The palace was in an uproar after the drum had been struck. It spread like wildfire that the drum had been struck to bring a complaint against Minister Kang’s son, and even more astoundingly, it was the new concubine’s eunuch. Everyone contemplated what could be the reason for her to take such a big step. Some said she wanted revenge, others thought she wanted attention. After all, why else would she bring herself to attention like this for a mere maid?

Samaya paid no mind to those useless rumours. The moment Ah-Liu came back, she set him to work.

“See if any maids regularly patrol or pass through the area where Rin was attacked—especially during that time. And find out everything you can about Kang Yanxin. Be discreet. And,” she frowned, “see if you can find any of Kang Yuxin’s maids who can attest to Kang Yanxin’s presence in the Palace that day.”

Every whisper mattered, even walls had ears. There was bound to be something.

Ah-Liu nodded silently, his apathetic expression belying the rage he was no doubt holding back. The boy had a particularly intense hatred for rapists. He slipped into the palace shadows, moving with the ease of someone who had long learned to make himself invisible.

As she watched him disappear, her mind raced, trying to anticipate what would come next. The Kang family would soon begin to exert their influence to cover up their son Yanxin’s crime, and Samaya had to dig up leads that might offer a slim chance of justice. What she needed was concrete evidence or a witness brave enough to speak out. If they could find a maid who had seen something—anything—it might be enough to bring this to light.

Hours passed, but Samaya’s patience was a well-honed weapon. She went about her day as usual, exercising, walking the gardens, attending her etiquette lessons, reading, and waiting for Manu. Then, as the sky turned deep crimson with the setting sun, Ah-Liu returned. His expression remained unreadable, but the slight glint in his eyes told her everything.

“There is someone,” he said quietly, always conscious of how thin the palace walls could be. “She’s one of the maids assigned to Lady Liao. She often passes by the area where the incident took place to bring sleeping medicine for Lady Liao.”

Liao Huimei. Part of the Imperial Consort faction. She and Han Wanyi - Han Qin’s half-sister - were usually joined at the hip and both of them were firm supporters of the Imperial Consort/

“We must be cautious. She should be approached delicately.”

Otherwise, there was a good chance that the maid would be silenced.

Samaya’s heart quickened. This was it. A thread that could unravel everything. But she knew better than to rush in. “Set it up. Discreetly. Make sure she feels safe.”

Ah-Liu bowed slightly, vanishing once again into the palace’s endless corridors. Samaya sat back down, the weight of what they were trying to accomplish pressing on her. The Kang family was powerful. If they found out what she was doing, they would leave no stone unturned to stop her.

Later that night, Samaya met the maid. The rendezvous had been arranged under the guise of routine palace duties, deep in the quietest part of the servants’ quarters, with Samaya disguised once again in eunuch’s clothing. The maid, a quiet, nervous woman with downcast eyes, looked around cautiously as Samaya approached her.

Samaya softened her voice, offering calm reassurance. “I’m not here to hurt you,” she said. “I’m here to listen. Whatever you know, you can tell me.”

The maid hesitated, her fingers twisting anxiously around the hem of her apron. Her voice, when she finally spoke, was barely above a whisper, but it carried the weight of someone who knew more than she was letting on. She revealed small details—a shadow passing where no one should have been, whispers overheard among guards, subtle movements that seemed suspicious, activities where there should not have been any, and a particular nobleman who should not have been in the palace coming from the direction of … Yuhuagong.

Palace of the Imperial Flower

The residence of the Imperial Consort.

----------------------------------------

The next day, Samaya made her way to Lady Ren’s residence. Rin had been staying there under Lady Ren’s protection since the attack. Lady Ren had a close relationship with Rin and the poor girl no doubt preferred to stay at a place where she was familiar. Su and Min visited when they could. They were accompanying her right now. She wanted to check on Rin, and see how she was doing with only a few days to go before the trial.

The maid had revealed important details, but it also made things complicated. She had to find a way to not get the Imperial Consort involved with this case. She could not go toe to toe with that woman or her family, not in court. And it was not as if she could assassinate the woman and the problem would disappear. No, no good would come out of getting the Imperial Consort involved. She had to strategize, but she had to speak with Rin first.

When Samaya entered the quiet quarters, she found Rin seated by a large window overlooking the courtyard. Lady Ren sat beside her, gently brushing her hair in a gesture of maternal comfort. Rin had grown pale and frail since the incident, her bright, youthful demeanor dimmed by the trauma she had gone through. Still, she was holding on.

“Lady Qing,” Lady Ren greeted softly, standing as she entered. Her eyes were tired, but warm as ever. “I’m glad you’ve come.”

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Samaya knelt beside Rin, her gaze full of sympathy. “How are you feeling?”

Rin gave her a weak smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Lady Ren has been very kind. I feel… better. A little.”

The room was quiet, filled with the weight of everything left unspoken. Samaya knew how hard this had been on Rin. A young girl, barely out of childhood, assaulted by one of the most powerful men in the kingdom. And now, they were all navigating a palace filled with those who would prefer the incident be forgotten.

Before Samaya could speak further, the doors swung open sharply, and the atmosphere in the room shifted in an instant. A woman entered, flanked by several servants carrying trays of gifts—silks, fine teas, and delicate trinkets meant to display wealth. Leading them was Kang Yuxin, a scroll in hand.

