Chapter 41: Saviour or Foe?
The room smelled faintly of incense. Not the comforting kind used in temples, but something heavier—sweet, suffocating, clinging to the back of the throat.
Ru Yi knelt in the center of it, wrists bound, her gaze lowered though her gaze remained sharp as she tried to get a hold of her surroundings.
"You finally decided to grace me with your presence."
Ru Yi’s neck snapped to the voice so fast it could’ve broken in half. At the other end of what seemed like a storage room was Empress Shen Lihua.
"Your highness—"
"Save it." Her voice was stern. Final.
Since the incident at the Empress’s residence when she was serving her tea, this would be the second time Ru Yi got a close look at the woman.
And Lihua looked every bit of the title that she showed off generously.
But why did Han Shuying bring her here? Has she been tricked again?
The Empress did not approach immediately. She circled instead, slow and deliberate, the faint rustle of silk echoing in the quiet space.
"I had expected more..." she stopped behind Ru Yi whose entire body suddenly tensed up.
A hand lifted, tilting Ru Yi’s chin upward with calculated ease.
Their eyes met.
The Empress smiled but it did not reach her eyes. "Such plain looks..." her gaze swept over Ru Yi in a dismissive gesture. "Looks like the crown prince likes to collect strays. Especially ones that are not so smart."
Ru Yi kept her mouth shut even though the grip on her chin was beginning to hurt.
"You think I didn’t know you were spying on me?" She released Ru Yi and took a step back. "It was entertaining watching you and the princess play cat and mouse. You both didn’t have the brain to come up with a decent plan."
Ru Yi swallowed hard. "Princess Lin Yuexin..." She didn’t have the courage to follow through with the question, her throat going dry.
"Were you going to ask if I killed her?" The Empress’s voice was teasing, "go on...ask me."
Ru Yi didn’t dare to.
"Bring the bowl," the Empress gestured to a servant Ru Yi hadn’t noticed earlier.
The servant stepped forward, presenting the tray with the bowl resting on it. Ru Yi’s throat tightened, eyes going round with fear.
"You’re to be executed tomorrow at dawn," the Empress went on, almost conversational. "It’s a pity really. Such a pitiful end for something you had no hand in. I almost feel bad. Almost."
Empress Lihua grabbed the bowl with a sinister smile. "But I am not without mercy."
Ru Yi looked up. That was the first mistake.
The Empress stepped closer and without warning, seized her jaw again—harder this time, fingers pressing into Ru Yi’s cheeks until her lips parted.
"Drink."
Ru Yi struggled on instinct, trying to press her lips together. But Lihua’s grip was unyielding. The rim of the bowl pressed against her mouth—
—and the liquid poured in.
Bitter.
It burned as it went down.
Ru Yi choked, coughing as the Empress released her, the empty bowl falling back on the tray with a soft clink.
She sucked in a breath, her body reacting before her mind could catch up. "What—" her voice broke. "What did you give me?"
The answer was instant.
"Poison."
Ru Yi froze.
A faint smile curved the Empress’s lips as she watched realization settle into Ru Yi’s features.
"It works slowly," the Empress added, "you will have time to consider your options."
Ru Yi’s heart slammed against her ribs.
"You..." she swallowed hard, forcing the words out. "You said...mercy..."
The Empress nodded. "And I meant it." This time she placed her fingers on Ru Yi’s lips, mindlessly rubbing it with her thumb. "I’m not as heartless as they say I am."
Ru Yi wanted to scoff, but she was in no position to express her genuine feelings.
"What do you want?"
"Aha! You’re finally asking the right questions." She gestured and another servant stepped forward, placing another small tray in front of Ru Yi.
It was a seal she immediately recognized. There was a Peony engraved into its surface.
"You will take this," the Empress said, her voice calm and measured. "And place it in Shen Yexue’s chamber. You’ve been hiding there, have you not? Sleeping together like the whore you are while the crown prince is trying to save his beloved."
Ru Yi flinched like she’d been hit across the face. The Empress’s words had the same effect.
