Zi-ning turned to find Zhenghuan walking towards her, holding three joss sticks in his hand. He was dressed in sombre black robes with silver embroidery trellising along its hems, and she could not read the expression he wore behind his usually mask.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him in return.

"I asked first."

"I was bored of waiting for the banquet to start so I wandered outside and ended up here. There weren't any guards outside so I just came in. Now it's your turn."

"I..." He hesitated for a brief, almost unnoticeable moment, then said, "I missed the memorial rites earlier because of some urgent military matters, so I thought I'd come and pay my respects before the banquet."

He stepped past Zi-ning and stopped in front of the portrait of the late crown prince Shunzhi, bowing three times. Then, he carefully stuck the incense sticks into the small ash-filled tripod sitting before the painting. Instead of turning to leave, Zhenghuan stood there staring wordlessly up at the portrait for a long time.

There was an inexplicable sadness that seemed to cling to him, that Zi-ning couldn't quite explain. Was it because his own father, General Du, had fought alongside the late prince in the rebellion? Or because it reminded him of the sacrifices made by those who guarded this kingdom's borders and sovereignty?

"Are you... okay?" she asked.

He turned to look at her, and for a moment she thought she saw at trace of sorrow and regret in his eyes. Then he smiled. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?" he replied. "Come on, we should head back to the banquet hall. You're not supposed to trespassing in here."

"Oh, and you're not trespassing?" Zi-ning retorted.

"I have permission."

She had no argument against that. Pulling a face, Zi-ning followed Zhenghuan out of the ancestral hall and back towards where she had come from.

Lady Li was waiting for her by the entrance of the grand hall together with her lady-in-waiting, Zhulian. When she saw the duo approach, her eyes lit up with surprise.

"My Lady," they greeted.

"I didn't expect to see the two of you together," the lady said, with a hint of teasing in her voice that made Zi-ning blush.

"It was a coincidence," she immediately countered. "We bumped into each other."

"Is that so?" Lady Li arched her brows, regarding first Zi-ning and then Zhenghuan. But she didn't pursue the matter. Instead, she took Zi-ning by the hand and led the latter into the hall, leaving the Shadow Lord to trail behind them. "I know your family will also be here today. I hope they don't mind that I've arranged for you to sit with me instead."

Zi-ning smiled. Lady Min and Meiyan would certainly not mind if she stayed out of their sight, but they would be beyond themselves with envy when they found out that her place was beside Lady Li. While the female family members of court officials were allowed to attend the banquet, they were relegated to the back half of the hall. As the wife of the late crown prince, whom this entire ceremony and banquet was intended to honour, Lady Li would be granted a seat only second to the king and queen themselves.

She followed Lady Li to their seats at the front of the hall, while Zhenghuan parted ways with them and took his place on the opposite side with the other court officials, downstream from the princes.

Ru-quan, Ru-an and Ru-wen were already seated, along with the other members of the harem and royal family. Situ Zhiren was also present, though he had politely traded in his usual flamboyant robes for a more appropriate cream-coloured get-up. All eyes were locked upon Zi-ning when they saw her enter with Lady Li.

"I thought it was only a rumour that Aunt had broken precedence and accepted a disciple. I suppose there's no smoke without fire," Ru-quan said, beaming at Zi-ning. "Miss Han, you are very fortunate. It is not every young lady who gets to be an apprentice to the great Lady Li. The Li clan is extremely well-known for producing many talented scholars."

"Indeed. I am very grateful for the opportunity," Zi-ning replied, angling her head in a respectful bow before sitting down at her arranged seat.

This dinner would not be a peaceful one, she reckoned, especially not with all these princes eyeing her like a piece of meat that could be claimed and devoured.

Isn't this what you want, Han Zi-ning? Isn't this why you went all the way to Taishan to find Lady Li and had her teach you everything she knows?

In order to bring down Ru-an and ensure that he got his just deserts, she had to rise to a position of power. If that meant gaining Ru-quan's favour and rescuing the crown prince from his tragic fate, then so be it. She had to be the weiqi master controlling the pieces on the board, instead of being a piece that could easily be used and thrown away.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zhenghuan raise his wine cup to his lips, behaving as if none of this was of concern to him.

"Even I have heard of the accomplishments of Lady Li and the Li clan," Situ Zhiren suddenly said, joining the conversation uninvited. "Although with Zi-ning's disposition, I'm sure she will one day exceed her master."

Zi-ning's fingers curled around the fabric of her skirt as she tried to hide her annoyance with the Hua prince. With his simple comment, he had already presented two reasons that could get her into trouble. Firstly, he had addressed her directly by name instead of as Miss Han, which implied a closeness in their relationship that would no doubt invite gossip. Secondly, he suggested that she was even better than Lady Li, and offence could easily be taken for that.

Why was this man even still in the Duan capital?

