The Weight of Shadows
The oil lamp sputtered in my chambers, its flickering light casting monstrous shapes upon the walls. I pressed my back against the closed door, the wood cool through my thin robes, and watched the intruder materialize from the darkness like ink bleeding through parchment.
Han Sheng.
The Emperor's Shadow.
He stood at the center of my room, his black brocade robes swallowing what little light remained. When he turned, his face was a study in stillness—all sharp angles and calculated silence.
"Did you truly believe," he murmured, "that the Crown Prince was the only player in this game?"
My pulse hammered against my ribs. This man had haunted the palace's blind spots for years, a specter even the ministers feared to name.
"What do you want?" My voice sounded brittle to my own ears.
Han Sheng lifted a hand, and between his fingers dangled a familiar jade pendant—my mother's last gift to my brother. The sight of it stole my breath.
"Your brother begged for mercy before he died." He let the pendant drop to the floor with a sound like a skull cracking. "A shame you weren't there to hear it."
Rage ignited in my chest, white-hot and blinding. I lunged—
And found myself pinned against the wall, Han Sheng's dagger pressed to my throat. His breath was warm as he leaned close.
"Xiao Jing promised you vengeance. The Crown Prince offered power." His blade traced the line of my jaw. "But I...I will give you the truth."
From his sleeve, he produced a scroll sealed with the Emperor's personal insignia. The wax cracked like breaking bones as he unfurled it.
There, in meticulous brushstrokes, was the order for my mother's execution—signed not by my grandfather, but by the Emperor himself.
"The Moon Case was never about justice." Han Sheng's whisper slithered into my ear. "It was always about silencing the woman who discovered the imperial family's darkest secret."
Outside, the wind rose to a shriek. Somewhere in the palace, a bell began to toll.
Han Sheng stepped back, sheathing his dagger. "Now you choose—will you keep playing their game?" His smile was a blade's edge. "Or will you burn the board to ashes?"
He left then, melting into the shadows as though he'd never been.
The scroll lay heavy in my hands.
The truth heavier still.174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUO4k7iLLMy
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