“Very much so, Your Majesty.”
Golden eyes blinked at her.
They then flicked away.
“That is good. The trial is hereby concluded.”
“Your Majesty!” Minister Kang protested. “This is preposterous! My son has been tortured and now he’s being thrown into the dungeons upon the word of some lowly maids. We came asking for justice and now-”
“Minister Kang,” the man interrupted. “The evidence you have procured is insufficient to prove that V...
2025-03-11 00:32:31 +0000 UTC View PostKang Yanxin screamed and struggled with all his might, but he was no use against the trained Imperial Guards. Especially not in this state. Every other twist in the guards’ grip made him squeal in pain, and Samaya was once again having a hard time keeping the grin off her face. It was unlike her to be unable to control her emotions. She quickly looked the other way, away from everyone, to compose herself. She dramatically put a hand over her mouth, covering the lower half of her face.
The maids dropped onto their knees as soon as they filed in.
“What exactly,” the Emperor started, “was so important that some insignificant maids dare to barge in on a private trial?”
The poor maids were trembling as they put their heads to the ground. Their robes - layered as they were - were barely enough to conceal the way their bodies shook with fear. The cold marble floor beneath them offered no comfort, and the moment's weight pressed down on their hunched form...
2025-02-14 23:56:48 +0000 UTC View PostThe next day dawned far too quickly for her taste.
Today was the day she would face Kang Yanxin in court. Well … that was an inaccurate description. Today was the day Kang Yanxin would face her in court. That was a better description. It also made her feel better.
She got Manu ready for the day and sent him off with Lian before she got ready herself. It was not long before Eunuch Li came for her. It was a bit surprising. She thought she would be summoned to the court...
2025-02-02 00:13:02 +0000 UTC View PostSamaya was so deep in her thoughts that the walk back to Yongyagong seemed to be over in a flash
The moment Samaya stepped into her residence, the atmosphere shifted. Despite the few maids and servants, her residence was always lively. She did not realize that it was far livelier than usual until all sounds ceased.
She finally focused her gaze and mind … and saw what was probably a dozen maids standing in the main hall.
The maids who waited for her in the main hall t...
2025-02-02 00:10:48 +0000 UTC View PostSamaya entered the Court with measured steps, her head held high, every inch of her posture exuding poise and confidence. Yet beneath her composed exterior, her thoughts churned with sharp precision. She had an idea of what was happening, but she could not be sure until she found out what she had been called for.
Towering pillars adorned with carvings of dragons and phoenixes loomed above the assembly. Ministers and nobles crowded the room, their faces tense with anticipation. Whispers...
2025-01-09 22:43:38 +0000 UTC View PostShe came back a few hours before dawn, relieving Ah-Liu of his duty. Though the boy opted to remain until dawn to avoid any suspicion anyone might have. Ah-Liu’s talismans, infused with his dark qi that allowed her to use illusions to get in and out of the Palace undetected, were a godsend. She could see that he was tired and hated herself for putting him through this. Hopefully, she would not need this anymore.
She slept well into the morning, hours after sunrise, which was qui...
2025-01-03 23:30:48 +0000 UTC View PostTrigger Warning: Ca****tion. I don't know what gets flagged here so censored it a bit but yeah Kang Yanxin's family jewels go snip snip.
------- -------- --------
The sight at Lady Qing’s residence was quite unusual tonight.
Eunuch Liu was standing guard outside the residence. It was an oddity. He had never done so before, even when there were no Shadow Guards protecting her. So, to see him standing guard tonight was certainly a strange sight.
<... 2024-12-24 16:30:11 +0000 UTC View PostThe Purple Pavilion was as filled with ethereal beauty as it was with sinful decadence. Beautiful men and women fluttered about, some dancing at the center, some entertaining the customers, while others sat at corners playing instruments like the bards of the Heavens. The most noble of men, who touted and lorded their so-called nobility and virtue over others, threw away their masks of virtue and piety in this place.
Evening was the time when most of the entertainment took place, allowi...
2024-12-19 22:24:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe spar was over.
Samaya lay on the ground for a moment longer, staring up at the man who had so easily pinned her down. His weight pressed into her wrists, though not painfully, and his intense gaze lingered. She could feel his breath brushing against her face, sending an unbidden shiver down her spine.
“If you’re finished staring, Your Majesty,” she finally muttered, voice dry but tinged with exhaustion, “may I get up?”
The Emperor raised an eyebrow, his lips qu...
2024-12-14 19:59:10 +0000 UTC View PostThe sickness did not last as long as she thought it would.