Lady Ren stood up immediately, her face calm but her posture rigid. Samaya’s jaw tightened as she locked eyes with Kang Yuxin, already knowing that whatever reason she had for being here, it wouldn’t be good.

“What is the meaning of this, Lady Kang?” She asked, her voice far calmer than Samaya’s would have been. “Do you not know that you must announce your arrival and wait for permission to enter the residence of a concubine of equal rank or higher?”

A snort left Kang Yuxin. “Equal?” She raised an eyebrow. “Just because the Emperor took pity on you and gave you a rank does not make you my equal. I come from a Great Noble family, you are nothing but a scholar’s daughter.”

“For a lady of a Great Noble family, your manners are certainly deficient.”

To Samaya’s surprise, Kang Yuxin did not explode like she usually did at an insult. Instead, she sauntered forward as the maids behind her placed the gifts on one of the tables, her eyes sweeping over the room before landing on Rin. The condescending look in her eyes made Samaya’s blood boil, but she held her tongue for the moment.

“I do not wish to engage with you lowlives any more than I have to,” she said in a tone that did nothing to hide the malice beneath. She held up a scroll “I am here with a message. My mother has sent me with a proposal. We regret the… unfortunate tragedy that happened to this young woman. Though you have used it to falsely accuse my brother, my family is kinder than me in this matter, it seems. My family wishes to offer a solution that will resolve this unpleasantness swiftly and with dignity for all involved.”

Her words hung in the air, each one more insulting than the last. Samaya’s hand clenched into a fist at her side, but she forced herself to listen as Kang Yuxin continued.

“We are prepared to offer a marriage between this girl”—she gestured dismissively toward Rin—“and one of our loyal servants. He is a manservant, hardworking and loyal. Marrying into our household will raise her position far beyond anything she could ever hope for.”

Samaya saw Rin’s face drain of color, the blood rushing from her cheeks. The girl trembled, her lips parting in silent disbelief. Samaya’s own anger surged to the surface, but she knew better than to lash out. Kang Yuxin was baiting them, confident in her family’s power.

“Let me get this straight,” Samaya began, her voice calm but dangerously cold. “Your family thinks that marrying Rin off to one of your servants will make this all go away?”

Yuxin’s lips curled into a smug smile. “It is a generous offer, considering her circumstances. My brother’s honor—our family’s honor—has been called into question. This marriage will settle the matter, ensuring that both sides can move forward.”

Samaya could barely believe the audacity of the woman in front of her. They had ruined Rin’s life, and now they expected her to be married off to a servant as though that would make everything right? Her rage was a hot, burning thing in her chest, but she forced herself to keep it controlled.

“No,” Samaya said, her voice quiet but firm. “This is not a solution. This is an insult.”

Yuxin’s eyes narrowed. “You would be wise to reconsider. My mother is not a woman to cross lightly. Rejecting this offer will not go without consequences.”

Samaya held her gaze. “If I was worried about consequences, I would never have gone down this path.”

“Perhaps you should start. If not for yourself, then that poor girl over there.” She nodded at Rin. now huddled in the bed. The threat hung in the air.

Samaya’s nerves burned with fury.

Lady Ren, who had been silent until now, stepped forward. “If this is what you call an attempt at reconciliation, then your family has no understanding of honor. Rin has already suffered enough, and now you come here to humiliate her further?”

Kang Yuxin’s arrogant demeanour did not falter.

“I have brought gifts,” Kang Yuxin said, as though that alone would be enough to buy their compliance. “And my mother’s goodwill.”

“The goodwill of a woman who rose monsters as children?” Lady Ren asked, her mask of calm beginning to slip. It was bound to, at some point. This incident had jarred her more than she let on.

“You insolent wench!” Kang Yuxin seethed. “How dare you-”

Samaya couldn’t take it anymore.

“Enough.” She stepped forward, snatching the scroll from Yuxin’s hands. Without a word, she turned to one of the maids. “Bring me a candle.”

The maid, looking uncertain but obedient, fetched a candle and returned quickly, placing it in Samaya’s hand. Samaya let the scroll fall open, getting a glimpse of some of the words - “regret”, “unfortunate”, “marriage”, “young woman”, “honour”, blah blah blah. It was basically the long version of what Kang Yuxin said. It made her blood boil. She held the scroll over the flame, letting the edges catch fire. The parchment crinkled and curled as it blackened, the words written on it disintegrating into ash.

Kang Yuxin’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What are you doing?!”

Samaya met her gaze, her voice deadly calm. “Sending a message. This is not something you can sweep under the rug with a few silks and jades, Kang Yuxin. I will drag your brother down to hell for what he did, and if anyone gets in my way, they will go with him.”

Yuxin’s face flushed with fury, her composed exterior cracking. “You’ll regret this. You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

Samaya smiled faintly, throwing the last of the burning scrolls onto the tray of silks, eliciting gasps and high-pitched yells that she ignored. “I know exactly who I’m dealing with, Kang Yuxin. I have dealt with the likes of you many, many times in my short life.”

Yuxin glared at her, her fists clenched at her sides. “This isn’t over.”

Samaya shrugged. “Then go run to your mother. But I suggest you take these trays with you before I burn them as well. Send it back to your home. That should convey my message well enough.”

With a furious flick of her sleeve, Kang Yuxin stormed out of the room, her entourage quickly grabbing the gifts after a moment of hesitation and trailing after her. The door slammed shut behind them, leaving a heavy silence in their wake.