A strange rumour was sweeping Chūn.

For the past half year, people had talked incessantly about the bounty on Miss Fén. The crime of kidnapping the Divine Lotus, Her Highness Chūn Zéyì, who had been returned to Chūn through a miracle, was extraordinary and inexplicable, and so gossip abounded.

Had Miss Fén been corrupted by the demons she had worked so hard to deal with? Had the Divine Lotus truly been kidnapped, or like so many other members of the unfortunate Chūn Family, had something else happened?

The latter thought was whispered secretly in dark places, with anxious looks over shoulders to ensure no one was listening in. These suspicions could be seen as treason towards the royal power. It was better to keep them low.

The ordinary people were dismayed, to say the least. They had been looking forward to seeing for themselves the good nature and benevolence of Her Highness, who had been spoken about reverently and treated almost as a goddess by their ancestors a century ago. Some lucky citizens had caught of glimpse of her in the few months she had been at the Chūn royal palaces, and attested to her gentle grace and air.

And then, a new rumour.

It was said, possibly by a servant, who had been present on the day, or perhaps even by one of the practitioners themselves, that Her Highness Chūn Zéyì had been tortured by the King.

Frightened of her popularity with the people, he had accused her of demonic possession and had her staked out in her own courtyard, and harmed her under the guise of bringing exorcists to purge her of demons.

And Miss Fén, who had originally found and returned the Divine Lotus to her people, had saved her.

Even the fear of royal retribution was not enough to quench the fire of suspicion that rushed through Chūn. Citizens in remote villages muttered of the corruption of power, and those in the cities eyed the royal guards that patrolled the streets suspiciously. What was to be believed? Two figureheads were emerging in this battle for the people' hearts. On the one hand, a woman publicly acknowledged to be Her Highness Chūn Zéyì, around whom legends abounded, famed for her love of the people and her righteous nature. On the other, His Majesty Chūn Yīlì, ruler by divine right, who had kept them safe thus far.

Was that woman truly the Divine Lotus? Could a person, even if a cultivator, live so long? Where had she been?

Was the Regent really a good ruler? Why had all the other Chūn family members in line for the throne disappeared or died? Was it really natural or accidental causes?

The debate raged back and forth among the common people. It even filtered into the palaces' staff, and finally, to the ears of the Regent.

Before the King could respond, a final rumour set the whole country ablaze.

Chūn Zéyì was alive and well, and she was in Qiānbàn, the Chūn capital.

"Is this true?" Chūn Yīlì asked coldly of the man bowing before the throne. Yáng Jìn (2), Captain of the City Public Guard, kept his head down.

"Your Majesty, there have been enough reports of civilians seeing a woman who resembles Her Highness that we are certain that there is someone, if not Her Highness herself, who is within the city. We have yet to determine whether they are an imposter or Her Highness."

The Regent's fingers drummed on the arm of the throne, but this was the only betrayal of anxiety peeking through an otherwise benevolent attitude.

"Then, Captain, you realise what must be done. If this is an imposter instigating unrest amongst the people, we must manage them as soon as possible. This is for the stability of the country."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Go and deal with it. Send Shǔ Kuí in."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

Yáng Jìn saluted and left the throne room. A moment later, a woman in simple, dark robes entered and removed her hood and the cloth mask she wore over the lower half of her face, before bowing to the Regent.

"Your Majesty."

"Advisor Shǔ Kuí, I'm sure you understand why I have called you here."

"... yes, Your Majesty."

She choked back a grunt of pain and clutched at her chest. Chūn Yīlì had not moved at all, but her eyes looked strange, as though the irises had become pure black and grown larger than a normal person's.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

Shǔ Kuí remained bent over, not daring to look up, trying to return her breathing back to normal. Chūn Yīlì stood and circled her contemplatively. "Explain."

"Your Majesty, I have no excuses."

"Try. It amuses me."

"I... I had the Forbearance Squad (1) track those spreading the rumours, but there was no sign of any ringleaders. It seems to be growing organically amongst the people."

"Do you really believe that?"

"As suspicious as the circumstances may be, Your Majesty, we have no evidence that the words were spread by a single person or group. We interrogated the exorcists we could find who attended the Lily Palace, but they all denied spreading the rumours."

"Are they still in your custody?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Execute them. No one will miss them."

"... Yes, Your Majesty."

"Find the others. Execute them too."

"One of the people who attended has some fame, he-"

"When you find him, bring him to me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Anything else?"

"The Forbearance Squad has also attempted to provoke the patriotism of the people by reminding them of the work you have done to keep the country safe and prosperous."

"And tell me how well that has worked," Chūn Yīlì said icily.

"T-The legend of the Divine Lotus has a long and beloved history. It was emphasised again when Her Highness reappeared-"

"Are you blaming your monarch, Shǔ Kuí? That this situation is my fault, for bringing her in and announcing it to the people?"

