Samaya did not have to go much beyond her residence before Ah-Liu found her. That was to be expected. Ah-Liu must have gotten ready and gotten to her as fast as he could. She really should carry more talismans on herself. She did not quite understand how they worked but apparently, Ah-Liu could use the energy from a talisman as an anchor to teleport to her position, just like he had all those months ago when Han Qin had first come knocking on her door.

God, that seemed so long ago now.

The problem was, that teleportation talismans were extremely intricate and needed an expert hand which not only commanded absolute and delicate control over their own qi but also knew how to use it in ways that were both minute and precise. It was an art that took decades to hone. At least, that was what she learned from her queries to Siwang. She’d only had one back then and she’d used it because it had been an emergency. She should really put another order in the Fallen Phoenix Sect to send her a few more. She did not know those talisman makers personally, after all.

She pulled herself out of her thoughts as Ah-Liu fell in step behind her. It was a good thing he found her so quickly. She had been so busy making sure everyone was alright that she kind of forgot that she was supposed to be accompanied by someone at all times when moving around in the Palace.

The walk to the Imperial Study where she first made the deal with the Emperor seemed both shorter and longer than it should have been.

Once she reached the gates, she found the guards standing at attention. She did not try to force her way in. Instead, she stood in front of one of the guards and spoke.

“Tell the Emperor that I would like to speak with him.”

They glanced at each other, clearly hesitating.

She raised an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”

“Uh… my lady, we are not sure if you are allowed to see him…”

Samaya resisted the urge to smack them.

“Well, the Emperor will decide that, won’t he? All you need to do is go inside and tell him.”

“But-”

“I do not have the patience for this.” She took one step forward. “If you do not go inside and tell him, then I will make a scene right here. That is sure to disturb him and I will tell him exactly why I had to make a scene. Do you want that?”

They both looked incredibly nervous about the threat. She knew the answer.

Samaya took one step further, into the guard’s personal space. “Then go and tell him.”

The man quickly stepped back and bowed before turning around, walking as fast as he could into the study without running.

Samaya exhaled softly and waited.

She did not have to wait long. The guard came back within a few minutes and bowed.

“The Emperor shall see you.”

She gave a small nod before tilting her head towards Ah-Liu. “Wait here.”

She strode in and one of the guards at the door - how many guards did this man have? He did not even need them - slid it open. Gracing him with a nod, she stepped inside.

The Emperor was at his table, working on some document or the other. She’d heard the Emperor got a lot of memorials with proposals, agendas and impeachments of officials - most of them self-serving. The piles of documents on the table proved the truth of it.

“Welcome, Lady Qing.” The man’s voice brought her attention to him. Those golden eyes bore into hers. She could be mistaken, but she thought she saw a hint of a smile in them. “We must admit, this is a surprise. What brings you here on this day?”

She wished she could just sit and chat about inane matters with the man. But that wasn’t why she was here.

“Nothing pleasant, I am afraid.”

The man’s eyes visibly turned colder. “Oh?” That one word held a question and an order at the same time. She had heard that kind of tone from her superiors back home all the time.

She sighed softly. “May I?” She gestured at the very same couch she had sat on her first day here.

“Of course.”

Samaya strode to the couch and sat down, making herself comfortable. “A lot has happened after we parted last night.”

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And then she dived into everything that happened.

The Emperor’s expression grew more stoic as Samaya recounted the events of the night—the assault, Rin’s fear, the physician’s findings and what Rin told her about the culprit. He listened in silence, his eyes unreadable as she laid out every painful detail, sparing none of the horror of what had happened. By the time she finished, the room felt colder, the weight of her words hanging heavily between them.

When the Emperor finally spoke, his voice was calm but devoid of the warmth she had heard just moments before. “This is… unfortunate, Lady Qing. I sympathise with the victim. However, there is little I can do.”

Samaya blinked. “I’m sorry?! What do you mean, ‘little you can do’? Rin was assaulted within the palace walls, under your protection. You can’t simply—”

The Emperor raised a hand, cutting her off. “I understand your anger, but you must also understand my position. The man responsible for this crime is the son of Minister Kang, a powerful figure in my court. To act against him without evidence would destabilise the political balance We have worked so hard to maintain.”

Samaya’s chest tightened. “Evidence?” Her voice was sharp, incredulous. “The girl was brutalized! You have the physician’s testimony, the physical wounds. How is that not enough?”

