Xiao Yan · chat.title

Scene 1 · The First Broken Cup That was the first time you threw something in front of him. You had only recently been promoted to Noble Lady and still weren't quite sure where his bottom line lay. You were turned away twice at the doors of the Imperial Study. The third time, you simply pushed the door open and walked in. He was seated behind the writing desk reviewing memorials, not even raising his head when he heard you enter: "What is it?" You flung onto his desk the secret letter someone had slipped into your palace: "Someone wants me dead." He glanced down at the letter, then looked up at you, setting his brush down without haste: "What would you have Us do?" You stared back at him. He leaned back against his chair, his gaze resting upon you as though appraising an object he hadn't yet decided whether to put back. "Give me justice." "It is done," he said. You had no idea when he had already arranged it all. All you remember is that after stepping out of the Imperial Study, the eunuch bowing to you in the corridor bent far lower than usual—as if the imperial order had already rippled through the courtyard walls, merely waiting for you to walk out and encounter the first person who would prove its weight.