She began feeling better the day after the Emperor’s visit, though she still felt weak and devoid of energy. It was something she had not felt since she fell sick after … after she scoured that island top to bottom thrice in a week with very little sleep and food to go on after he disappeared.
She quickly shoved those memories away and focused on her own recovery. Within the next day, she could walk arou...
2024-12-01 22:39:53 +0000 UTC View PostFortunately, no one came looking while she was away.
Ah-Liu was waiting for her when she came back. The boy had clearly been anxious ever since she forced him to stay back and he rushed over when he saw her.
“Jiejie.”
She sighed and tried to send a reassuring smile the boy’s way. Judging by the worried look on Ah-Liu’s face, she did not quite succeed. She should not be surprised. The discussion with Hualin, the eavesdropping on Kang Yanxin, and then ru...
2024-11-24 23:47:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe Red Light District was a place of mesmerising contradictions. By day, it slumbered in quiet anonymity, blending into the sprawling capital with nondescript alleyways and modest storefronts. But by night, it transformed into a spectacle of opulence and decadence, a world unto itself where the lines between pleasure and lust blurred one’s mind.
Samaya tightened her cloak around her shoulders as she stepped into the district, walking past the very last spot which she had explored wit...
2024-11-17 22:30:39 +0000 UTC View PostThe room was suffocating. Samaya’s hands was still a little numb from how hard she held Lady Ren. She shouldn’t have; her strength was greater than that of the average woman. But Lady Ren seemed to need it. She now stood motionless by the window of her chambers, her usually sharp gaze unfocused. Lady Ren’s departure, marked by hollow eyes and trembling hands, left a heavy silence in its wake. Samaya could still feel the echo of her grief, a raw, guttural emotion that seemed to seep into...
2024-11-15 23:03:06 +0000 UTC View PostSamaya felt numb.
She could hear the blood roaring in her ears and feel the fire raging in her chest. But other than that, she felt nothing. Her limbs were paralysed, unable to move. No, it would be more accurate to say that they felt as if they were being pressed down by lead and she was too afraid to move them, in fear that her bones would crumble. Only this time, it wasn’t her bones she was afraid for, but the burned, charred body before her. She clutched that scorched, bumpy hand,...
2024-11-01 20:49:41 +0000 UTC View PostRarely had Huang Yasheng seen anyone so undaunted and fierce in the case of punishment. Granted, it was not a physically exacting punishment. It was, however, a humiliating one.
It would be a lie to say that he did not expect it.
In fact, he dished out this particular punishment precisely because he expected it. No matter how angry he was at her words and actions, he could not bring himself to hurt her.
The punishment was humiliating for a concubine of the ...
2024-10-26 22:27:58 +0000 UTC View PostSamaya froze momentarily.
It took a moment for her mind to catch up with what was happening. Kang Yuxin must have gotten to her. The thought burned through her like fire, and she glanced at Rin, whose face had gone pale. The momentary pause cost her. Minister Kang was already blabbering by then.
“... told you, Your Majesty, this is nothing but a fool’s crusade to smear my son’s reputation. I do not know what her motive is. But she is clearly using w...
2024-10-18 23:45:34 +0000 UTC View PostThe day of the trial arrived sunless and gloomy. The clouds overhead were slowly rolling with thunder. Samaya could smell the oncoming rain in the air. The Palace seemed darker than usual. It was the first time Samaya had seen this kind of weather since coming to the Palace.
It felt… ominous.
She was not the most superstitious of persons, but considering that the portal that brought her here also had parallels to old wives’ tales, she could not help but feel uneasy, her mind ...
2024-10-11 22:34:03 +0000 UTC View Post“What… what is going to h-happen now?”
Samaya looked back at Rin, who had now unfurled slightly from her previously huddled form but was clearly still frightened if the trembling of her shoulders was any indication. Lady Ren was immediately beside her, rubbing her arms gently. She did not know how a servant like Rin got close to a noble lady like Ren Siyun, but it seemed that the girl had a special place in the lady’s heart. That was good. Rin needed all the support he could get...
2024-10-04 22:30:58 +0000 UTC View PostThe palace was in an uproar after the drum had been struck. It spread like wildfire that the drum had been struck to bring a complaint against Minister Kang’s son, and even more astoundingly, it was the new concubine’s eunuch. Everyone contemplated what could be the reason for her to take such a big step. Some said she wanted revenge, others thought she wanted attention. After all, why else would she bring herself to attention like this for a mere maid?
Samaya paid no mind to those ...
