CHAPTER FOUR — THE PRICE OF MERCY
1479 Words
Night fell quietly over the Xiangluan Palace, but Princess Yanfei felt anything but quiet. For the first time in days, her chambers were empty—no Rui Shen standing in the shadows, no attendants hovering over her shoulder, no political whispers slipping under her door. Only silence. A silence so heavy it clung to her skin like cold rain.
She sat at her window, watching lanterns glow across the palace grounds. They flickered like restless spirits floating between duty and desire—much like her own heart.
She knew Lian Zhen was trapped somewhere beneath the palace complex, kept alive only because she had begged for mercy. But Rui Shen had not forgotten the crime. The general who never smiled, never softened, never forgave… he was a storm that could destroy without raising his voice.
And she—foolishly, recklessly—had placed a wanted assassin under that storm’s shadow.
“Princess,” a soft voice whispered from behind. Her maid, Mei, approached with a tray of warm broth. “You’ve barely eaten. Please… try.”
Yanfei managed a small smile. “Thank you, Mei. Leave it there.”
Mei hesitated, eyes full of worry. “Is this because of the general? He has been… colder than usual.”
Yanfei let out a breath—one that carried her exhaustion with it. “Rui Shen is doing what the empire expects of him.”
“Then what of what you expect?” Mei asked quietly, so boldly that Yanfei looked up in surprise.
But the maid’s courage vanished just as quickly. She bowed and hurried out.
Left alone again, Yanfei pressed her fingers against her temples. What did she expect? That kindness would not be punished? That saving a life would not cost her her own?
A soft knock broke her thoughts.
Before she could answer, the door slid open.
And there he stood.
Rui Shen.
The general’s presence filled the room instantly—dark armor gleaming faintly, black hair tied back, sharp eyes holding neither warmth nor hatred. Just control. Unshakeable, soldier-forged control.
“Princess.”
She rose instinctively. “General.”
He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. The air tightened.
“I’ve come to speak about the assassin.” His tone carried no emotion, but it wasn’t cruel either. Just… unreadable.
Yanfei kept her voice steady. “What of him?”
“Your father requested he be executed at noon tomorrow.” He paused. “I delayed the order.”
Her heart jumped. “You… delayed it?”
“No one questions the decisions of the war commander,” he replied simply. “Not even the emperor.”
It should have comforted her. But the steel in his posture told her this gesture wasn’t mercy—it was something else. Something heavier.
“Why?” she whispered.
Rui Shen’s jaw tightened. “Because you asked me to spare him.”
Yanfei blinked in disbelief. All this time, she thought he was only tolerating her. But he had defied imperial orders—for her.
She wasn’t sure whether she should be grateful… or afraid.
“Then will you release him?” she dared to ask.
A flicker—barely a breath of movement—crossed his eyes. Not anger. Not disgust. Something more wounded.
“I cannot,” he said. “An assassin who infiltrated the palace cannot be freed. But I can choose how long he lives.”
“Rui Shen—”
He cut her off gently. “Princess Yanfei, I need you to understand what your mercy costs.”
He stepped closer. Not threateningly—just close enough that she could feel the warmth of him beneath the armor that hid him from the world.
“You saved him,” he said quietly. “And that choice… has consequences.”
Her lips parted. “Consequences?”
“For you. For me. For the empire. And for the marriage we are bound to enter.”
Yanfei looked down, guilt twisting inside her. “If my actions shame you, I—”
“They do not shame me,” he interrupted, and the firmness in his voice startled her. “But they put you in danger. A princess who protects a man who tried to kill her father? The court will tear you apart. The nobles already whisper.”
“I don’t care what they whisper,” she said, lifting her head. “I only did what was right.”
“Right,” he echoed, studying her. “Even if it breaks the law? Even if it risks your life?”
Her breath caught. “Yes.”
For a moment—just one fragile moment—something softened in Rui Shen’s eyes. A quiet, raw admiration that flickered before he could hide it.
“You are unlike anyone I have known,” he murmured.
Silence fell, thick and charged.
Yanfei realized then that Rui Shen wasn’t angry at her. He was afraid for her.
And that was far more dangerous.
He stepped back abruptly, as though the closeness unsettled him.
“I’ll speak with the emperor again tomorrow,” he said, turning away. “But I cannot promise more.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He paused at the door. Without turning, he said, “I do not do this for the assassin.”
Yanfei’s pulse quickened.
“I do it because…” Rui Shen hesitated, voice almost inaudible. “…because your tears bothered me.”
Before she could respond, he left.
Yanfei sank onto her bed, heart pounding. Rui Shen was changing—just a little, just enough to unravel the distance between them. And it frightened her, because she didn’t know how to feel about him anymore.
She didn’t have long to think.
A soft tapping came at her balcony.
She froze.
Then hurried toward it.
When she opened the curtain, a shadow slipped inside—weak, shaking, but unmistakably familiar.
“Lian Zhen?”
He collapsed on one knee, catching his breath. His clothes were torn, his skin pale from blood loss.
“Forgive… the intrusion,” he rasped.
Yanfei gasped and crouched beside him. “You shouldn’t be here. They’re watching you.”
“I had to… see you,” he whispered. “Before they kill me.”
Her eyes stung. “They won’t. I’m trying—I’m fighting—”
“You shouldn’t,” he said softly. “You shouldn’t risk your life for a man like me.”
“Don’t say that.”
He met her gaze, and something inside her cracked.
“Princess… Why would you save your enemy?”
“Because you looked at me,” she said, trembling, “and I saw someone who didn’t want to die.”
A breath escaped him—almost a laugh, almost a sob.
His hand rose weakly, brushing her cheek with a gentleness that broke her heart.
“If I die tomorrow,” he whispered, “I wanted to tell you… thank you. For the kindness I never deserved.”
Yanfei’s chest tightened painfully. “You’re not going to die. I won’t let it happen.”
He smiled faintly. “You can’t stop fate.”
She shook her head fiercely.
But before she could speak, the door slid open again.
Rui Shen stood there.
His eyes locked onto the scene—the assassin kneeling before her, her hands on his shoulders, their faces too close, too intimate.
The temperature in the room dropped.
Yanfei flinched. Lian Zhen stiffened.
Rui Shen stepped inside, closing the door with a quiet finality that felt louder than a shout.
“So,” he said softly, dangerously, “this is the price of your mercy.”
Yanfei rose quickly. “Rui Shen, please—listen—”
“I listened,” he said. “And this… is what I find.”
Lian Zhen moved to stand, but Rui Shen raised a hand.
“No. Stay down,” he commanded coldly. “A man who sneaks into my future wife’s chambers at night should understand the position he puts her in.”
Yanfei’s heart hammered. “He came to say goodbye. He thought he was going to die.”
Rui Shen’s jaw clenched. “He still might.”
Lian Zhen tensed, pain and exhaustion dragging at him. “If you must kill me, I’ll face it. But she—”
“Silence,” Rui Shen snapped—not with rage, but with something deeper. Something hurt.
He looked at Yanfei.
And for the first time, she saw the man behind the armor—not angry, not jealous, but… wounded.
“Princess,” he said quietly, “tell me the truth.”
His eyes trembled just slightly.
“Do you want me… to save him?”
Yanfei’s breath hitched.
And in that moment, her answer would decide the fate of all three of their lives.
- Writer
