Chapter LIII - Storms Beneath the Palace
Winter deepened across the capital.
And with it—
the palace atmosphere sharpened like hidden blades beneath silk sleeves.
The moment Prince Rui openly confessed his feelings for Shen Li, everything changed.
Not publicly.
Not yet.
But powerful people noticed shifts quickly:
Prince Rui returned home earlier,
refused prolonged palace banquets,
softened only around Princess Rui,
and most dangerously— began prioritizing her openly.
To the imperial court, that was not romance.
That was vulnerability.
And vulnerability invited attack.
—
Three days after Prince Rui’s confession, the Emperor announced the Midwinter Palace Banquet.
Every noble family would attend.
Every prince. Every minister. Every dangerous faction.
The announcement alone made the capital restless.
Because everyone understood: this banquet would not remain peaceful.
Inside Prince Rui’s estate, Shen Li quietly read the imperial invitation while Prince Rui sat beside her reviewing military correspondence.
The moment she finished, Prince Rui spoke immediately.
“This prince dislikes it.”
Shen Li almost smiled faintly. “Your Highness dislikes every palace gathering.”
“Yes.”
No hesitation whatsoever.
Dangerous man.
Prince Rui lowered the military report slowly. “The Empress Dowager intentionally arranged this banquet after the poisoning incident.”
“To observe reactions?”
“To provoke them.”
The room quieted softly.
Shen Li understood immediately.
The palace wanted to see:
how deeply Prince Rui protected her,
who aligned against them,
and whether Princess Rui truly influenced Prince Rui politically.
This banquet would become a battlefield disguised as celebration.
Prince Rui suddenly reached toward her hand naturally beneath the table.
Habit now.
Warm fingers intertwined with hers calmly.
Then quietly:
“This prince does not want you entering that palace again.”
The honesty touched her chest painfully.
Because Prince Rui no longer hid his protectiveness at all.
Shen Li squeezed his hand lightly in return. “But this daughter is Princess Rui now.”
Meaning: she could not avoid palace politics forever.
Prince Rui watched her silently.
Then after a long pause:
“Then this prince will stay beside you the entire night.”
The possessiveness inside the statement felt almost casual now.
As though remaining beside her constantly had become obvious.
Dangerous man.
—
Meanwhile, inside Consort Xu’s palace—
another meeting unfolded quietly beneath dim incense smoke.
The Third Prince sat beside the window looking healthier now, though faint poison weakness still lingered beneath his complexion.
Consort Xu remained calm as always.
Too calm.
A palace maid bowed deeply before reporting: “Prince Rui rejected tonight’s military banquet invitation.”
The Third Prince frowned immediately. “Again?”
“Yes.”
Silence settled heavily.
Because recently— Prince Rui avoided court functions more and more.
The reason was obvious.
Consort Xu lowered her teacup quietly. “He returns home quickly now.”
The Third Prince looked increasingly irritated. “He acts like a newly married scholar instead of a war prince.”
“No.” Consort Xu’s eyes darkened slightly. “He acts like a man who finally found something precious.”
And that made him infinitely more dangerous.
Because now Prince Rui had motivation beyond duty.
He had someone to protect personally.
The Third Prince exhaled sharply. “Then we separate them.”
Silence.
Consort Xu looked toward her son slowly.
Then softly:
“No.”
“We make them destroy themselves protecting each other.”
The room cooled instantly.
Because emotional attachment created weakness eventually.
And weakness— if pressured carefully enough— became destruction.
—
Back inside Prince Rui’s estate, Shen Li prepared for the banquet reluctantly.
Rows of winter robes and jewelry had already been displayed across the inner chamber while maids rushed anxiously through final fittings.
Qingyu looked deeply suspicious throughout everything.
“Princess Consort should stay close to His Highness all evening.”
Shen Li nearly laughed softly. “This daughter was already planning to.”
The maids instantly looked emotional again.
Because recently— Princess Rui no longer hid how much she preferred staying beside Prince Rui either.
Dangerous couple.
Then suddenly another servant entered quickly. “Princess Consort.”
“What happened?”
“The palace delivered special banquet attire personally.”
The room quieted instantly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Palace-delivered attire before important banquets often carried hidden meaning.
Shen Li opened the lacquer box carefully.
Inside rested exquisite crimson robes embroidered with silver phoenixes and plum blossoms.
Beautiful.
Too beautiful.
Qingyu frowned immediately. “The palace suddenly became generous?”
Shen Li touched the embroidery quietly.
Then paused.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Before she could speak—
Prince Rui entered the chamber.
And instantly noticed her expression.
“What happened?”
Shen Li looked toward him slowly. “The palace sent banquet robes.”
Prince Rui’s gaze cooled immediately.
He stepped closer without hesitation and lifted the fabric himself.
Then silence.
Absolute silence.
Because hidden inside the silver embroidery lining—
tiny golden threads formed another pattern beneath candlelight.
Dragons.
Imperial dragons.
The room temperature dropped instantly.
Qingyu nearly stopped breathing.
Because only imperial consorts and members directly connected to succession rights could wear dragon embroidery publicly.
If Shen Li wore these robes openly at the banquet—
the consequences would be catastrophic.
Accusations of ambition. Disrespect. Possible treason implications.
Prince Rui’s expression became terrifyingly calm.
Then very softly:
“Interesting.”
“The palace begins targeting my wife more openly now.”