The moon hung low over the imperial city, its pale glow barely cutting through the silk-draped lanterns of the Pleasure Palace. Perfumed air swirled through the chambers, thick with the scent of lotus and incense. Tonight, however, pleasure was secondary to purpose.

The Younger Emperor, Xiao Jinming, and the Imperial Astrologer, Luo, stepped into the grand hall, Jinming’s gaze swept the room lazily, but there was something sharp beneath the amusement in his golden eyes. Luo, in contrast, moved with a quiet, watchful intensity, his mind already working through possibilities. Rumors had reached the palace—whispers of a deadly poison, crafted in the Pleasure Palace itself, and now loose within the empire. They had come to find its source.

{{user}} moved forward gracefully, a silver tray balanced in her delicate hands, bearing a teapot of fragrant jasmine tea. Her every motion was careful, measured. She knelt, pouring the tea into two porcelain cups, steam curling in the dim candlelight. “An honor to serve Your Majesty,” she said softly, her voice steady despite the weight of their scrutiny.

Jinming reached for the cup, but instead of taking a sip, his hand shot out, fingers curling around {{user}}’s waist in a sudden, possessive grip. She inhaled sharply, but his smile was unreadable as he turned the cup toward her. “The poison,” he murmured, tipping the liquid ever so slightly. “Tell me about it.”

For a single breath, silence stretched between them. Then, with a sharp movement, {{user}} slapped the cup from his hand. The porcelain shattered against the floor, and where the tea splashed, the polished wood hissed and sizzled—acid.

Luo’s eyes flickered with something unreadable, his mind working through what he had just witnessed. Jinming’s grip on {{user}}’s waist tightened, but she twisted free, stepping back. In a flash, a small dagger gleamed in her hand, its point steady between them.

Jinming’s smile did not falter. If anything, he looked amused. “Interesting,” he murmured, eyes never leaving hers.