2024-09-29 19:28:45 +0000 UTC View PostThe Emperor’s hand tapped on the armrest of his throne as he almost absently watched the Ministers bicker amongst themselves like children, his mind drifting to the unsettling conversation he’d had with Ya’er the previous day.
It had been as if someone had cast a spell over her. Her eyes no longer held warmth, her lips no longer curled lopsidedly as she tried not to smile, her voice was no longer soft. Instead, all of it had been blank. Her face, her eyes, her voice - they h...
2024-09-20 22:41:41 +0000 UTC View PostSamaya did not have to go much beyond her residence before Ah-Liu found her. That was to be expected. Ah-Liu must have gotten ready and gotten to her as fast as he could. She really should carry more talismans on herself. She did not quite understand how they worked but apparently, Ah-Liu could use the energy from a talisman as an anchor to teleport to her position, just like he had all those months ago when Han Qin had first come knocking on her door.
God, that seemed so long ago now.<...
2024-09-14 23:29:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe night was too long.
She gave Lian instructions to call Ah-Liu as soon as dawn broke before she made her way to the room where Yu had taken Manu. The room was sparse, with minimal furniture and none of the beautiful decor, furniture or design present in the main bedchamber. Yu was standing to the side while Manu paced anxiously.
As soon as he saw her, he rushed to her. This time, she did not wait for him to pounce on her. Instead, she bent and opened her arms before sweeping th...
2024-09-06 23:25:45 +0000 UTC View PostShe turned her head and saw that the Guard was standing there.
“The Physician is here.”
Her eyes moved from the guard to the Physician who was standing behind the Guard. It was the same Physician who had taken care of her, Imperial Physician Hou. He was in a dishevelled state. His hair was barely tied up in a messy topknot and it was clear he had thrown a cloak over his nightclothes. He had a bag in his hand, no doubt containing everything he would need in an emergency.
When Samaya woke up, it felt like she had not slept at all. She somehow managed to sleep beyond her usual routine of waking up at sunrise. The sun’s rays filtered through the intricately carved windows of Samaya’s residence, casting warm patterns on the floor. She awoke with Manu nestled peacefully beside her, the tanghulu wrappers strewn across the bed a testament to last night’s indulgence.
As the palace bustled with its usual activity, Samaya took the opportunity to freshen up...
2024-08-16 23:14:18 +0000 UTC View PostSamaya adjusted the simple, yet elegant, robes that Eunuch Li had brought her, their fabric a far cry from the silks she was used to, but comfortable nonetheless. She tied the belt securely around her waist, noticing how the Emperor, dressed similarly in a plain brown tunic with a wide-brimmed straw hat, seemed almost unrecognisable without his usual adornments. The flower crown, though, remained perched on his head, a symbol of the tender moment he had shared with his children earlier.
By the time the other concubines left, the Emperor was a strange sight.
He had gotten rid of his royal robes, which sat almost carelessly on the pillow set that made the tower. The man’s dragon crown was sitting on the robe. Samaya was sure Eunuch Li would have a heart attack if he saw it.
As for the Emperor himself, the man still had his inner robes - three layers of them - the outermost now being the black body-hugging robes that the man usually wore beneath his beautifully em...
2024-08-02 23:02:46 +0000 UTC View PostFu Caiyi came fairly early, just as the servants were setting up everything, Ai and Mei trotting behind her. The moment they saw her, they ran to her, now comfortable enough with her to be able to forget etiquette, despite their mother’s call to be polite.
Samaya grinned and knelt, wrapping her arms around the two girls. “Oh nonsense. You never have to do that in front of me, do not listen to your mother.”
Fu Caiyi let out a soft sigh. “You spoil them.”
Samaya grin...
2024-07-28 23:41:32 +0000 UTC View PostSamaya had the habit of waking up with the sunrise. She preferred to get her morning exercise in by the time Manu woke up. During the first week or so of staying in the Palace, this routine was disrupted. But she had soon gotten back into the habit, waking up an hour earlier than her usual hour of dawn because she knew she had to do her training and exercises before her servants and the harem shook off their drowsiness.
Today was no different.
She awoke with her eyes closed....
2024-07-26 21:29:45 +0000 UTC View PostThere was a long pause.
Samaya waited for an answer.
“And here I thought you did not want Our attention.”
She blinked.
“What?”
The man tilted his head. “Is that not what you wished for when you asked Us to spend a day with you?”
“What? No!” She sounded as if even the notion was utterly ridiculous. She frowned. Did it really sound like that? Now that she thought about it, maybe it did. What else would a concubine ask the Emperor to spend a da...
2024-07-12 23:10:26 +0000 UTC View Post