In the imperial palace, not every gift comes with kindness…
Some are jade boxes hiding deadly poison beneath white silk.
⸻
A faint chime from the Blossom Pavilion Tower drifted through the breeze.
Leaves rustled lightly across the jade courtyard,
but every step taken in the palace today… felt weighted with something unseen.
Inside Xianyan Hall, Xianlan was quietly flipping through the old official's testimony she had received days ago.
The handwriting on the faded paper trembled,
but the truths within were like flames buried beneath ash.
She had not shown the evidence to anyone—not even to Feng Yuhan—
for she knew:
Some chess moves must be kept… to strike only once and bring down the entire board.
Wen Yichen entered quietly, carrying news from the Inner Court.
"This morning, Noble Consort's Palace sent a 'gift of goodwill' to Your Highness's residence."
He placed a pale green jade box before her.
"Inside were scented silk… and a golden hairpin."
Xianlan didn't touch the box. She merely glanced at it.
"Do they think I'm still a child?
Or do they believe a 'jade box' can erase the word 'murder'?"
⸻
Elsewhere in the palace, Su Mengyu stood before a brass mirror.
Her sharp eyes gleamed with a smile.
She lifted a perfumed box to her nose and inhaled softly—
the scent was identical to what had been sent to Xianyan Hall.
"Plum blossom fragrance…" she murmured.
"Sweet at first—but gives headaches come spring."
Beside her, her shadow maid nodded and whispered:
"If she wears the hairpin, she'll begin feeling dizzy by day three.
Then, her mind will grow hazy—words she shouldn't speak may slip too easily."
Su Mengyu laughed faintly.
"I don't want her dead.
I just want her to fall… in front of everyone."
⸻
That afternoon, Xianyan Hall received a summons from the court:
"A minor consorts' meeting to prepare for the Spring Worship Ceremony."
Xianlan was invited to attend.
Wen Yichen frowned immediately.
"It's a ritual princesses usually never join.
If the Inner Court didn't call it, someone's laying a trap."
Xianlan only smiled.
"Good. I've placed a few pieces of my own."
⸻
On the day of the gathering, high-ranking consorts assembled in the eastern wing.
Everyone dressed in soft, pastel hues—
except Xianlan,
who wore deep navy-black robes adorned with layered plum blossoms.
She entered with unwavering poise—
far too regal for someone of her title.
And most striking—
her hairpin was not the one sent to her.
Instead, it was a plain silver pin engraved with tiny characters:
"The Phoenix Returns."
Whispers spread among the ladies:
"She dares wear dark colors during the Spring Ritual?"
"That pattern… plum blossoms. The flower of Princess Jingfei…"
"Could it mean…"
The murmurs faded as Xianlan stopped at the center of the hall.
She bowed briefly to the elders and spoke softly:
"I come not as a consort, nor a wife, nor any title—
only as a daughter of the dynasty.
One who should have always had a place here."
⸻
Su Mengyu smiled outwardly,
but her fingers clenched tight inside her sleeve.
"She didn't wear the pin…"
During the ceremony, inner court officials gradually arrived.
Feng Yuhan entered as well—uninvited,
but walking through the hall as if he owned it.
"I'm only here to observe," he said coolly.
"No law says I cannot."
His voice turned the air tense in an instant.
He stopped just behind Xianlan, close enough to draw notice.
Then, he spoke slowly as the room fell silent:
"If the scent of a jade box grows fouler the more you open it…
perhaps it's best not to open it too far.
For what lies inside may not be a gift at all."
His words sliced through the illusions of generosity like a blade.
Xianlan turned to him, her smile faint.
"Sometimes…
an empty box is more terrifying than one filled with poison.
Because it means the giver… never thought of the receiver at all."
⸻
That evening,
a maid from the Noble Consort's Palace was caught acting suspiciously near the apothecary.
In her pouch were fragments of dried flowers—
with the exact same scent as the jade box.
Emperor Li Sichen received the full report during the second night watch.
He remained quiet for a long while before whispering:
"Jingfei…
The scent of plum blossoms still lingers in the palace—
but today…
was the first time I truly smelled it."