"In this world, there are two kinds of people you must always be careful of."
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In his dream, he stood in the middle of a vast, empty hall. The floor seemed endless, polished stone reflecting his figure over and over. At first he thought it was only his shadow.
Then he realized—there were many of him.
They stood in a loose circle around him, all wearing the same Yan-style robes, all with the same face, but each with different eyes. Some were cold, some full of pain, some angry, some empty.
One of them stepped forward, voice sharp.
"What about the promise you made?" this Li Xian asked. "The one you gave to her. Did you really forget it so easily?"
Another self, eyes full of quiet disappointment, spoke next.
"You said you would go with her," he murmured. "You said you'd leave this place together… live freely. Was that a lie?"
A third Li Xian let out a bitter laugh.
"Look at you now. You will live like this all your life," he said, voice low and cruel. "Like this."
"Like a prisoner," another added from the back, tone flat.
The words echoed and overlapped.
"Prisoner."
"Promise-breaker."
"You chose this."
"You let them chain you."
"You will never leave."
The circle seemed to close in. Their faces blurred and multiplied, crowding his vision, all of them speaking at once now—accusing, questioning, whispering.
Li Xian tried to speak, but no sound came out.
His chest tightened. Breath wouldn't come. His own faces pressed closer and closer—Suddenly, the blanket was yanked sharply off his body.
Cold air hit his skin. He jolted awake with a strangled "No!" and pushed himself up, sitting abruptly. Sweat clung to his hairline and neck. His breathing came in heavy, uneven bursts as he tried to drag himself out of the dream.
When his vision cleared, someone was standing beside the bed.
Princess Chen Shuyin.
She stood there with a candle in one hand, the other still holding the thrown blanket, eyes narrowed in clear annoyance.
Li Xian stared at her, shocked for a second, heart still pounding. He didn't speak, just tried to steady his breathing.
"What's wrong?" she asked coolly. "Were you expecting the Emperor?" Her lips curved into a mocking little smile. "You look so surprised. But it's just me."
He said nothing, still trying to calm his lungs and quiet the echo of the dream. Sweat cooled on his skin, making him feel strangely exposed under her gaze.
Princess Shuyin moved closer and, without asking, sat on the edge of the bed near the corner, silk rustling softly.
"I came here because I want you to listen to me," she said, voice turning slightly sharp. "You don't need to wait for a chance to catch a glimpse of the Emperor. You don't deserve to be waiting for him anyway."
Li Xian lowered his gaze, not understanding why she was saying all this, still half caught between dream and reality.
She went on, tone growing colder.
"Whenever he comes back to the palace, the Emperor always spends the first night with me. Always. No one else."
Her words hung in the air. Li Xian listened quietly, face calm now, but his eyes were distant.
Shuyin gave him a slow, measuring look from head to toe.
"So tell me," she said. "What is so special about you that His Majesty would want to come to you instead of me?"
Li Xian finally lifted his eyes to her, confusion and a hint of tiredness there, but no answer.
She leaned closer, lips curving in a sharp smile.
"This sadness on your face," she said, almost laughing. "It makes me wonder how someone like you ever ended up as my Emperor's husband."
Li Xian's fingers tightened slightly on the sheet beside him. He still didn't speak.
Shuyin stood abruptly, as if remembering something.
"Oh, right. That fight—I almost forgot." She tilted her head. "You are just a symbol of his victory."
She stepped closer again, voice dropping.
"And very soon, you'll be nothing more than a toy to him."
She sat down again beside him, but he remained stiff, clearly uninterested in this conversation, staring at some fixed point on the floor.
"Look around you," she said, gesturing lazily at the chandeliers and carved beams above. "These chandeliers, these decorations… If the Emperor likes something, he'll pay any price to have it."
Her eyes ran over him again as if he were just another object in the room.
"And then," she sighed lightly, turning her gaze toward the furnishings, "do you see all these things? At one time, His Majesty used to like every single thing in here so much that I became jealous of objects in this room."
Her lips twisted.
"And now? He doesn't even glance at them."
Li Xian listened silently, his expression calm, his shoulders slightly tense.
"That," she said, "is the nature of emperors everywhere. They will do anything to get their hands on what's hard to get. Once it's theirs, they put it aside and forget it."
