The bell's echo faded, but its warning lingered like a blade hovering just above skin.
Jiao Shui was summoned before she could retreat to her chambers.
The Grand Audience Hall stood drenched in gold and shadow, incense smoke coiling upward as ministers assembled in ranks. Whispers slid across the marble like insects, quiet but persistent. Every gaze flicked toward her and then away, as if looking too long might invite calamity.
High above them all, the Emperor sat still.
His eyes found her instantly.
Not searching.Not questioning.Claiming.
"Princess Jiao Shui," the herald announced, voice ringing. "Step forward."
She obeyed, silk brushing stone, each step measured. The bullet comments stirred faintly at the edge of her vision, unusually restrained, as though even they sensed the weight of this moment.
This is it.He's going to say it.Public binding. No retreat after this.She should kneel. If she kneels, it's over.
She did not kneel.
A flicker passed through the Emperor's gaze. Interest. Satisfaction. Something darker beneath.
"Today," he said, voice calm enough to be merciful, "the court will hear of a matter long delayed."
The ministers straightened.
"The Empire requires stability," he continued. "And stability requires clarity."
Jiao Shui lifted her chin.
He is forcing the shape of the world, she thought. And daring me to fit.
"The position of Empress has remained vacant," the Emperor said. "Not from neglect. But from deliberation."
A murmur rippled through the hall.
Jang Lingfang stood among the civil officials, face pale, jaw tight. Song Lingfang's hands were clenched behind his back, knuckles white. Neither looked at her, as if looking would break something already cracked.
"The woman who stands before you," the Emperor said, "has shared this palace since childhood. She has endured slander, neglect, and ambition not her own. Yet she remains."
He paused.
"She will remain."
Jiao Shui's heart beat once. Hard.
Before he could continue, she stepped forward and bowed.
The hall froze.
"Your Majesty," she said clearly, her voice carrying. "This subject begs permission to speak."
Shock rippled outward. Ministers exchanged glances. The Empress Dowager's fan stilled midair.
The Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Speak."
She straightened. "If Your Majesty announces an imperial decision today, it should be done with full truth. Not convenience."
A dangerous choice.She's insane.She's stopping him in public.
Prince Yang, standing to the side, smiled faintly.
"The Empire values loyalty," Jiao Shui continued. "But it also values consent. A bond forged without both will eventually corrode."
The hall was silent enough to hear breath.
She met the Emperor's gaze directly. "If I am to stand beside the Dragon Throne, it must be because I choose it. Not because I am placed there."
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
Then the Emperor laughed.
Softly. Low. Not amused.
"Consent," he repeated. "You speak as if you have not already chosen with every step you've taken."
She did not look away. "Then allow me to choose aloud."
The bullet comments erupted.
She's pushing too far.He'll cage her for this.Or worse, he'll smile.
And he did.
"Very well," the Emperor said. "Then let the announcement wait."
Gasps broke out.
"We will revisit this matter," he continued smoothly, "after the Autumn Rites. Until then, Princess Jiao Shui will oversee preparations alongside the Ministry of Rites."
A pause. Calculated.
"And remain within the Inner Palace."
Restriction disguised as honor.
She bowed again, slower this time. "This subject accepts."
As she withdrew, her legs steady despite the tremor in her chest, she felt it.
The shift.
The court no longer saw her as a passive piece. They saw her as a variable.
And variables frightened empires.
As she exited the hall, a quiet voice followed her.
"Be careful," Prince Yang murmured as he passed. "You've delayed the net. You haven't escaped it."
Jiao Shui did not respond.
She walked on, spine straight, thoughts racing.
She had bought time.
But time, she was learning, was never neutral.
It watched.
And it collected interest.