette of Xianlan etched into her thoughts.

She murmured softly as she loosened her long hair, letting it fall like a curtain of black silk.

"She's using shadow… to lure the light into accusing the wrong figure."

Her slender fingers turned over her snow-painted fan.Inside, she had once written a phrase years ago.

Tonight, she added a new character:"Doubt."

She smiled faintly.

"Doubt… is the beginning of change."

—

The Following Morning — Courtyard of Consort Su's Palace

Su Mengyu sat gracefully upon the seat of her palace, robed in soft peach-colored silk. A gentle smile played on her lips as she listened to her maids compose verses for amusement, yet her eyes keen and ever watchful remained fixed on every motion drifting in from the inner palace.

"Any word from the Hall of Oaths?" she asked in a tone devoid of expression.

One maid leaned in and whispered quietly,"Xianlan offered no denial, no defense, Your Grace. She simply read through the documents in silence… then left without a word."

Su Mengyu stilled.

"…Not a denial. But not an admission either."

"It means she's laid a piece upon the board… waiting for others to reveal their hands first."

She turned her face slightly, gaze drifting toward a plum blossom carried on the breeze.

"She remains silent because the time has not yet come. And yet we" she paused, voice dropping to a murmur, "we were the ones to cast the first stone."

The recitation of poetry paused briefly, a ripple in the rhythm of the day.

Even within her smile, the shadow of unease had taken root.

—

That Evening — Inner Palace

Emperor Li Sicheng stood alone on a veranda, his face composed, gaze settled upon the Hall of Oaths now cloaked once more in stillness.

He lifted a small cup of wine to his lips, then spoke quietly to himself,"Whenever Xianlan is silent… it is a sign that she is digging deeper than any expect."

Behind him, a young eunuch raised his head slightly and asked in a hushed voice,"Your Majesty… shall we issue a decree?"

Li Sicheng shook his head.

"Not yet. Let the current run its course. Let us see who is the first to lose footing along the shore."

He turned and stepped back inside. The carved wooden doors closed slowly behind him, as if to muffle the whispers of the past.

—

Late Night — Hua Lan Palace

Xianlan stood before the golden mirror.The wind had stilled. Her reflection remained unwavering calm and motionless, steadier than the mirror itself.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment… then murmured softly,"In a game filled with blades… I choose to wield a fan instead."

"But if they still believe that my smile is a sign of surrender…"

She moved to her document chest.Opening it, she drew forth a sheet of paper bearing the signature of Zhao Rusu.

"…then let them be warned a fan, when used correctly, can sever more quietly than any sword."

"This chapter has been updated with improved narrative and deeper character perspective. The plot remains unchanged."

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