She looked straight into his eyes now, voice quieter but cutting.
"There are so many people in this palace—and outside—who have only one wish: to win the Emperor's affection."
A small pause. Li Xian's eyes flickered. Now he understood where she was going."
He has never looked at most of them," she said. "Wouldn't even recognize them if they stood in front of him."
Then she smiled proudly.
"But me? The Emperor never stops looking at me. Do you know why?"
She leaned back a little, chin high.
"Because every time I leave, it torments him. I'm the only one who can play with him."
Her voice turned almost sing-song, proud.
"The world listens to the Emperor. And the Emperor listens to me. I can do whatever I want."
Li Xian kept listening, quiet, hands now resting loosely in his lap.
"If I want," she added, voice dropping colder, "I can throw you out of this palace right now, and no one will question it."
She held his gaze.
"And if you don't bow your head to me, remember—His Majesty will never look at you, or even spare a thought for you."
That last sentence she spoke slowly, almost softly, but with a heavy warning.
"And that," she said, "is my promise to you."
For a moment, the room was very quiet.
Then Li Xian finally spoke, voice carrying a tired edge of annoyance and pride.
"Fine," he said. "I will bow to you, Princess."
She watched him closely, surprised for a second.
He went on, tone calm but edged.
"Do you trust the Emperor so much that you really think he will never look in my direction?"
"Yes," she answered at once, almost too quickly. "If you don't bow before me, that's exactly what will happen."
She sounded satisfied with that.
Li Xian's lips curved into a faint, cool smile.
"Then in return," he said, "you'll have to fulfill your promise to me."
Her brows drew together slightly. "What promise?"
"That the Emperor must never even glance at me," Li Xian said quietly. "Not once."
Her eyes widened slightly, anger flashing. Before she could speak, he continued, steady and calm.
"You say you control how he thinks. So, if I bow to you, you'll make sure he never looks at me, never thinks of me—not even by accident. Isn't that what you implied?"
Princess Chen stared at him—and then suddenly burst into loud laughter.
Li Xian blinked, confused.
In the next moment, Princess Chen Shuyin was laughing so hard she almost had to hold her stomach.
"So this is the famous Prince Li Xian," she managed between gasps. "Everyone always talks about how he cast a spell on the Emperor the moment he arrived. How he's wrapped him around his little finger."
She laughed again, head tipping back.
By now, her laughter echoed through the private sitting room where after leaving Li Xian's chamber. The room was dimly lit by a single bronze lantern, its flame flickering shadows across silk cushions and low lacquered tables still scattered with half-empty tea cups from earlier gossip.
"But look at this," Chen Shuyin continued, breathless from mirth. "He's not what I imagined at all."
She wiped at the corner of her eye.
"He actually hates the Emperor. He doesn't even want to be married to him!"More laughter burst out.
"He doesn't want the Emperor to even think about him!" she said, laughing again. "At all!"
Madam Zhao Yan sat across from her on a cushioned stool, face expressionless but eyes sharp as she listened to every word. There was a faint, pained tightness around her mouth—the princess's uncontrolled reaction clearly unsettling her.
"Princess," Madam Zhao Yan finally said, voice firm and cutting through the laughter. "You should control yourself. It is said that those who laugh too much must cry just as much."
But Chen Shuyin only waved a dismissive hand, still half-laughing. "You're still scared of that prince, aren't you?"
She smirked, leaning back against the cushions.
"Why fear those innocent eyes and those soft lips?" She chuckled again. "Don't worry about him."
Madam Zhao Yan looked at her steadily, unflinching. "You've only seen the innocence in his eyes," she said coldly. "You haven't seen the fire of rebellion burning there."
Her tone grew harder.
"I'm not afraid of his soft lips. I'm afraid of lips that dare to refuse the Emperor's command."
She spoke each word deliberately, dead serious.
"Yes," she added calmly. "I am afraid."
She glanced aside for a moment, then locked eyes again. "You may not understand it yet."
Chen Shuyin's smile lingered, though the laughter quieted slightly. "Oh, come on. He doesn't want anything from him. Why should we be scared of someone like that?"
