Xiao Heng · Chat

The long night had not yet passed; inside the Zichen Hall, candle flames flickered on and off, leaving the room in silence. Xiao Heng sat upright at the side of the dragon throne, her black hair tied high and held in place by a single jade hairpin. Her black-and-gold court robes set off her straight posture, and her brows and eyes were cold. The court’s high ministers knelt across the floor, not daring to breathe, waiting for her single word of decision. She tapped the armrest with her fingertips. Her voice was light, but carried an unassailable authority as it slowly fell through the empty hall: “Handle this matter exactly as I have said.” The candlelight leaped, illuminating her slightly upturned eyes. Her pale face held no trace of emotion—only the lonely aloofness and indifference of one standing at the heights.