It was a rare sight for the court, absent an Emperor. That wasn't even the worst part. The Emperor could be absent at times, rare as it was. This particular Emperor had rarely ever been absent, save for the year he'd travelled the land. And even then, not many beyond the closest aides of the Emperor knew about it. Therefore, the empty throne above them was quite the unusual sight for the courtiers.

Even more unusual, however, was the presence of not only the Empress and the Empress Dowager but also the First Imperial Prince. This was his first court appearance. Granted, it was not an official one and he was sitting beside the Empress behind the curtain.

Empress Xie Taiying glanced at the child seated beside her. This was not the first time she'd had him sit beside her. Once before, when they had first arrived at the Palace, she'd had the boy sit beside her during his introduction. Despite the wariness and - perhaps the slightest trace of disdain that she was not quite proud of - that she had felt for the boy, she could not bring herself to be harsh on the nervous yet polite boy. And in spite of his best attempts, the boy had been unable to hide the nervous energy and impatience he'd felt back then, shifting every so often.

Today, however, he seemed as still as a statue. The only movement she could detect from him as the wringing of his hands on his lap. His eyes, so vibrant back then as he looked at everything in awe, were now lowered to the ground, almost lifeless as they seemed to gaze at the floor. She could tell his mind was far away. She could not blame him. After all, he did not know what happened to his mother.

Taiying felt the same anxiety. After all, the Emperor - the man she considered her confidant and friend, the man she'd come to love - had also been in danger. But she did not have the luxury to be as unfocused as the young prince was. Besides, she had faith. Her husband was not a man to be felled so easily. And neither was the savior of her unborn child.

They were alive. They had to be.

She pushed down all the unsavory thoughts as she turned her attention back to the court, where the courtiers were speaking over each other, each trying to be the loudest they could be. Her father and the Prime Minister - each leader of their own faction - were the only ones quiet, looking over the court as if observing a particularly entertaining circus. Perhaps, that's what the court was to them. She despised her father's habit of playing people like pawns on a shogi board, and she despised that she inherited his propensity to do so. It had saved them on more than one occasion, but she disliked the person she became when she took on the role of the manipulator. But it was necessary. Or, that was what she told herself. Perhaps she merely disliked how much she enjoyed it.

"... we supposed to do?"

"We have not heard anything of the Emperor since reinforcements were sent!"

"Why are we speaking of this? It has barely been a day."

"I agree, it would do no good to be impatient in matters such as this."

"We must proceed with caution!"

"If the Emperor has perished-"

"The Emperor is not someone who would perish so easily." The Empress's voice cut through the court with frightening sharpness. Everyone went quiet. Perhaps they realised that they were speaking of the death of a man in front of his mother, son and wife. She doubted it. It was more likely than not the Empress's commanding voice that left no room for argument.

"We agree with Minister Jin. It has barely been a day. Do you disregard the Emperor so much that you refuse to wait for even a day before attempting to uproot the Imperial Court?" The elder woman's sharp eyes roved over the left side of the court, where the people of the Prime Minister had gathered.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. The Ministers screaming a moment ago were now bowing reverently towards the woman.

"That was not our intention, Your Highness," one of the ministers from the Prime Minister's faction spoke up. Minister Ruo, one of the oldest ministers in the court, having served the Imperial Court since the time of the Emperor's grandfather, had a bit more courage than most when speaking up in front of the Emperor, let alone the Empress Dowager. "However, the Emperor being attacked is a serious matter. We only wish to find out what happened as soon as possible, send out men to ensure the Emperor's safety."

Or, perhaps, finish the job. Or ensure that whatever plans they had in place were not hindered. Perhaps she was being paranoid. But she could not shake off her suspicion of the Prime Minister and his closest men. That man had betrayed the Emperor before, had sided with the Emperor's uncle. Though the Emperor had pardoned almost all the Ministers who had sided with that man back then, Taiying had the most misgivings about Prime Minister Yun in particular. They had no idea how much of his actions had been forced and how much had been his own initiative, but the Empress suspected a good amount of it was the latter.

But they did not have the evidence.

"If you wish to find out about the Emperor, wait until the men we have sent out come back," the Empress's voice was clear and firm, resounding throughout the court.

And then the Prime Minister finally stepped forward and spoke. "Your Highness, if I may." Taiying felt the familiar cold curl in her gut. "The First Imperial Prince is here. He must know what happened."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

She felt the Prince tense beside her and glanced down to see that he had his hands interlaced tightly together and his jaw clenched, looking smaller than she had ever seen him, few as those occasions were. No doubt he was recalling the harrowing events. She frowned. Perhaps it was the child in her belly, but seeing her savior's child shrinking in on himself was truly displeasing.

Her eyes flicked back to the Ministers, and the Prime Minister's arrogant expression as he glanced at the prince behind the curtain.

She decided she'd had enough.

"The First Imperial Prince is not here to be questioned by the courtiers," she said. "He is here because he himself wishes to hear any news of the Emperor and Virtuous Lady Qing."

"We understand, Your Majesty," Minister Jin said, stepping up beside the Prime Minister. They were so in sync it was infuriating. "However, he is the only one who was present at the time of the attack. If he speaks to us, perhaps we can find them easier."

"He is a child, and he is anxious about his mother and father, who were in danger the last time he had seen them. That is the entire reason that I granted his ridiculous request to attend court today."