Shǔ Kuí pressed a hand pre-emptively to her chest, although her heart continued to beat normally.

Chūn Yīlì brought her face close to Shǔ Kuí's. "Is it wrong, to want to give the people a gift? Even if it was simply a false hope, that I used an actor, that Chūn Zéyì has truly been dead for years?"

"... I understand, Your Majesty. The people will too."

"I'm surprised you understand. So far I have had to do your job for you. Prove to me that I did the right thing by keeping you alive. Get out."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Shǔ Kuí saluted, replaced her mask and hood, and exited the throne room. Captain Yáng Jìn still stood outside.

"Why are you still here?"

"So we can coordinate our actions. Let's find see if any of the meeting rooms are free."

The two of them marched briskly towards the administrative wing of the main palace, nodding to other palace staff as they passed. A servant directed them to an empty room, and Yáng Jìn opened the door and gestured for Shǔ Kuí to enter first.

She stepped into the room, where only a single lantern burned, and as she reached for it to light the other lanterns, she heard the door close.

A moment later, she was folded into Yáng Jìn's arms.

"Shǔ Shǔ, are you okay? You look pale."

"How can you even see anything? I'm wearing a mask and a hood."

"I know these things." He tenderly peeled away her mask.

"You're talking nonsense. My skin is dark."

"And lovely, but you're paler than usual. What did she do to you?"

"Is it alright to refer to the Regent of Chūn as 'she'?"

"She can't hear us here." He gently kissed her.

Shǔ Kuí let herself melt into it for a moment, then pulled back with visible reluctance. "Well?"

"We really haven't seen Her Highness anywhere. Or her imposter. It's as if they're a phantom. Perhaps we're chasing an illusion."

"Her Highness was known to be a highly accomplished cultivator. She could have the ability to conceal herself almost supernaturally."

"Do you really believe that Her Highness is still alive, and that woman who appeared last summer was her?"

Shǔ Kuí crossed over to a chair and sat down. Yáng Jìn patiently lit the lanterns as he waited for her response.

"Yes."

"Why is that, love?"

"On a superficial level, she looks like the art that is exists of her. Where the royal family has a tendency to... improve their image, the Divine Lotus was known for her humbleness and modesty. If this is to be believed, then her pictures are accurate, if not downplayed. In addition, the woman who appeared had scars all over her skin. However, even based on this, all we can say is that this woman could still be a very well-researched imposter and excellent actress."

"And so?"

"If we add on her behaviour during the time she was here, she was respectful to everyone, no matter their status. She visited the site of the destroyed Jyun Mei Temple, and for all intents, displayed the kind of grief one would expect from the situation. Importantly, she knew about His Ancestral Majesty, the Fourth King of Chūn, Regent Yùlóng's (4) attempt on Her Highness' life. That kind of information... I'm not sure how someone outside of the royal family, and the highest of the royal advisors, would come by that information, unless..."

"Unless?"

"The most suspicious thing in all of this... is Her Majesty's involvement. First she welcomes this woman into the palace with open arms. Then she denounces her as an imposter. Then she pursues her once she escapes, brings her back here, and tortures her under the guise of exorcism. Why go to all this extent for an imposter? Why not simply have her quietly assassinated somewhere? The exorcist who appeared and rescued her was the genuine Miss Fén too, I would recognise her anywhere."

"How did the Regent find her last time? Was it a tip-off?"

"Yes, exactly. An anonymous report was provided that she had been seen at a black market auction in Yùhǎi, and that she was unwell and likely to be headed to the new Jyun Mei Temple for treatment."

"A black market auction... What was she doing there?" Yáng Jìn mused, lighting the last lantern.

"That detail was not provided. Without that report, however, it is unlikely that we would have been able to find her, as proven this time. Our anonymous tipper has not provided any further help."

"Anonymous, that means they would not receive any reward for the information. The only reason for such an action, unless the person is a psychopath, would be highly personal. They have a grudge. It seems, whoever this woman is, Divine Lotus or imposter, she's important." Yáng Jìn seated himself, pulling out some paper and a brush and casually scrawling a map of the city on it, complete with patrol routes, as if he and Shǔ Kuí truly had been talking about how to search for and capture Chūn Zéyì. "So we should continue as the Regent has ordered, and find her."

For the first time, Shǔ Kuí looked uneasy. "Do you think she will help us?"

"Didn't you say she was the real Divine Lotus, my love? If it's her, I'm sure she will."

Shǔ Kuí rubbed unconsciously at her chest. Yáng Jìn took her hand and kissed it. "Shǔ Shǔ... I don't think we have any other choice left now."

"Yes... yes, you're right." She squeezed his fingers. "We must keep moving ahead."