The rtionship between ruler and subject mirrors that of heaven and earth—each has its ce, each its purpose. Yet when heaven grows tyrannical, even the most steadfast earth may crack and split. It is in these moments that true character reveals itself.


    —Master Song Lin, Schr of the Jade Path


    Xin crossed her arms and leaned against the cold stone wall, staring through the iron bars into the dimly lit corridor. The musty air carried hints of mold and despair.


    A bitter smile tugged at her lips—this marked her second arrest. The first had been in her previous life during a party gone wrong, spending twenty-four miserable hours waiting for her parents to show up—they never did and she’d been released out of pity. If she’d been any younger, child services would probably have been contacted toe ’rescue’ her.


    Mei Chen huddled in the corner, arms wrapped tightly around her knees. The young maid’s shoulders trembled with each shallow breath. The sight stirred something protective in Xin’s chest.


    Metal scraped against metal as Luo Han unlocked the ornate box on a table outside their cell. He spread the gold-decorated scrolls before an official with exaggerated flourish.


    "Look at these fools." Luo Han’sughter echoed off the stone walls. "Parading through the streets with stolen documents in broad daylight. I’ve never seen such brazen criminals."


    "Official Qin authorized me to take those scrolls." Xin kept her voice steady despite the rage building in her chest.


    "Oh?" Luo Han’s lips curled into a cruel smile. "That would be quite difficult to prove, wouldn’t it? Especially since no one can seem to locate Official Qin."


    Xin’s fingernails dug crescents into her palms. The implications behind his smug tone confirmed her worst suspicions. She flexed her fingers, fighting to maintainposure as pieces of the trap became clear.


    "Since Official Qin cannot be found, it only makes sense to dy any investigation until he can corroborate my statement." Xin straightened her spine. "I am the Second Daughter of the Lin Family. Release us immediately and show proper respect, Guard Han."


    Luo Han swept into an exaggerated bow, his movements dripping with mockery. "Of course, Second Daughter."


    The official gathered the gold-decorated scrolls with careful hands. "These appear genuine. I must present them to Lord Lin and First Wife Zhang immediately."


    Ice crystallized in Xin’s veins. "My father and Madam Zhang are already holding court on this matter?"


    Luo Han’s only response was a dark chuckle as he followed the official out of the court’s holding cell room.


    Xin grabbed the iron bars, muscles straining as she pulled. The lock mechanism caught her attention—a simple design, but one that required a key. The metal felt cold against her palms as she tested its strength.


    "Miss Xin." Mei Chen’s whisper echoed in the dim cell. "Please don’t draw attention. They seem to only want me—don’t get yourself in trouble, too."


    Raw fury zed through Xin’s chest. "That will never happen."


    Fear coiled in her stomach. Her mother’s protection wouldn’t reach her maid. While the rank of Second Daughter might shield her from the worst oues, Mei Chen held no such protection. The thought sent tremors through her arms as she rattled the bars.


    Calm down.


    The iron bars remained unyielding as she forced herself to think through the trap they’d walked into.


    Heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor far sooner than Xin expected. Two guards approached the cell, keys jangling against their belts.


    "Maid Chen. Come with us." The taller guard unlocked the cell door.


    Xin stepped between them and Mei Chen. "I’ll apany her."


    The guards exchanged confused nces. "Miss Lin, you weren’t summoned."


    "Move aside." The shorter guard reached past Xin.


    She nted her feet firmly, blocking his path. Behind her, Mei Chen stood and tugged at the fabric of her dress.


    "Listen carefully." Xin lifted her chin. "You’ll need to beat the Second Daughter of the Lin family to death to reach my maid today. Shall we see how Father responds to that after what happened a few days ago?"


    The taller guard rubbed his temples. "Miss Lin—"


    "The lord demands the maid’s presence immediately."


    "Then I’ll join her." Xin eyed the metal cuffs hanging from the shorter guard’s belt. "And those won’t be necessary."


    The shorter guard threw up his hands. "Fine. Juste along before we all get in trouble."


    The guards steered them through a narrow side entrance into the grand court chamber.


    Great. Back in this room again. I should request a permanent seat at this rate.


    "Why is Lin Xin here?" Madam Zhang’s sharp voice cut through the chamber. "We summoned only the criminal responsible for stealing administrative documents."


    Xin squeezed her hands into tight fists, fingernails biting into her palms. The casual condemnation of Mei Chen burned like acid in her stomach.


    "Honored Father, Honored Mother." Xin bowed with precise formality. "As Mei Chen serves as my personal maid, my presence here follows naturally."


    Lord Lin slumped forward in his throne. "Must you constantly stand at the center of every disturbance in this household?"


    "Perhaps certain restless birds peck at me because they believe the tree belongs solely to them." Xin straightened from her bow. "They seem unwilling to share even a single branch."


    Blood rushed to Lord Lin’s face, turning it a dangerous shade of crimson. Xin bit her lower lip hard enough to taste copper.


    Shit. That metaphor might have been a step too far. But damn, it felt good to say.


    Xin’s heart thundered against her ribs. Mei Chen trembled beside her, and every instinct screamed tosh out—but that would only make things worse. She needed precision, not passion.


    Xin dropped into a deep bow. "Father, please forgive my impudent words. The stress of recent events has addled my thoughts."


    The words tasted like ash in her mouth, but she forced them out anyway. One wrong move now could doom Mei Chen.


    "Rise." Lord Lin’s stern voice echoed through the chamber. "Your maid was caught with official documents in her possession. The guards witnessed this directly. There can be no question of her guilt."