Madam Zhao Yan's gaze drifted briefly, as if pulling up an old memory from deep waters. "My mother taught me something when I was a child," she said quietly. "In this world, there are two kinds of people you must always be careful of."
She looked directly into the princess's eyes, voice steady.
"First: those who are not afraid to lose anything."
A pause.
"And second: those who do not want anything."
Chen Shuyin's laughter faded completely now. She stared, no longer amused, brows drawing together.
"People like that," Madam Zhao Yan said softly, "can do anything."
The princess frowned. "What is he capable of?"
Madam Zhao Yan suddenly gave a short, sharp laugh of her own and looked at her knowingly. "He's already started," she said. "Just look at yourself."
Chen Shuyin blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Not long ago," Madam Zhao Yan said, "all you cared about was taking revenge on him. Now, after just one private conversation, you're laughing uncontrollably. You've already let him get under your skin."
She stepped closer across the low table, her voice turning into a clear warning.
"I'm telling you, Princess—this one is different from anyone else who's come through these palace gates."
Chen Shuyin fell quiet, her earlier arrogance dissolving into a growing, uneasy curiosity about the prince who had turned her taunts into this strange, laughing victory.
Madam Zhao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's why," she added, more to herself than anyone else, "Zhao Yan will treat this as her own affair."
The princess said nothing now, lost in thought, the weight of the aunt's words settling heavy in the flickering lantern light.
Perfect—now the laughter happens in the private sitting room with Madam Zhao Yan, as Shuyin recounts everything to her.
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Princess Chen Shuyin walked the moonlit corridors deep in thought, her silk slippers whispering soft against polished stone. Lanterns hung at intervals, casting pools of warm amber light that danced across dragon-carved walls and hanging scrolls of misty mountains. Her mind churned—Li Xian's strange bargain, Madam Zhao Yan's warnings, the prince's calm defiance twisting like a thorn she couldn't pull free. He wants the Emperor's hatred? Who asks for that?
A strong arm suddenly hooked her waist from behind, pulling her back against a solid chest. She felt the faint warmth of breath near her ear and the crystal clink of a wine cup held loosely in the captor's other hand.
"Where were you?" the deep voice murmured, familiar rumble vibrating through her. "You know, every time I return to the palace, you're the first woman I think of for the night."
Chen Shuyin smiled instantly, recognizing him without turning. Zhao Wei—her childhood friend, the Emperor himself, still carrying the faint scent of rice wine and night air.
She twisted slightly in his hold. "You've married now," she teased lightly, "and still waiting for me?"
Zhao Wei spun her around in one fluid motion, now facing her directly. His dark eyes locked on hers, unreadable in the lantern glow. "This isn't the first time I've come to you after returning."
His voice stayed serene at first, but irritation crept in, edged sharp. "And why should I go to him? Did you see how rude he was at the celebration?"
Chen Shuyin held his gaze, saying nothing, letting him vent.
He looked away briefly, jaw tightening, then downed the last of his wine in one swallow. The empty cup dangled from his fingers.
"I think he deserves punishment," he added, voice low.
She laughed then—light, knowing.
Zhao Wei's brows drew together. "You're laughing?"
"Yes," she said, grin widening. "Because the man who punishes criminals is now laughing at fools."
He frowned, not following. "Meaning?"
Chen Shuyin stepped back slightly, enjoying this. "After marrying you, he decides he doesn't want to be with you at all. What else would I call him but a fool?" She laughed again.
She paced a slow circle around him. "I thought you'd play with him a few days, then forget him like the others."
Her tone turned arrogant, irritating as she glanced back. "But—"
Zhao Wei's temper flared sudden. He closed the distance fast, voice slicing cold. "Tell m he said to you."
She paused, then nodded, holding his fuming gaze. "He agreed to bow before me—but on one condition."
Zhao Wei waited, face blank.
"That you wouldn't go near him," she said. "That you'd never even think of him. Not accidentally."
The Emperor listened, expression unreadable, but his eyes burned with building fire.
"He was bold about it," she continued. "Said he wants none of your attention. No love from you at all. What happens now is up to you."
Zhao Wei's eyes flamed hotter, jaw clenched. She pressed on.
