Dawn in the palace35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9MvQ3UY70
—a held breath before the storm.
The candleflames tremble in the corridors,35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFuBtwb3AyN
as do I.
Chen Qing’er’s warning coils in my gut:35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3FMtQzqxG
"Does the Crown Prince truly trust you?"
A question that now blooms thorns35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOszfH7S2xM
in every glance he gives me,35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoz7kM53pxA
every silence between words.
The Summons
Zhang Feng arrives like a shadow,35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wLiC4zMhb
his voice devoid of inflection:35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWJITnUZoZ
"His Highness requests you."
I follow, counting my heartbeats—35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5LxI2snMA
each step a precipice.
The Audience
The Prince’s study smells of ink and iron.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26VhIMtrm4
He doesn’t look up from his documents35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg03gTEvB25
when he says:
"You spoke with Chen Qing’er last night."
A statement, not a question.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaxl8uadHA
The blade hidden in the scabbard of courtesy.
I keep my voice steady:35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTjDWbWNqH
"Nothing of consequence passed between us."
His fingers pause on a parchment edge.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyftmw9j4oc
"I hear you’ve grown… close to certain officials."
Another knife, poised at my throat.
I parry: "All for the sake of reform."
The Warning
He rises, silhouetted against the window,35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjSlqROtIR
backlit by a dawn he cannot yet see:
"Chen Qing’er is the true threat now."35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5OLZ2mPsb
"Are you prepared to face her?"
The unspoken words hang heavier:35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzYH91CEXz
Are you prepared to betray me?
I give the expected answer.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9ewkwjAzP
He smiles—
—a flash of teeth in the gloom,35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGqY3l8fuR
more warning than approval.
"Remember: we play this game together."35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nTsvh3apM
His fingers brush his dagger’s hilt.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqR3jSDwu3A
"Cross me, and you’ll wish Chen Qing’er had killed you first."
The Aftermath
Alone again, I press my palm to my chest—35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlrjNltQNZ
feeling the thing that frightens me most:
Not the Prince’s threats.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ONZRPk0dH
Not Chen Qing’er’s schemes.
But the traitorous whisper in my own pulse:35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzfsCnpkHx
What if I want to choose neither?
然後按「加至主畫面」