MY PRINCE HUSBAND HAS SEVEN WIVES AND I AM HIS FAVOURITE!

The courtyard fell under a tense hush, the moonlight barely managing to soften the chill that settled in the air. After a beat of silence, a voice, sharp yet refined, cut through the stillness..

"So this is what you’ve been up to."

Both the Prime Minister and Zhao Ling Xu turned sharply.

The Empress stood just beyond the shadows, stepping into the light with a grace that was regal to the bone. Though she wore only a simple silk robe, the elegance with which she held herself made her presence dazzling. Her gaze was sharp and disapproving, her steps slow but firm, her anger barely concealed behind a mask of composure.

Despite her age, there was a youthful defiance in the tilt of her chin, in the burn of her eyes. She looked like a woman not to be trifled with, and even the Prime Minister’s ever-present smile flickered under her stare.

"My lady," the Prime Minister greeted, dipping his head, though not bowing entirely. There was a softness in his voice now, one that had not been there a moment ago.

Zhao Ling Xu noticed it immediately. That shift. That faltering. That softness. And something in him twisted.

The Empress did not return the greeting. Her eyes narrowed as she swept her gaze over both men, then landed squarely on the Prime Minister.

"You attacked her," she said plainly. "You attacked Hua Jing."

The Prime Minister shrugged, attempting nonchalance, but the tightness in his jaw betrayed him. "They would have found out eventually," he said. "Zhao Yan is not a fool. Perhaps he already knew."

The Empress stepped closer, silk whispering against the stone as she moved. Her voice was quiet now, but every word was laced with steel.

"And what if he didn’t? What if you’d pushed too far too soon? We’re walking a threadbare line, and you just yanked the whole tapestry down on top of us."

"Zhao Yan already suspected. He moved the Emperor. That alone tells us enough. I needed to confirm something, and I did," the Prime Minister reasoned, a shadow of irritation creeping into his tone.

"At what cost?" she shot back. "Zhao Yan may have suspected, yes, but now he knows. He knows who you are. What you want. What we planned."

Zhao Ling Xu stayed silent, his arms crossed, eyes on a distant point. He did not interfere, but the lines on his face grew tighter with each passing word.

"So what if he knows?" the Prime Minister said with a tight laugh. "Do you think he will abandon the throne now that he’s seen the strings behind it? He will hold it tighter than ever. Which is why we must act. Swiftly."

"Foolish," the Empress snapped. "It is not about action, it is about precision. You’ve exposed us too soon. And now Zhao Yan will rally every loyal faction to crush you. To crush us. Do you think the court will not shift once they sense weakness?"

The Prime Minister’s mouth tightened. "Then let them come. We still have support. We still have the army. And we still have him." He glanced at Zhao Ling Xu.

The First Prince met his gaze, cold and unreadable. "Do not speak as if I am your pawn."

The Empress interjected quickly, voice smoother now but no less dangerous. "That’s not what we want, Xu’er. We want what is yours. What was denied you because of your mother’s birth. Because of palace politics and whispers. The throne should have been yours."

Zhao Ling Xu looked away. The familiar bitterness twisted in his gut. The words that had been repeated to him for years sounded like poison tonight.

"Perhaps," he said quietly.

The Empress stepped toward him, her tone softening. "Your brother has had his turn. He’s had his chances. But his arrogance, his rebellion, it cannot be allowed to endanger the realm. You would bring stability. Order."

The Prime Minister watched them both, but said nothing.

Zhao Ling Xu didn’t respond right away. Instead, he looked up at the night sky. The stars were too bright for a night filled with so much blood.

Finally, he spoke. "And if I don’t want it?"

Silence. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The Empress blinked. The Prime Minister frowned.

"What?"

"If I don’t want the throne?" he said again. "What then? Will you still manipulate everything in my name? Will you still risk the realm for a crown I never asked for?"

The Empress stepped back, visibly stunned. "You would let it go to him? After everything? After all we’ve built for you?"

Zhao Ling Xu sighed. "All you’ve built is a house of lies. And now it’s burning."

The Prime Minister clenched his fist. "You can’t walk away from this now."

The courtyard fell into a cold and uneasy silence as the Prime Minister’s final words echoed in the air. The tension in the air could be sliced through with a dagger, and even the quiet rustling of the bamboo leaves in the wind seemed to hold its breath.

Zhao Ling Xu’s gaze darkened. His expression, usually composed and distant, now carried a flicker of something raw and unfiltered. The Prime Minister’s voice, calm and steel-laced, had barely finished when Zhao Ling Xu snapped, his words slicing through the air like a blade.

"It’s not my fault," he said sharply, his voice trembling with contained fury. "It’s not my fault that the Empress had an affair and gave birth to a bastard child! Why should I continue fighting for something born from pure hypocrisy and lies? Why should I stain my hands for a throne that was never truly mine to begin with?"

The words crashed into the air like a thunderclap.

The Prime Minister’s eyes widened a fraction, but it was the Empress who reacted the most. She inhaled sharply, and her entire form tensed as she stepped forward, the soft silken rustle of her gown betraying none of the storm brewing within.

Her face, once an elegant mask of power and poise, now twisted into something much more raw. Rage. Pain. Shock.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" she screamed, her voice quaking with unrestrained emotion. Her entire body trembled with the force of it, and the courtyard that had seemed so tranquil now pulsed with seething energy.

Zhao Ling Xu did not flinch.

"You think I don’t know?" he spat back. "All those years... all the secrets... Do you think I never wondered why my father looked at me like a stranger? Why he never trusted me with anything truly important? I’m not stupid. I never was. I was just a pawn in your perfect illusion."

The Empress stormed forward, her expression twisted with disbelief. The Prime Minister, startled by the sudden intensity, tried to step in, his hand reaching out to steady her.

"Don’t touch me!" she barked, shoving him away violently. The Prime Minister stumbled slightly, caught off guard, but did not retaliate.

The Empress then raised her trembling hand and pointed it directly at her son, the finger shaking like a drawn sword.

"What do you even know?!" she shouted, her voice shrill and cracking. "You think you understand the weight of this world? Of the sacrifices we made for you?! Your whole life, we’ve done nothing but fight for your place in this palace! Your future, your crown, your name! And this is how you repay us?!"

Zhao Ling Xu’s breathing was ragged now, his fists clenched at his sides. His entire body was coiled with emotion, his face twisted with the pain he’d carried for far too long.

"I never asked you to fight for me," he snapped back. "I never asked to be dragged into your schemes, your ambitions, your twisted web of lies. You call it love, but you’ve never asked what I wanted. All you ever cared about was your vision. Your control."

His voice broke slightly at the end, and for the first time, the pain underneath the anger showed. He looked away, teeth gritted, eyes burning.

"You lied to me all my life," he said quietly. "I was just a child who believed I was loved. But even that was a lie."

The Empress looked shattered. Her hand, still raised, trembled uncontrollably. Her lip quivered, and for a moment, the fury seemed to collapse in on itself. But just as suddenly, it was replaced with a new blaze.

With no warning, her hand lashed out—and struck him across the face.

The sound of the slap cracked through the courtyard like a whip. Zhao Ling Xu’s head jerked slightly from the force, his eyes wide in disbelief.

Silence fell.

The Prime Minister stood frozen, mouth parted but speechless. The Empress stared at her son with wild, furious eyes, her chest rising and falling with every heavy breath.

Zhao Ling Xu turned his head slowly back to look at her. A crimson mark bloomed on his cheek, but he did not raise a hand to touch it.

"I’m done!"