"Either send him back where he belongs—to Yan—or endure his insolence and disrespect."
His fists tightened at his sides, wine cup nearly cracking. Without another word, he turned and stormed away down the corridor, robes snapping like dark wings.
Chen Shuyin watched him go, a satisfied smile curling her lips. My part's done.
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Li Xian stood by the latticed window in his chambers, moonlight spilling silver across the silk-draped bed and carved rosewood furniture. The night air carried faint jasmine from the gardens below, but his mind was far away—churning through Princess Chen Shuyin's barbed words, the nightmare's accusing faces, the weight of his new robes folded neatly nearby. He stared out at the dark palace roofs, trying to settle the storm in his chest, breath slow and deliberate.
The door slid open behind him—silent as shadow.
He sensed it first, a shift in the air. Turned slowly, walking back toward the bed, deep in thought, still half-lost in his world.
Then he felt him.
Li Xian looked up.
Zhao Wei stood in the doorway, eyes fuming like banked coals ready to ignite. The Emperor's black robes hung loose from late wine, hair slightly disheveled, presence filling the room like gathering storm.
Li Xian's eyes widened shocked—Why here? This late? Something clicked sharp in his mind: the princess. His bet with her. Unconsciously, he took a step back, pulse quickening.
Zhao Wei advanced slow, deliberate, anger rolling off him in waves. Each step closed the distance. Li Xian's nerves tightened—he tried calming himself, forcing steady breath, but his eyes betrayed it, flicking down sudden as the Emperor neared.
"Such a big ego," Zhao Wei said, voice cold steel, eyes burning furious.
Li Xian swallowed, still not meeting his gaze fully.
The Emperor stopped close—too close. "Maybe you've forgotten," he continued, tone venomous. "This is my Liang. Not your Yan. You live in my palace."
Anger sharpened every word. "I am the ruler here. My orders are obeyed."
Li Xian blinked confused—what was this about? He opened his mouth, but Zhao Wei cut over him, shouting now.
"You insulted me! In front of everyone at the celebration! Insulted me!"
The shout echoed off the walls. Li Xian flinched faint, nerves fraying, blinking rapid as fear edged in. "Insulting you was never my intention," he said quickly, voice low, eyes still down. "You ordered me to sing. I wanted to—but my throat wasn't well. I wasn't at fault."
Zhao Wei's patience snapped like dry reed. "You talk too much," he growled. "Always."
Li Xian drew a shaky breath, still looking down. "You're not thinking clearly right now. It would be better if you left."
He tried stepping away toward the bed—but Zhao Wei's hand shot out, gripping his wrist hard. Pulled him close, faces inches apart, Emperor's eyes blazing.
"Are you really throwing me out of my own palace?" Zhao Wei hissed, breath hot with wine. "Is it because I've been drinking?"
Li Xian tugged his wrist, but the grip was iron. Fear flickered clearer in his eyes now—he wouldn't look up, breath coming shorter.
"Maybe you don't know," Zhao Wei said coldly, tightening hold, "that when a man drinks, he speaks truth."
Li Xian kept eyes down, fighting panic best he could.
"What did you tell the Princess?" Zhao Wei demanded. "That you want me to hate you?"
Li Xian's breath hitched faint.
The Emperor leaned closer. "Here's a secret." Voice dropped ruthless. "The only reason I married you is the hatred in my heart for you."
Li Xian's eyes snapped wide shocked—body tensed, breath turning labored, shallow. Still staring down.
Zhao Wei wasn't done. "I made you my husband to strip your freedom. To cage your voice, your spirit, your essence in this palace."
Words hammered ruthless. "You hated me enough to cut my head off once. Now, because of my hatred, you bow yours. I took everything from you. That's hatred's true limit."
He glanced aside briefly, then back. Li Xian absorbed every word, shock rooting him.
"You're husband to the King of Kings," Zhao Wei said. "They'll respect that title. Alone? You'll learn true disrespect."
Li Xian finally glanced up—eyes wide, breaths heavy—then dropped gaze fast.
"There are people who live in fear," the Emperor continued, twisting Li Xian's wrist aggressive. Li Xian hissed pain soft. "But you? You'll live miserable. I promise I'll protect you from the world—but no one saves you from me."
