AT THE SA TI
EMPEROR LIANWEI POINT OF VIEW:
Soon healer brought the needed tonic.
"Careful now." The healer murmured, holding out the small ceramic cup of steaming tonic. "She’s too weak to drink on her own. You’ll have to help her."
I took it without hesitation. i Shen’s hand felt like porcelain in mine, too thin, too fragile, her skin still clammy despite the blankets tucked around her. She shifted weakly, her lashes fluttering as I slid an arm behind her shoulders and lifted her gently.
"i Shen." I whispered, bending close. "It’s bitter, but you have to drink. Just a little."
Her glazed eyes flicked toward , recognition sparking faintly in their depths. She looked so small in my arms, nothing like the stubborn, fiery woman who had once defied an emperor.
"I can’t... tired..."She murmured, her voice breaking down.
"You can." My voice cracked despite the steel I tried to force into it. "You’re stronger than this. You’ve always been stronger than ." Carefully, I held the cup to her lips. ’Please, i Shen. For Huan. For ."
She made a weak sound of protest but allowed a sip. Her face twisted slightly at the bitter taste, and I hushed her softly.
"That’s it. Just a little more."I whispered.
Behind , I felt my mother’s eyes burning into my back. Her silence was louder than any scolding she could give, and when she finally spoke, her voice was low and tight.
"You left this palace. This throne. . For her?"She asked.
I didn’t look at her. My focus stayed on i Shen as I coaxed her into swallowing another sip.
"Yes." I said simply.
"And the boy... he’s-"She started.
"Huan is mine, like I told you." I said, my tone leaving no room for doubt. "Ours. I didn’t know until I found her again. But even if there were no child... I would still have chosen her."
The Empress drew a sharp breath. I could feel her gaze flick from to Huan, who was curled at i Shen’s other side, clutching her sleeve with a fierce, protective look no child his age should wear.
"She doesn’t look strong enough." My mother said, her voice softening almost imperceptibly. "Are you certain she will survive this?"
"She will." I said fiercely. "Because I won’t let her do otherwise."
The healer gave a sharp glance.
"Your Majesty, her survival depends on her not straining herself. She needs calm. No panic, no stress. If her fever spikes again-"Healer started.
"It won’t." I cut him off.
My fingers brushed her damp hair back as I lowered her carefully to the pillows again. i Shen’s lashes fluttered as she let out a soft sigh, her hand still faintly gripping mine.
"Rest." I whispered. "I’m not going anywhere this ti."
The empress said nothing more, but I could feel her eyes on , searching, calculating, and maybe, just maybe, beginning to understand. I didn’t care if she approved or not. i Shen and Huan were all that mattered.
AT THE SA TI
THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW:
The fever had broken, but i Shen still lay in a deep sleep, her breaths coming slow but steady now. The glow of the fire cast soft light over the room, shadows dancing gently across the walls. Lianwei hadn’t moved from her side. He sat on the edge of the bed, one arm curled protectively around Huan, the other resting on i Shen’s blanket-covered hand. He watched her sleep like a man guarding treasure, every blink deliberate, as if he closed his eyes too long, she might vanish again.
The empress had settled into the far chair, regal even in quiet discomfort. Her expression was unreadable, sowhere between suspicion and awe as she studied the boy huddled between his mother and father. Hours passed with only the occasional crackle of wood or rustle of fabric. He blinked up at his father, then turned to look at the unfamiliar woman across the room. She was watching him too, a mix of curiosity and sothing softer, hesitant in her gaze. Huan squinted, voice small and scratchy from sleep.
"Daddy... who’s the lady?"He asked.
Lianwei looked down at him, then over to his mother, whose spine straightened ever so slightly at the sound of his voice. The Lianwei exhaled slowly, then offered a smile that didn’t quite reach his tired eyes.
"That lady." He said gently, brushing hair from Huan’s brow. "Is my mother."
Huan blinked, trying to process that.
"So... she’s your mommy?"Huan asked.
"Yes." Lianwei nodded. "She’s my mother. Which ans..." He paused, glancing at the dowager empress, whose mouth was parted just slightly now. "She’s your grandmother."
Huan sat up straighter. His eyes went wide, mouth forming a small "o." Then he squinted suspiciously.
"She doesn’t look like a grandma. Grandmas are supposed to have warm cookies and sll like flowers."He said.