"Do it and the antidote is all yours."
The wheels were turning in Ru Yi’s head. Even someone as simple minded as her knew what was really at stake.
Her life or the triplet’s.
She had been willing to turn her back on them when she took Han Shuying’s offer. She just didn’t know it would be in this manner.
The Empress was out to frame the triplets in court. It was her counter-attack for when they’d bring up the late Empress’s death.
Ru Yi forced herself to meet her eyes, despite the fear clawing at her chest. "I won’t—" This was all too much for her.
The wolves would never let her live if they found out she had a hand in the Empress’s game.
"You will." Lihua left no room for refusal, her words final.
Not that she was worried.
Even the most selfless individuals would just to save their own lives first, all you had to do was raise the stakes.
Survival was a human’s basic instinct. All she had to do was nudge Ru Yi in the direction she wanted her to go.
Silence blanketed them for a very brief period, before Lihua spoke again.
"Don’t tell me you’ve grown fond of them since they held you captive." Lihua laughed, something thorn between smooth silk and the thorns on a rose.
"Does this mean you’ll like me too if I hold you captive long enough?" Her fingers were back on Ru Yi’s lips. "Now that I think about it, you look really pretty when you’re on your knees."
Ru Yi inhaled sharply. It was impossible to keep up with the woman. Was she flirting with her right now?
"Do as I say and I’ll make you a free woman. I know that’s what you want more than anything."
That had Ru Yi’s ears perking up.
"Free?" she stuttered.
"Just like Han Shuying had promised you. Our little interaction here is just a bump in the road. I’ll have you know my word is my bond."
"What if there’s another bump in the road after I’ve done what you asked? You can always decide to change your mind."
The Empress knew victory was near, she’d figured out what Ru Yi wanted the most. "Well, you won’t know if I’ll change my mind until you try."
Ru Yi could smell another trap being set for her. "No, I’ll have to decline."
The words were quiet.
Certain.
The Empress rose slowly, all the humor wiped from her face. "I think the problem is that you believe you have a choice. Or have you forgotten that you just consumed poison? Was that not enough?"
Her fingers circled Ru Yi’s thin neck.
"Because if you don’t do as I asked," she continued, "the poison will complete its course. Painfully, I might add."
She crouched slightly, bringing herself level with Ru Yi once more.
"And even if it did not..." her voice softened, almost kind, "you would still be executed still. You only have one day to decide."
Ru Yi’s hands trembled.
"You’re asking me to frame them," Ru Yi forced the words out of her mouth with great difficulty. She knew the Empress’s grip was going to leave a bruise.
"I am offering you a chance to live."
Silence.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
The Empress’s gaze held hers, unwavering. "I’ll have the charges against you dismissed, and you’ll be able to walk away. Completely unscathed by the unfortunate situation you found yourself in."
There was a slight pause.
"Do this," she said, "and the charges against you will be dismissed. You will walk free. The antidote will be yours."
Ru Yi’s chest rose and fell unevenly.
Her mind raced.
Yexue.
The seal.
The poison burning slowly through her veins. Why did she always end up with the worst cards in the deck?
She’d been avoiding ending up with the same tragic fate as the original character, only to find herself in even worse situations.
"Why?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why go through all this trouble?" It felt like asking a predator why they liked to hunt.
The Empress smiled again. That same empty, terrifying smile.
"Because," she said softly, "someone must take the fall in order to ensure peace in the palace. If you won’t do it to save yourself, then think of the empire."
Ru Yi looked at the seal.
Then at the Empress, and down at her own shaking hands.
When she spoke again, her voice was hollow. "And if I refuse?"
The Empress straightened. "Then you die," she said simply.
No anger.
No threat.
Just the truth.
The room fell silent once more and Ru Yi closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them—something had changed.
"Give it to me," she said.
The Empress’s smile deepened. As though she had known all along, that it wouldn’t take long for Ru Yi to crumble.
She held Ru Yi’s face in her hands like it was a small delicate thing. "Good girl. I knew you’d make the right choice."
