In the fortified northern city of Bei Shui, the air was thick with anticipation and the scent of coming battle. As Mo Shan Shan returned to the general's stronghold, she was greeted with grim faces—Prince Li Wei and General Liang stood at the city gate, waiting for her with stern resolve.
"You're back," Li Wei said, his voice low with urgency. "The king… he will soon make his move."
Mo Shan Shan glanced at the general.
"The king must already know you sneaked into Lu Bai's mansion," the general added. "There's no doubt he sees this as a sign of rebellion."
Mo Shan Shan's heart sank, but she said nothing. Her silence was louder than words.
Li Wei frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "The king won't act directly against Lu Bai. Not yet. His focus will be you, Shan Shan. But he'll tighten Lu Bai's security. That much is certain."
Before any of them could say more, the pounding of hooves echoed at the city's edge.
A palace eunuch on horseback entered the city square, flanked by royal guards. His sharp eyes searched the group until they settled on Prince Li Wei. Dismounting, he pulled a silk scroll from his robe and read with a voice honed for command.
"By decree of His Majesty, King Zhao Rong," the eunuch began, "Prince Li Wei of the Capital is to lead his battalion to join forces with Princes Han and Xin at the Border of Wei Valley, and return to reclaim the City of Bei Shui from impending rebellion."
The moment cracked like thunder.
Li Wei froze. Mo Shan Shan's eyes widened. Even General Liang stiffened as the words sank in.
"You're to lead the siege against us?" the general asked, stunned.
Li Wei looked to Mo Shan Shan, his face pale with disbelief. "I have… no choice. It's the king's order."
Her gaze held his—searching, wounded—but she said nothing. She understood what it meant. His duty as a prince was now in direct conflict with his loyalty as a friend.
Back at the Palace
In the golden halls of the capital, Princes Han and Xin were already suiting up for battle. Their armor gleamed, polished to perfection, but behind the sheen was strategy and manipulation.
They bowed before the king and declared themselves ready to lead their troops to the Wei Valley, to meet Prince Li Wei at the border and "defend the nation."
It was all part of the plan.
Lu Bai's Residence
Far from the palace, Lu Bai sat quietly by the latticed window of his chamber. The late afternoon light filtered through the sheer fabric tied gently around his eyes—his hidden truth veiled from the world. Though his sight had returned, he still wore the cloth, carrying the illusion of blindness like armor.
He rested his fingers on the cool wood of the windowsill, breathing in the scent of the garden below—blooming jasmine and the faint trace of spring's wind.
His mind wandered.
To the days when he was a child, running through the courtyards of the palace… when his mother's laughter filled the air, and the world had not yet turned cold.
And then, as always, his thoughts settled on her.
Mo Shan Shan.
The girl who had once been a distant memory—now a presence that lingered in every breath he took. She had changed everything. He remembered her gentle hands tending to his eyes, the way she said his name as though it meant something more. She had brought warmth back into his frozen life.
A sudden knock broke through the stillness.
His personal attendant stepped in, eyes lowered, voice hushed.
"Master… word from the palace. The royal army has been dispatched. The target is the northern city… Bei Shui."
Lu Bai sat up straight, his hands tightening slightly.
No surprise. But still, hearing it aloud made the reality settle like a stone.
"Is the king…" Lu Bai paused. "...commanding the front?"
The attendant shook his head. "No, Your Highness. That… was not disclosed."
Silence stretched between them. A heavy stillness.
Lu Bai turned his head back toward the window, his sight hidden once again behind the cloth.
But inside, everything was clear now.
The storm had begun.
Audience with the King
Veiled in the pretense of blindness, Lu Bai entered the palace. The cloth over his eyes glowed faintly from the torches lining the royal corridor. But beneath that veil, for the first time in years, he could truly see.
And before him stood his father—King Zhao Rong—enthroned and cloaked in power, looking older… colder. The image struck Lu Bai with a quiet force.
He halted at the foot of the dais, and before speaking, his eyes lingered—just for a moment.
It had been so long.
So long since he had seen his father's face.
The same man who had once held his hand in the royal garden… now a king with iron eyes and a heart fortified by decades of rule. There was no warmth there—just stone.
Lu Bai bowed low. "Your Majesty… I beg you, spare Bei Shui. The city is not the enemy."
King Zhao Rong's gaze remained fixed, unreadable.
"A city harboring rebellion," he replied coolly, "must be taught a lesson. Even if my own son stands in the way."
The words, though expected, cut deep.
Lu Bai straightened slowly, his hands clenched at his sides, his heart tightening. Still, he said nothing more. His voice would not change a decree carved in royal pride.
He nodded solemnly—just once—and turned to leave.
But as he stepped away, his vision lingered once more.
This time, not with the awe of a child…
…but with the sorrow of a man who now saw the distance between them more clearly than ever.
As Lu Bai returned to his chamber, his attendant met him at the gate.
"They've begun preparations. Prince Li Wei is the Commander. The other princes are with him." Ordered by the King.
Lu Bai's lips pressed into a thin line. He turned toward the moonlight filtering into the room, fingers slowly curling around the hilt of his sword.
"This isn't just war," he murmured. "It's a trap."
He turned, eyes sharp beneath the veil.
"And this time, I won't sit in silence."