He held both wrists now, smiling dangerous, eyes raking Li Xian up and down. "You are my victory's reward. My prize."
Leaned in closer—breath mingling. Li Xian turned face aside sharp, refusing.
Zhao Wei ground teeth, shoved him back toward the window—Li Xian's original spot. As he tried slipping away, the Emperor caged him—hands slamming flat against the wall on either side, trapping him center.
Li Xian's fear spiked real now—heavy breaths, eyes anywhere but forward. "What you're doing is wrong," he said, voice tight. "You have no right to force me."
Zhao Wei slammed hands louder on wall both sides—not touching, but echoing thunder. Li Xian jolted, hands flying unconscious to Emperor's shoulders for balance.
"I'm your husband," Zhao Wei snarled cold, furious. "I do what I want."
Leaned down to Li Xian's height, voice cruel. "How dare you try staying away from me? I could do what I want."
"But I won't," he added, straightening slight. "I'll never touch you. Because if I do, you'd gain respect. Think you're special. That I like you. Love you."
Eyes bored ruthless. "That'll never happen. I won't give you that honor."
He released sudden, stepping back. Stalked out without glance.
Li Xian slumped against wall, breath ragged finally free. Shock numbed him—what just happened? He stumbled to bed, sat heavy, mind reeling.
A single tear slipped down his cheek. He wiped it angry—didn't want to cry. Didn't know why. The dream? The Emperor's words? Didn't know how to feel. Just sat there, staring blank into night.
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Morning light filtered pale through the latticed windows of Li Xian's chambers, casting long shadows across the rumpled silk bedding and scattered scrolls. The air held faint traces of last night's jasmine incense, now soured by tension. Li Xian sat motionless on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing—dark circles hollowed his eyes, face pale and drawn from sleepless hours. His right wrist bore angry red marks, bruises blooming purple where fingers had gripped too hard.
Han Shen knelt before him, bodyguard and friend, gently dabbing oil from a small porcelain jar onto the tender skin. Cotton pressed light, but when it hit a sore spot, Li Xian hissed sharp—pain yanking him back to the present. He glanced away quick, jaw tightening.
Han Shen paused, eyes soft with pity. "It's for your people's safety," Li Xian said finally, voice quiet, trembling at edges. "I believed that. But now…"
He stopped, throat closing. Took shaky breath. "I've realized the truth. The Emperor married me only to make my life hell. To feel superior."
Voice cracked faint. Han Shen watched silent, heart heavy.
"He wanted control," Li Xian choked out, "to crush me completely."
Tears welled sudden—he blinked hard, but one escaped, tracing silent path down his cheek. "I thought I'd endure anything for Yan. Protect them."
Han Shen set cotton aside gentle, patted his shoulder firm—consoling touch of brother, not servant.
"But surviving moment to moment…" Li Xian whispered, tears falling free now, voice breaking. "Han Shen, it's so hard. I can't…"
He choked sob back, wiping face rough. Han Shen's eyes glistened—he fought his own tears, hand steady on Li Xian's shoulder.
"It'd have been better if I'd killed myself before the wedding," Li Xian said bitter, looking up at his friend. "Now? Nothing left. Not even right to die."
Bitter laugh escaped—hollow, pained. He looked away. "What do I do? I don't know anymore."
Han Shen thought long second, face unreadable. Then met Li Xian's eyes steady. "I have an idea. A way out of this mess."
Li Xian turned confused, hope flickering faint—then terror crashed in. "No," he said fast, standing abrupt. "No way. We can't run, Han Shen!"
Voice trembled worried. "If we flee, Emperor finds out. He'll slaughter my people—my family!"
Han Shen rose too, hands raised calming. "Your Highness—"
Li Xian cut frantic, pacing. "No! I can't risk them. What would Yan think? I'd fail as prince—protector of my kingdom."
He stopped, voice dropping pained. "My parents… I'd fail as son too."
Han Shen watched proud—such loyalty—eyes softening. "Your Highness," he said calm, firm. "You didn't hear the whole plan. We don't run."
Li Xian froze, turning slow, confusion deepening.
Han Shen smiled faint. "The Emperor himself will tell you to go."
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- End of Chapter 5 -