Xin Ying stood alone beneath the covered corridor, watching her breath fog in the winter air.
That explosion...
It wasn't in the plot.
In the story she remembered, there had been knives, poison, quiet assassinations hidden behind silk and etiquette.
But gunpowder?
That was new.
And that frightened her more than anything else.
"When the story changes," she murmured, "it means the ending can change too."
Or become worse.
---
Days passed.
Strangely… peacefully.
No attacks. No rumors. No sudden summons in the night.
The Palace returned to its rhythm—morning bells, court discussions, servants moving like flowing water.
Li Hua convened a formal meeting with the four highest clans.
Xin Ying stood behind the throne, posture straight, senses sharp.
Wang Tianhua spoke of trade routes and winter storage.
Zhang Shuqin reported border stability.
Li Yuetong discussed troop rotation and internal security.
Ling Zhihao smiled, polite and measured.
Too measured.
Xin Ying felt it again—that faint pressure behind her eyes, like the world holding its breath.
He's waiting, she thought.
---
The Winter Festival arrived with the first snowfall.
Lanterns bloomed across the Palace like fallen stars. Red silk fluttered from pillars, and music filled the courtyards. For one night, even the inner Palace opened its gates, allowing selected outer Palace servants and officials to enter.
Tables overflowed with food.
Steam rose from roasted meats, sweet rice cakes, dumplings glazed with sauce, golden pastries shaped like flowers.
Xin Ying's eyes lit up.
"So much food…" she whispered, already reaching for a plate.
She moved carefully through the crowd—then froze.
"Xin Ying?!"
She turned.
A young woman in servant robes rushed toward her, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Yun Qiao!" Xin Ying laughed.
Yun Qiao grabbed her hands. "You disappeared! I thought you were transferred—or worse!"
"I was," Xin Ying said softly. "Just… not where I expected."
They laughed, speaking quickly, catching up in stolen moments between bites of festival food.
Xin Ying ate happily, completely unaware of the way she smiled—free, bright, unguarded.
From the raised platform, Li Hua saw her.
The fierce, vigilant bodyguard.
Laughing.
Eating with both hands full, cheeks slightly puffed, eyes shining like a child discovering treasure.
Li Hua froze.
So this is who she is when she forgets to be strong.
Without realizing it, Li Hua smiled.
"She looks happy," Li Yuetong murmured beside her.
Li Hua did not deny it.
"She deserves to be," Li Hua replied quietly.
Her fingers tightened around her sleeve.
And I will protect that smile.
As dancers spun beneath falling snow and drums echoed through the night, Xin Ying felt something warm settle in her chest.
For just one evening—
There was no plot.
No fate.
No ending waiting with a blade.
Only music.
Only laughter.
Only the empress watching her from afar, eyes softer than the winter light.
But far beyond the lanterns, shadows moved.
And the story—now changed—waited for its next turn.
---
Thank you for reading my novel
Stay tune for more