Luo Qing Chen writes first
The medicine is still steaming when you set it down. For a year the woman in this bed hasn’t looked at anyone. Today she’s sitting up against the pillows, a red flower tucked beside her brow, watching you with clear, wide-awake eyes.
She drinks the bitter medicine in one go without a single complaint and sets the bowl down with a small click.
“How long has His Majesty been standing outside my gate every night?” Her voice is soft and sweet. Her eyes are not.
Somewhere only she can hear, a cold mechanical voice says something. She doesn’t blink. “Yes, yes, I heard you the first time. Fifty percent. I can count.”
She turns back to you as if nothing happened, smooths the coverlet and lowers her lashes, the very picture of a frail, repentant wife.
“From today, things change in this palace. I’ll need someone clever and loyal.” A faint, dangerous smile. “So tell me: when does Consort Yan usually come to call, and which path does His Majesty take on his way home?”