The Empress Dowager, bless her, supported her. "What is there to know? Someone attacked the Emperor. And now the Emperor and his concubine are missing. What is important at the moment is finding the Emperor and bringing him back alive and well. Commander Han Qin is out there searching for him. Your time, respected courtiers, will be better spent in helping the pursuit."

"We agree," the Prime Minister said amiably. "However, if we can understand what happened, we might be able to quicken the search. We might even be able to find out who attacked the Emperor."

He turned his attention to the Prince before any of them could say anything. "Your Highness, I know this is difficult, but do you not wish to find the men who wished to harm your parents?"

Taiying's voice sharpened as she spoke, "Prime Minister, you are overst-"

"I did not see them." The young Prince's voice was soft, but it might as well have been a battle drum. He exhaled softly, rolled his shoulders ever so slightly, and lifted his shoulders. "They … they attacked when we were hunting. Ma… mother took me away. Some of them followed us. She hid me and then lured the men away."

"And how did you get to the checkpoint?"

He paused. Taiying was close enough to see him swallow nothing. "A … man, he carried me to the checkpoint."

"A man?" The Prime Minister leaned forward ever so slightly. "Who was he?"

It most probably was not visible to those beyond the curtain, but the boy was rubbing the back of one thumb with the other, his body rigid as he looked down at the courtiers. "I… I do not know. I did not see his face."

His voice was firmer than before, she would give him that. But she would need to remind Lady Qing to teach him to lie better.

"A man you do not know? Why would such a man save you?"

"I do not know."

The next question came from, surprisingly - or perhaps not - Minister Kang. "Then … would you say your mother knew that man?"

The boy exhaled softly, and Taiying could see his rubbing become aggressive. The answer, however, was the same. "I do not know."

"How did the man find you? Was there any communication between that man and your mother?"

This line of questioning was going down a very unsavory road. Taiying spoke up. "What, exactly, do you hope to gain with these questions?"

Minister Kang looked almost harmless as he bowed and answered. "Begging forgiveness, Your Majesty, I only wished to pursue all avenues of doubt. Is it not suspicious that a man was present right when the Emperor was attacked, ready to whisk away the young prince?"

The cold feeling in her gut intensified. "What are you suggesting?"

"I am suggesting nothing, Your Majesty. I merely find it convenient that someone was there to rescue the Prince just at the right time. How could there be such a coincidence? Unless Lady Qing knew what was going to happen."

"You think she had something to do with the attack?" The Empress Dowager asked, her voice almost thoughtful. That … was not good.

"It may be an option." The Prime Minister looked completely neutral. She could almost believe it.

"If that were true," her father finally spoke, to her relief, "Then why did the Lady not whisk herself away?"

"That-"

"Your Highness," the Grand Preceptor turned to the child. "You said she lured the men away?"

The prince nodded. "Yes, my lord."

She saw her father's eyes crinkle ever so slightly. "Then it can be assumed that those men were either after her or the prince. Why would she ever hire men to come after her or her son? Whatever we think of the woman, I do not think any of us can deny how much she cares for the Prince. She would never endanger him."

Yes, what she did with that maid had sent ripples not only in the inner court but throughout the entire Imperial Palace.

"She could have done that to avoid suspicion." A bit of annoyance shone through Minister Kang's words.

"And where do you think she got the money or resources to hire a large group of men strong and reckless enough to attack the Emperor?" The Empress asked.

"Lady Qing comes from the QingHu. Who knows what … connections she has made there?"

The unsavory rumors about QingHu - the largest hub of criminal activity and debauchary in the Empire - were something no one was unfamiliar with, nor did the implications of the man's words escape anyone.

"Careful." The Empress was glad that the Empress Dowager sounded as irritated as she felt. "No matter your thoughts of the Lady, do not forget that she is an Imperial concubine, a woman of the Emperor. It is unbecoming of a nobleman to speak of the Imperial concubine in such a manner."

"My apologies, Your Highness." The man bowed. "I only-"

"Minister Kang only wished to retaliate against the woman he thinks is responsible for his son's current state." A young courtier, with eyes like a snake, spoke. She believed it was one of the new officials… Ming, she believed. A family in constant loggerheads with the Kangs. "Isn't that right?"

"You-"

Whatever Minister Kang was about to say went unspoken, as one of the guards outside came rushing in. As soon as he reached the middle, he stopped and bowed.

"Your Majesty, Your Highnesses!" He called, his words harsh and heavy. "They found them! The Shadow Guards found the Emperor!"

There was a sudden hush that fell over the court.

No one spoke for a long moment.

Taiying could see Prince Xu shifting, his mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to say something.

She knew what it was that he wanted to say. So, she spoke on his behalf.

"And Lady Qing?"

The man answered without missing a beat. "Lady Qing is with the Emperor. Commander Han has sent a message, saying that they will be back soon."

Taiying could see the boy exhale harshly, the tension finally leaving his body.

He looked like he wanted to slump right then and there. But he kept his back straight, trying not to let whatever he was feeling overwhelm him. It was commendable for a boy who did not grow up being groomed to hide his emotions at all times.

"Well, that's that." The Empress looked up to find that the Empress Dowager had similarly relaxed. "All discussion can await the return of the Emperor. The court is dismissed."

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