After the awful incident at Ryoko temple, she had expected him to pack up and leave immediately, yet he had not done so. There was no word of any change to his engagement with Princess Xuan, nor was there any word about his decision regarding Meisi. It was as if the entire debacle had never happened.

"Crown Prince Zhiren seems to be on very close terms with Miss Han, isn't that right?" the fifth prince Ru-an remarked.

Zi-ning wished she could walk over and stab Ru-an right there and then. Even then, that would be better than what he deserved.

By making a passing comment as loudly as he did, he was intentionally damning her to judgement from all the officials within earshot. As expected, she saw the expression on her father's face darken considerably when he heard that. The Han family had already lost one daughter to the Hua prince—they could not afford to lose another.

"It would be better if everyone could be more careful with your words," Lady Li said sharply, addressing both Ru-an and Situ Zhiren. "A young lady's reputation cannot be sullied so carelessly, and I will not allow my only disciple to face such baseless claims."

"I was only teasing, Aunt," Ru-an replied, flashing them a brilliant smile.

Once upon a time she would have been enamoured and flattered by that smile. Not anymore.

"There are limits to teasing, Your Highness," Zi-ning said quietly. "I would have expected someone like yourself to be more aware of protocol."

Ru-an balked at the subtle accusation, and Ru-quan threw his head back in delighted laughter. Even Ru-wen wore a tiny smile upon his face.

Before anyone could react, an attendant announced the arrival of the king and queen, and everyone had no choice but to fall silent.

King Shunde entered the hall, and as he walked past, his gaze lingered upon Lady Li's face for a moment, before he proceeded onwards and up the dais to his seat. Queen Ci Yuanji followed suit, taking her place by his side. After all the greetings were delivered, the king signalled for the memorial banquet to begin.

"Sister, it has been a long time since we last met. I trust that all has been well with you?" the queen asked, smiling congenially at Lady Li. Despite her seeming pleasant demeanour, Zi-ning couldn't help but detect a hint of animosity in her cat-like gaze.

Was there some conflict between Queen Ci and Lady Li? She had not noticed such a thing in her previous life. But then again, if she had been a little more observant, perhaps she would not have suffered such a fate.

Lady Li nodded. "Indeed. I lead a simple life, and I am thankful to not have as many responsibilities to worry about, unlike Your Majesty," she replied.

The queen raised a hand to her phoenix crown and sighed. "This crown truly comes with a great many responsibilities. I suppose if fate decrees that I have to bear this burden, then I have no choice but do accept and fulfil my duties to the best of my abilities."

In Zi-ning's memory, Queen Ci had always been an elegant and poised individual, who treated everyone with respect and kindness. This was the first time she was noticing a different side of the queen, a side that only seemed to show itself in the presence of Lady Li.

"Enough," the king interrupted, directing a stern glance at the queen, "Wanle only comes into the palace once every year. There's no need to waste her time listening to your grumbling. Wanle, I've asked the royal kitchen to prepare dishes that you like. Try them!" He gestured at the many golden plates that the attendants had laid out before them.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty," Lady Li replied with her head bowed.

Zi-ning put some bamboo shoots into her mouth and chewed absentmindedly, her thoughts already miles away. The brief interaction she had just witnessed had unveiled a new layer of complexity to the relationships within the royal household that she had not been aware of before. What exactly was the relationship between the king and Lady Li really like? Was it as simple as a younger brother towards a sister-in-law? Or was there something more—something that might incur the jealousy of a wife?

Even if there is, it seems like it's one-sided.

She spotted the king stealing glances at Lady Li every now and then, but the lady did not reciprocate. Instead, she quietly proceeded with her meal, only occasionally speaking to Zi-ning or answering questions posed by the other ladies of the harem.

She would have to store this new knowledge away in her mind, in case it came in useful for her plans one day.

Suddenly, a loud clang disrupted the banquet proceedings.

"Your Highness!"

Zi-ning immediately shifted her gaze towards the source of the noise, realising that it had come from the crown prince.

"What's going on?" the king demanded.

Ru-quan was hunched over, clutching his stomach, his face pale with agony. The plates of food that he had knocked over the table lay scattered across the floor.

"Your Highness, are you alright?" the crown prince's personal attendant asked anxiously, rushing to assist. But then he froze, eyes widening in horror as he pointed a trembling finger at something on the floor.

Zi-ning craned her neck to get a better look, but from where she was, she couldn't see much.

She didn't need to, because in the next moment, the attendant's blood-curdling scream rang out across the entire hall.

"W-w-worms!" 

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Author Note: Hi everyone! Hope you're enjoying Phoenix Rising so far :) Stopping by to do a plug for my debut novel that is being published worldwide by Penguin Random House in Summer 2024! OF JADE AND DRAGONS is a fantasy that is inspired by Qing Dynasty history and the classic The Butterfly Lovers, and if you like Phoenix Rising you'll probably like this one too. Do add it on Goodreads: bit.ly/OJADGoodreads  (link is also on my profile) ! Grateful for your support!