LIAM'S POV:
The following day, the capital was no longer a city of stone and shadows; it had become a living, breathing creature of gold and celebration. The Empress Dowager’s birthday was a day of national reverence, a rare moment when the divide between the elite and the commoners blurred under the shared warmth of a woman who had spent decades as the empire’s silent conscience. Her kindness was the only light many had known, and today, that light drew thousands to the palace gates.
Inside the grand hall of the Empress Dowager’s palace, the air was thick with the scent of expensive incense and the hushed whispers of international diplomacy. Envoys from neighboring realms arrived in a steady stream, their tribute wagons overflowing with jade, rare silks, and ancient scrolls. The sheer s