The Empress coughed. It might’ve been a laugh, though she quickly disguised it behind her sleeve. Lianwei chuckled softly, tugging Huan closer.
"She’s a different kind of grandma. The empress kind. Very strict. Very powerful. And very rare."Lianwei explained.
Huan tilted his head.
"She doesn’t smile a lot." Huan said.
"No." Lianwei admitted, glancing toward his mother again. "But I think maybe she’s starting to."
The Empress folded her hands in her lap and, after a mont, gave the tiniest incline of her head. Her voice was quiet when it ca.
"You look just like your father when he was your age." She said.
Huan’s eyebrows lifted.
"I do?"Huan asked.
"Exactly like him." She confird. "Though I think you’re already louder."
He grinned a little, then curled back against Lianwei’s side, eyes already fluttering shut again.
"She’s not an. Just scary."Huan said.
Lianwei laughed under his breath.
"Yes. That’s accurate."He said.
The empress didn’t protest. The fire crackled again, softer now. And in that quiet, warm space, with i Shen sleeping soundly, Huan nestled between parents, and the empress watching in stunned silence, the strangest thing happened. For the first ti in five years, it felt like a family. The room had fallen quiet again after Huan’s soft admission. i Shen’s breathing was steady now, the shallow rise and fall of her chest soothing to Lianwei’s frayed nerves. He brushed his thumb gently over her knuckles, not daring to let go. Across the room, the dowager empress studied them like a queen surveying a battlefield. Except this ti, her eyes weren’t sharp with judgnt, they were thoughtful. Almost... conflicted. Huan shifted again in his father’s lap, clearly fighting sleep but unwilling to give in. His small voice cut through the thick silence.
"Daddy... why didn’t we see grandma before?"Huan asked.
Lianwei stilled. His lips parted, but no words ca imdiately. He exhaled heavily through his nose, then spoke with deliberate calm.
"Because I made a choice, Huan. I stayed with you and your mother in the village. Far away from the palace... far away from here."Lianwei said.
Huan blinked up at him, confused.
"But why? Grandma’s here. Isn’t she family too?"Huan asked.
The question struck harder than Lianwei expected. Across from him, his mother stiffened slightly but didn’t speak. Lianwei’s gaze softened as he looked down at his son.
"Because... sotis, families take ti to find each other again. And I didn’t want you or mommy to get hurt. Not by anyone. Not even by family."Lianwei said.
Huan frowned, chewing on that.
"So... grandma won’t hurt mommy."Huanwei added.
The dowager empress’s eyebrows arched in surprise, but then she spoke, her tone quieter, less sharp than usual.
"No, little one. I won’t hurt her." Her voice faltered a fraction. "I... didn’t know about you. Or about her."
Huan tilted his head, still skeptical.
"But you didn’t like, mommy before?"He asked.
There was a pause so heavy it seed to pull the air out of the room. Lianwei’s jaw tensed, ready to intervene, but the Empress raised a hand slightly, her eyes still fixed on her grandson.
"It’s true." She admitted softly. "I didn’t know her well enough to like or dislike her. But seeing her now... seeing how much she ans to both of you..." She hesitated, then drew in a careful breath. "I think she is stronger than I gave her credit for."
Huan’s little brow furrowed, as though weighing her words. Finally, he leaned closer to Lianwei’s ear.
"She’s not an anymore."Huan whispered.
Lianwei bit back a laugh, shaking his head.
"Huan... manners."Lianwei said.
But the empress surprised them both by chuckling quietly, the sound uncharacteristically soft.
"It’s all right. He’s honest. That’s a good trait."She said.
Huan squird in Lianwei’s lap.
"Will you stay here? Like family?"Huan asked.
That question hung heavy. Lianwei turned to his mother, eting her gaze directly for the first ti since arriving.
"Mother." He said, voice low but steady. "I didn’t bring you here to test her. Or to test . I brought you because I thought you deserved to know them. But they’re my priority now. i Shen and Huan, they’re my ho."
The dowager Empress’s lips pressed together, her expression unreadable.
"I see that now." She said simply.
Huan grinned sleepily and nestled closer to his father.
"Then grandma can stay too. Just don’t be scary to Mommy."Huan said.
For the first ti, a genuine smile, small and fleeting crossed the empress’s face.
"I’ll try, little one." She said softly.
The fire crackled on, the warmth filling the room as the strangest family reunion in the empire continued quietly in the dim light.
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