The Emperor’s gaze hardened. “It is not enough in the eyes of the court. Without witnesses or undeniable proof, any accusation against Minister Kang’s son will be dismissed as slander. Minister Kang is a powerful supporter of the Prime Minister and that man would do anything to protect him. And the opposing sections would stop at nothing to seize the opportunity to knock the Prime Minister down a notch. It would pit factions within the court against one another, creating chaos. Not only that, it would sow seeds of discord within the Harem, breaking the delicate balance We have maintained with all the factions and noble families. Families which, I remind you, run this Empire. Do you want that, Lady Qing? Do you want to bring down this Empire for the sake of one girl?”

Samaya stood up abruptly, her fists clenched at her sides. “One girl? Is that all she is to you? A pawn to be discarded if she is of no use in your political games?”

The Emperor’s eyes flared, though his voice remained even. “Mind your tone, Lady Qing. You are forgetting yourself.”

“Forget myself?” Samaya’s voice rose, fury bubbling up inside her. She could feel the anger burning in her chest, tightening her throat. “You’re the one who is forgetting your duty as Emperor! A child has been raped! She is crying in my bed as we speak! You swore to protect the people of this Empire, and yet you sit here, behind your walls of bureaucracy and politics, and turn your back on a girl who was violated in your own Palace! Do you not realize how absurd that is?!”

The Emperor’s expression remained cold, his voice chilling. “You do not understand the complexities of ruling, Lady Qing. The court is a delicate web of alliances, and one wrong move can unravel everything. You think justice is simple, but it is not. If I move against Minister Kang’s son without careful consideration, the entire balance of power could collapse. Is that the justice you seek?”

Samaya was on her feet before she knew it, her blood boiling. She wanted to scream, to tear down the walls of excuses he was hiding behind. She knew she was losing control but for once, she did not care. “You talk about balance and power as if they matter more than the lives of the people you’re supposed to protect! If you won’t act, then what kind of Emperor are you?”

The silence that followed her words was suffocating. The Emperor stood, his gaze now icy and dangerous. “You tread on dangerous ground, Lady Qing. I would advise you to reconsider your words before they lead you to a place you cannot return from.”

Samaya glared at him, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew she was walking a fine line, but she couldn’t bring herself to back down. “Oh please, you should know more than anyone that you cannot stop me with threats like that.”

“It is not a threat.” The man’s voice was still sharp. But she would one day realize it was a tad softer. “It is a warning. Do not meddle in things you understand nothing of.”

“Oh, I understand plenty.” She had seen spineless politicians all her damn life. She had killed one of them. “If you won’t act, then I will.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and strode out of the room, her footsteps echoing loudly in the silence. The doors slammed shut behind her, and for a moment, the only sound was the blood rushing in her ears.

Outside, Ah-Liu was waiting, his expression neutral but his eyes sharp. He didn’t ask what had happened, but the tension in Samaya’s body spoke volumes.

“We’re leaving,” she snapped, not slowing her pace as she passed him.

Ah-Liu fell into step beside her, his presence steady but silent. As they moved through the Inner Palance, Samaya’s mind raced, her anger still smouldering. The Emperor’s refusal to act, his cold dismissal of Rin’s suffering, had shaken her more than she wanted to admit. She had expected resistance, but the sheer indifference in his response was something she couldn’t have prepared for.

Samaya would never admit it, but part of her was disappointed. She had always felt that the Emperor was someone who would not stand for such unjust cruelty and she now cursed herself for it. Showed what she knew. She should have known better. She should have known that no matter how good he seemed, he was a fucking politician through and through.

By the time they reached her residence, Samaya’s fury had settled into something sharper, more dangerous, more determined.

She glanced at Ah-Liu as they walked past the gates. “We’re not done here.”

Ah-Liu nodded. “I assumed as much, my lady.”

This was what she liked about Ah-Liu. The boy could grasp her thoughts without her having to tell him.

She walked inside to find Lady Ren sitting on the bed with Rin leaning against her, while Min sat on Rin’s other side and Su sat opposite to Rin holding her hands. It went against every rule and etiquette of the Palace. But it looked … so peaceful. Samaya wanted to protect that. Samaya wanted to protect Rin. And she wanted that fucker to pay.

Samaya took a deep breath, her mind already moving toward the next step. If the Emperor wasn’t willing to bring justice, then she would force his hand. She had seen too much to allow this crime to be swept under the rug of political convenience.

“Ah-Liu, find out how I can petition in front of the court.”