[The Clash of the Imperial Couple]
Deep in the Palace of Clouded Splendor, the scent of sandalwood drifted. Emperor Si Chengjing stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze cold as it settled on Empress Mu Yao.
"You owe me an explanation regarding Yirou," the Emperor began, his voice cutting like a blade.
Mu Yao toyed with the gold threads on her sleeve. "She is your daughter. If there is something wrong, teach her yourself."
"Teach her?" The Emperor sneered. "After twenty years on the throne, I know one thing: a person's character is forged by their upbringing. And what have you forged? A jealous gossip who plays petty games in the streets! She has no restraint, no dignity—none of the grace required of a ruler!"
Mu Yao looked up, her eyes frost-chilled. "You speak so lightly. Whose nature does she resemble, if not yours? Who taught her to be ruthless to achieve a goal? Was it I?"
"I taught her strategy and power, not to destroy divine fate with rumors!" Chengjing roared.
"That is because you never allowed her to stand in the light!" Mu Yao stood, her phoenix eyes blazing as she stepped toward him. "You never trusted her. You pushed her into the shadows and then complained that her hands were stained with dust." She smiled bitterly. "You say I taught her wrong, but the truth is, you never planned to give her the legitimacy and honor a Princess deserves."
The Emperor's fingers tightened. "If she continues like this, she will destroy not only herself but you as well."
"Destroy me?" Mu Yao laughed, a sound like cracking ice. "Chengjing, you destroyed me a long time ago."
As the Emperor stormed out, his footsteps echoing on the palace tiles, Mu Yao sat back on her phoenix throne. Her mind drifted back to when she was fifteen—the girl who got lost in the palace and met a boy in white robes. He had shown her the way back, his eyes full of youthful sharpness. She hadn't known then that her fate would be shackled to him forever.
She had been a substitute for her cousin, the true Saintess Mu Yunzhao, whom Chengjing actually loved. She sat on the throne only because she resembled a ghost. Now, she was nothing but a high-ranking prisoner of her own lonely splendor.
[The Prince's Intervention]
Crown Prince Si Moyan arrived at the palace gates just as his father was leaving. One look at the Emperor's darkening face told him he was a step too late. The Emperor brushed past him without a word, leaving behind a trail of lingering coldness.
Moyan entered the hall, finding his mother sitting calmly amidst the swirling incense.
"Mother," he bowed. "Did Father... argue with you over Yirou?"
Mu Yao gave a faint, mocking smile. "Argument? It was merely a lesson on my 'failure' as a mother."
"Mother..." Moyan frowned. "I will ensure Yirou restrains herself. I won't give Father another reason to provoke you."
Mu Yao stared at her son—steady, cautious, and ever-aware of the abyss of power. "Moyan, remember: you are the Crown Prince. You must protect your position as much as you protect your sister." Her voice was as thin as smoke but carried a heavy weight. "As for your father... I have waited a lifetime in this palace. I can wait a little longer."
Moyan bowed his head. "I understand."
In the flickering candlelight, the shadows of the mother and son stretched long beside the throne, separated by a palace wall that no one could ever truly cross.