(The Art of Ignoring a King)
For the next few days, Ruyi acted as if the emperor did not exist.
She went about her daily life with graceful indifference, smiling at ministers in court, tending to her private garden, hosting poetry readings in her pavilion.
She laughed.
She dined.
She flourished.
And she never once acknowledged Zhao Long's absence.
Not in court.
Not in whispers.
Not even in the privacy of her own chambers.
It was as if he was the one who had been forgotten.
(The Emperor Watches – And Seethes)
Zhao Long told himself he was not affected.
He told himself he did not care.
And yet he noticed.
Noticed how she never glanced in his direction during court meetings.
Noticed how she smiled at others, but never at him.
Noticed how she seemed perfectly content without his attention.
The harem women noticed too.
They whispered, watching as the emperor's gaze lingered on Ruyi more and more.
"She's making him suffer," one murmured.
"Or he's finally losing interest," another countered.
But they were wrong.
Because Zhao Long was not losing interest.
He was losing patience.
And the worst part?
She knew it.
It happened during an imperial banquet.
The grand hall was filled with ministers, generals, and noblewomen, all gathered to celebrate a successful military campaign.
Ruyi arrived late but not fashionably so.
Just late enough for everyone to notice.
She was dressed in deep red silk, embroidered with golden phoenixes, her chestnut hair swept into a high, elegant style, a delicate jade pin nestled in her locks.
She looked every inch a queen.
And when she entered the court shifted.
Because for the first time in weeks, she looked at Zhao Long.
And she smiled.
A soft, polite smile.
The kind given to a stranger.
Zhao Long's grip on his wine cup tightened.
(A Move No One Expected)
The feast continued, filled with performances, laughter, and toasts.
And then without warning
Ruyi stood.
The entire court turned.
She stepped forward, slow, deliberate, until she reached the center of the hall.
Then before anyone could react
She lifted her hands.
And began to dance.
Gasps rippled through the hall.
The emperor went completely still.
Ruyi had never danced in court before.
And now here she was, moving with deliberate grace, each step precise, each motion dripping with confidence.
It was not a dance of seduction.
It was a dance of power.
A declaration.
I do not need you to be seen.
I do not need you to be admired.
I do not need you.
Zhao Long watched.
His golden eyes burned.
His jaw locked.
The court held its breath.
Because when Lin Ruyi finally stilled, her silk robes settling around her like a storm-touched river
She turned.
Faced the emperor.
And bowed.
Deep. Regal. Untouched.
And then without waiting for permission, without waiting for acknowledgment
She returned to her seat.
The banquet erupted in whispers.
And Zhao Long?
He sat there, unmoving.
Unblinking.
And for the first time in his life, he realized
She was winning.
And he would not allow it.
The Emperor's Restraint
The banquet had ended
The ministers had left.
The concubines had returned to their pavilions.
And yet Zhao Long had not moved.
He sat alone in the grand hall, fingers tapping against his wine cup, his golden eyes still fixed on the spot where she had danced.
She had done it so effortlessly.
So calmly.
As if she had not spent the past weeks ignoring him.
As if she had not deliberately taken his silence and used it against him.
And worst of all
As if she had not cared how he would react.
His lips curled into a slow, dangerous smirk.
Ah, Ruyi…
You think you've won this round.
But he had yet to play his hand.
(A Dangerous Discovery)
The palace gardens were quiet at night.
The only sounds were the soft rustling of leaves, the distant hum of the koi pond, and the occasional whisper of laughter carried by the breeze.
It was here that Zhao Long found her.
Or rather found her playing a game she shouldn't have been playing.
The moment he stepped past the bamboo screen, he heard it.
A voice.
His voice.
"'Do you truly think you can test me and walk away unscathed?'"
A dramatic pause.
And then laughter.
He turned the corner and saw them.
Lin Ruyi.
Xiao Tao.
A second maid, Chun Lan, who looked far too amused for her own good.
And at the center of it all
Ruyi.
Striding across the pavilion with deliberate slowness, her hands clasped behind her back, her expression one of effortless, arrogant control.
Mirroring him.
Perfectly.
Her voice dropped lower as she continued, her tone mocking, smooth, dripping with the exact kind of dangerous amusement Zhao Long often used.
"'You are very bold, Princess… too bold for your own good.'"
Xiao Tao, playing the role of Ruyi, gasped dramatically, clutching her chest.
"Oh no, Your Majesty, whatever shall I do?" she cried, feigning distress.
Chun Lan stifled a laugh behind her sleeve.
Ruyi smirked, tilting her head the exact same way Zhao Long did when he was amused but unimpressed.
"'Perhaps next time, my wife… you will remember who it is you challenge.'"
She even walked like him.
Slow. Predatory.
Dangerous.
Zhao Long leaned against a pillar, crossing his arms over his chest.
And watched.
Silently.
Patiently.
Because this?
This was interesting.
Too Late to Hide
It was Chun Lan who saw him first.
Her eyes widened, her lips parting as if to warn her mistress.
But Xiao Tao, ever the troublemaker, simply grinned.
Ruyi, however, was still too deep into her performance to notice.
She lifted a single brow, smirking.
"'Do you think I will let you off so easily?'" she said, her voice smooth, dangerous.
It was only then that she noticed the sudden shift in atmosphere.
Only then that she realized Chun Lan looked terrified and Xiao Tao looked delighted.
And only then that she turned.
And saw him.
Standing there.
Watching her.
Amused.
But not impressed.
Ruyi froze.
