I’m woken up early the next morning by a servant of the palace. I immediately take an alchemy pill that Xia Jing had given me for the hangover. A soothing feeling goes through my body, immediately taking away my headache and irritation.

Shia still isn’t back.

I get up slowly, still waking up despite the alchemy pill. The servant waits with their head lowered, waiting for me to get dressed. Once I am presentable, the servant leads me to a room where Xia Jing and Master Meng An are eating breakfast.

Xia Jing smiles at me, while Master Meng An merely glances up at my entrance.

I kneel down next to them, grabbing the fancily made food with polite demureness. I watch my every movement, remembering my lessons on etiquette. It has been many years of moving free and boisterous in the sect. If I want the respect of the nobility here, then I will have to remind them that I am one of them and act like a proper young lady when required.

“You really look like one of them.” Xia Jing says, watching me with wide eyes.

“I was one of them.” I answer, keeping my face carefully emotionless like Shi Da taught me and taking a demure bite.

Master Meng An interrupts us, having finished his plate. “The Emperor and the Empress have requested to see us after we eat. Be on your best behavior and don’t speak unless spoken to.”

Both of us nod in acknowledgment, then quickly finish our meal.

I follow behind Master Meng An, with Xia Jing a step behind me. He leads us through ornate halls and elegant pavilions until we reach the largest house of magnificent architecture. Two guards stand in front of the entrance, each having a cultivation in the core formation realm.

They motion us through, recognizing our robes and Master Meng An. A high ranking eunuch meets us inside, his hair flows down to his waist, and his effeminate face watches us with a keen eye.

We are led through more security by the eunuch until we reach a bedroom. We are not meeting the Emperor in the audience hall, which means our meeting is not official.

The eunuch nocks on the door to the room, then motions us through.

We enter the room to see the empress sitting next to an ornate bed. The Emperor himself is hidden behind curtains, with only his silhouette visible.

The empress’s veil covers her face as she watches us enter, but I know her to be one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen, with perfect skin and features.

We all lower our heads in the presence of the Emperor.

“You are the demon hunters that the Flowing River Sect has sent?” The Empress says, looking over each of us individually. Her eyes linger on me for a moment longer than the others. The Emperor himself will not speak unless he desires to.

“We are, your majesty.” Master Meng An says, his body bent in a permanent bow.

“Hmm. I’d expected Elder Qiu Tai to come.”

“She was unable to leave the sect. I assure you, we are more than up for the task set before us.” I see a small bead of sweat slowly slip down the back of the Master’s neck. A sign of weakness that the Emperor’s watchers will report to him afterwards.

“We shall see.” The Empress’s words linger in the air, a test for the Master.

He doesn’t rise to the bait, at least knowing enough not to.

When he keeps silent, the Empress continues. “We believe one of the Imperial Princes to be working with demon worshipers. Our current belief is that it is Third Prince Shi Biming. I leave the investigation in your capable hands, Master Meng An.”

The Master bows as the dismissal. Xia Jing and I do the same. We all move to leave the room.

“Lady Lin, stay a moment.”

I pause at the Empress’s words. The others do the same, but I motion for them to continue on without me.

Xia Jing looks back with worry as the door shuts behind them.

I turn around, bowing before the Empress. “I am now known as Core Disciple Lin, your majesty.”

“So you are. I am happy to see you doing well.”

I keep my expression neutral, running through every one of Shi Da’s lessons in my head.

“I always thought of you as another daughter, you know that? I was sad to hear that the attention of the Second Prince forced you into the hands of the sect. Perhaps I should’ve set you up with one of my sons while I had the chance.”

Standing before me is the fourth Empress of the Emperor’s reign. Only the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Princes as well as the Fourth Princess Shi Da are her children.

“You honor me with your words.” I respond. I have no desire to marry one of the sniveling, full-of-themselves brats that I remember, still her words are meant as a kindness, and I take them as such.

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“I mean them.” The Empress pauses, her body language hesitant. “I must warn you, my position is not as stable as I make it seem. I fear for the lives of my children. I hope you remember my kindness to you if I need your help.”

“It has not been so long, your majesty.” I say, raising my head to meet the Empress’s eyes. “I cannot give you the support of my father in the war to come, nor can I promise the alliance of my sect. I will attempt to repay your kindness, but I will not forget your lack of protection when I was a child forced to leave the imperial palace.”