Xiao Tao snorted.
"Oh no," Chun Lan whispered.
Zhao Long did not speak at first.
He simply tilted his head slightly, letting the silence stretch.
Then calmly, smoothly he lifted a single brow.
"Continue."
Ruyi exhaled slowly.
Then she smiled.
Not embarrassed.
Not afraid.
But unbothered.
"My apologies, Your Majesty," she murmured, her voice light with amusement.
"I was simply admiring how well you command a room."
Zhao Long chuckled low, deep, dangerous.
And then, in a perfect imitation of her own earlier words, he replied
"Should I take that as flattery, my wife?"
Ruyi's lips twitched.
Damn him.
He was good.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them backed down.
Then Zhao Long exhaled, shaking his head slightly.
"Your performance was… amusing," he murmured.
Ruyi smirked. "Only amusing?"
His golden eyes gleamed.
"Not bad," he admitted.
"Though next time" He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping lower.
"Perhaps you should practice before a mirror first."
Ruyi's breath hitched.
Not from nerves.
From frustration.
Because, once again he had turned the game back on her.
Damn him.
Damn him for always being one step ahead.
And yet
She wouldn't have it any other way.
She tilted her head, watching him closely.
And then, softly, deliberately she smirked.
Zhao Long narrowed his gaze slightly.
Ruyi took a slow step forward.
"Your Majesty…" she murmured, her voice deceptively sweet.
"I must say for someone who hasn't visited my pavilion in weeks, you do seem rather eager to spend time in it now."
Silence.
Chun Lan and Xiao Tao stiffened.
Zhao Long's smirk deepened.
Ah.
So she wanted to push again?
He let out a slow, quiet chuckle.
Then, with a smooth turn of his heel, he stepped away.
Not defeated.
Not amused.
But simply deciding to leave.
He did not look back as he exited the pavilion.
But as he stepped past the threshold, he left her with a single parting remark.
"Enjoy your performance, Princess."
He paused.
Then with a slow, knowing smirk
"I will let you know when I decide to return the favor."
And then he was gone.
Leaving Ruyi standing there.
Annoyed.
Amused.
And, for the first time in a long time a little nervous.
Because when the emperor decided to return the favor…
She would not be ready.
He did not call for her.
He did not visit her pavilion.
He did not acknowledge her in court.
He simply waited.
Waited for her to wonder what he would do next.
Waited for her to realize that she had played too well.
And, most of all waited for the perfect moment to strike back.
Because when he did, she would never see it coming.
(The Court Gathering – A Scene She Did Not Expect)
The imperial court was gathered in the Hall of Eternal Harmony, an open-air pavilion where ministers, generals, and noble families attended discussions on diplomacy, war, and internal affairs.
Ruyi arrived as she always did graceful, composed, untouchable.
She took her usual place at Zhao Long's right, her deep blue silk robe flowing like water, her jade earrings glinting in the afternoon light.
The hall was buzzing with conversation, the noblewomen whispering behind their sleeves, the concubines watching from the sidelines.
But the moment Zhao Long spoke
Everything changed.
He lifted his golden wine cup, his voice smooth and deliberate.
"Last night," he began, his gaze sweeping across the hall, "I was given a most… unexpected gift."
The ministers fell silent.
Ruyi's fingers tightened around her sleeve.
A slow, lazy smirk curled at his lips.
"A performance," he mused. "A very bold one."
Ruyi stiffened.
The court held its breath.
Zhao Long tilted his head slightly and then his golden eyes landed on her.
Directly.
Deliberately.
Daring her to react.
Ruyi's heart slammed against her ribs.
Oh no.
He wasn't just playing back.
He was playing in front of everyone.
The Emperor's Move
"I have been thinking," Zhao Long continued, his voice light, casual too casual.
"Since my dear wife seems so… talented in mimicking me, perhaps she should have the opportunity to do so again."
The room tensed.
The harem concubines inhaled sharply, eyes wide with delight.
The noblewomen pressed their lips together, watching for the fallout.
Even Han Zixuan, seated among the generals, smirked slightly behind his wine cup.
Ruyi's fingernails pressed into her palm.
Because she understood.
Oh, she understood.
He was doing to her what she had done to him.
He was putting her in a position where she could not refuse.
And he was doing it in front of everyone.
Damn him.
Damn him for being this dangerous.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
The court waited.
Ruyi's lips parted slightly, as if to speak.
But Zhao Long ever the predator beat her to it.
"Come now, Princess."
His voice was smooth, teasing a velvet-wrapped blade.
"You were very confident last night. Surely, you are not shy now?"
A pause.
Then a small, sharp smile.
"Unless, of course…"
He leaned back slightly, gaze burning into her.
"…you would prefer I return the favor first?"
The entire court froze.
The implication was clear.
If she did not act, he would.
And Zhao Long was not a man who played fairly.
(The Queen's Next Move)
Ruyi inhaled slowly.
Then she smiled.
Because if there was one thing she had learned in this palace, it was this:
Never back down.
She rose to her feet smoothly, elegantly, without a single tremor of hesitation.
And then to everyone's shock
She bowed.
Deeply.
Regally.
Then, in a voice as smooth as silk, she murmured
"As His Majesty commands."
The court gasped.
Zhao Long's smirk faltered.
Just slightly.
Because she had not done what he expected.
She had not looked away.
She had not tried to escape.
She had once again stepped into the fire.
And now, he had to see how far she would go.
Damn her.
Damn her for playing this game so well.