The Empress watches me calmly. “You have grown well, Core Disciple Lin of the Flowing River Sect. I look forward to seeing what you become.” She rises from her chair and places her hand on my shoulder. “Know that you have my support now, if not then.” she backs away, removing her hand, “You should join your sect members, I’m sure they are worried for you.”

“Thank you, your majesty.” I recognize her dismissal, so I bow and leave the room.

Master Meng An and Xia Jing are waiting for me outside of the door, both of them showing signs of relief when I walk back to them.

“Are you alright?” Xia Jing asks.

I nod, smiling lightly at her.

Master Meng An motions for the both of us to follow him. “We are to meet the others now.”

The Master stationed here goes by Lu Quon, he has a group of ten Inner Disciples working with him, most of whom I‘d never met. Him and Master Meng An apparently go way back, so Xia Jing and I are dismissed while the two of them get reacquainted.

Xia Jing gets started on investigating the Third Prince, disappearing into the palace rather quickly.

Given some time to do what I want, I go to the Rose Palace, the home of Shi Da.

No servants or guards greet me at the entrance to her palace, which is unusual.

I place my hand on my sword as I walk through the rooms of her palace, opening doors as quietly as I can manage. Still, no one comes to greet me.

The sound of something falling comes from Shi Da’s private room, followed by a pained scream that is quickly cut off. I run forward, bursting into it with my sword drawn.

A woman that I recognize as Shi Da struggles on the ground, hands on her throat as purple veins bulge on her arms.

“SHIA!” I yell out, putting qi into my voice in order to call her from wherever she may be.

I run to Shi Da, sheathing my sword and injecting my qi into her in an attempt to help. The poison in her system attempts to attack my qi and I pour more into her system, fighting a losing battle against it.

The familiar presence of Shia slithers through the room until she reaches us. With a sigh of irritation, Shia sticks her fangs into the purple veins, drawing the strange poison out with her qi.

I pull back, knowing that she has more experience with poisons and venoms than I do.

After a minute of baited breath, Shia pulls back from Shi Da. “Potent poison, little one. You are lucky you got to it so soon.” She slithers over to a broken cup on the floor that I hadn’t seen. Her tongue flicks out, tasting the liquid on the cup.

“Is she alright?” I ask, putting my hand on Shi Da’s arm to check her with my qi.

“She will be. She’s unconscious for now, that poison would be a lot for someone only in the Second Realm of Qi Awakening.” Shia slithers back to me, climbing up my leg and wrapping herself around my belly.

I pull Shi Da over to me, setting her head in my lap as I look down at her features. She inherited much of the beauty of her mother, her red lips large and eye lashes long. Her hair is cut short in a sign of disgrace and fatigue mars her face. Something big must have happened to her while I was away at the sect.

With no servants and no guards to protect her, it's a miracle that she’s alive in the power struggle that is the Imperial Court.

“Is- is there any way for you to track the poison? Shi Da is important to me.” I speak softly, trying not to wake up the Imperial Princess.

Shia contemplates my request for a moment before responding. “I can try, little one. “

“Thank you.”

Shia unwinds herself from my person, returning to the floor and disappearing from my senses.

I wait there with her head in my lap for an hour before she starts to wake up.

Her eyes blink slowly, looking up at me with confusion. “Am I dreaming?” She asks quietly.

I smile, “I don’t think so.”

“Is that you Jia?” She asks again, “You look so much older.”

“It’s me.” I answer.

Shi Da sits up quickly, turning to look at me. Her hand goes to her throat where small scratch marks from her choking rest. “I was poisoned.”

I nod. “I got here just in time.”

“What are you doing here?” Shi Da asks, standing up slowly.

I stand up as well, catching her when she stumbles slightly. “My sect sent me here.”

“Oh.”

I look around, finally noticing the surprisingly spartan room for an Imperial Princess. “What happened? Things weren’t like this when I last saw you.”

Shi Da grimaces, standing up on her own slowly “The First Prince decided that I had too much power for a Princess. So he reduced my life to… this.”

“That’s horrible.” I stop, looking at her and thinking for a drawn out moment. “I’ll send word to my father. He’ll have some servants and guards sent over.”

“You don’t have to-”

“Shi Da, we both know that you deserve more than this after all you’ve done for me.” I grab her, pulling her into a hug.

I’m going to do more than this. Shi Da is brilliant, and a good person, she deserves more than this. No doubt the princes were looking for any excuse to bring her down.

A small thought comes up, that I quickly file away, knowing that it could cause more harm than good.