    Xin straightened, keeping her face carefully neutral as Lord Lin continued.


    "The sentence is eightyshes. If she survives, banishment from ckmere County."


    A choked sound escaped Mei Chen’s throat. Whispers rippled through the assembled crowd like wind through the cherry trees. The sentence struck Xin’s chest like a physical blow.


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    The punishment seemed merciful on its surface—theft of official documents typically earned quartering by horses or a clean beheading. But eightyshes? That was just execution with extra steps, drawn out and painful.


    Behind her silk fan, Madam Zhang’s eyes glittered with cruel satisfaction. The calcted mercy of the sentence suddenly made perfect sense.


    They think they’re showing generosity while still ensuring Mei Chen dies. Clever.


    Xin stepped forward, her silk robes rustling against the marble floor. "Mei Chen acted solely on my instructions. The responsibility lies with me alone—she carried those documents at my behest."


    "Miss Lin, please." Mei Chen tugged at Xin’s sleeve.


    Xin shrugged off the gentle touch. "Release her. If someone must answer for this, it should be me."


    A sharpugh cut through the chamber. Madam Zhang snapped her fan shut with a crack. "How predictable. The foolish girl tries to shield her conniving little maid." She turned to Lord Lin. "Perhaps this servant has addled our daughter’s senses with some herb or potion?"


    The usation sparked fresh anger in Xin’s chest. Lord Lin leaned forward on his throne, eyes narrowing. "Why did you remove these documents from the administrative building?"


    "Official Qin granted permission." Xin frowned at the memory. Something nagged at the edge of her thoughts.


    "Impossible!" Lord Lin’s fist crashed against his armrest. "No official holds authority to release gold-sealed documents from those halls. Even you, as Second Daughter, must abide by thesews."


    Gold seals? The memory of studying the scrolls by candlelight shed through Xin’s mind. The ornate seal had gleamed gold in the flickering light, but earlier...


    Ice spread through her veins as realization struck. The seal had been bronze in the study when they had been working with Official Qin. At some point, during the long hours, someone had switched the documents.


    Xin dropped into a formal bow. "Father, I believed the scrolls to be bronze-sealed copies. After receiving Official Qin’s blessing, I thought nothing more of it."


    "Why seek these documents at all?" Lord Lin’s question cracked like a whip.


    "Does it matter?" Madam Zhang interrupted. "The crime remains—"


    Lord Lin spun toward her, face flushed with rage. "Silence!"


    Xin squared her shoulders, facing her father directly. "During our return journey to Lin Manor, we encountered woodsmen—dozens of them injured and starving. These weren’t mere vagrants. They worked for our family’s sandalwood enterprise until recently."


    "None of this bears relevance to—" Madam Zhang started.


    Lord Lin mmed his fist against his throne. "ENOUGH!" The sound echoed through the chamber. "I am the lord of this county, not you! One more interruption and the guards will remove you from these proceedings!"


    Xin released a slow breath as silence fell over the chamber. The marble floor gleamed beneath her feet, reflecting the tension that crackled through the air.


    Lord Lin gestured sharply. "Continue."


    "A fire destroyed their workshops and homes." Xin lifted her chin. "Yet the circumstances proved suspicious. Despite the buildings being scattered across the property, every structure burned." She paused, letting the implications sink in. "Official Zhang Huan evicted all the workers immediately after."


    The crowd’s whispers grew louder. Lord Lin leaned forward on his throne. "And this prompted your investigation?"


    "Indeed." Xin straightened her spine. "This workshop supplied all of ckmere County’s sandalwood production. The enterprise earned our family approximately one million taels annually, but the receipts that Official Zhang Huan has been reporting have decreased every year until it is now only half of what it was fifteen years ago. The records confirm that, but Official Qin and I suspected a darker issue than what is presented."


    "Why did you not bring this to my attention immediately?" Lord Lin’s eyes narrowed.


    Xin nced pointedly at Madam Zhang. "I needed absolute certainty before making usations. ckmere County grants only two licenses for the luxury sandalwood trade. The second belongs to House Chao."


    Lord Lin’s fingers curled into tight fists against his armrests. The tendons in his neck strained as his jaw clenched.


    Madam Zhang leaned close to Lord Lin’s ear, whispering something Xin couldn’t catch. Lord Lin’s face darkened to a dangerous shade of red as he turned to re at his wife.


    His attention snapped back to Xin.


    Lord Lin’s stern expression softened slightly. "Your investigation shows admirable dedication to our family’s interests. As a noble daughter of Lin, protecting our reputation and caring for those under our protection falls within your duties. I will not reproach such actions."


    Relief flickered through Xin’s chest—until her father’s face hardened again.


    "However, the matter of the stolen scrolls cannot be overlooked. You may continue your investigation, but Maid Chen must face punishment for her crime."


    Painnced through Xin’s chest. She stepped sideways, positioning herself between the thrones and Mei Chen.


    She dropped into another bow. "Father, I cannot allow that."


    Lord Lin stiffened. "You cannot allow it?"


    The words hung in the air like storm clouds. Xin straightened, squaring her shoulders. "Mei Chen serves as my personal maid and has done so faithfully. She belongs to me, not to you. You cannot punish her without my consent."


    A cruel smile spread across Madam Zhang’s painted lips. "Perhaps you should whip them both, my lord."


    Xin watched her father’s face turn several shades darker as he processed her defiance. The muscles in his jaw twitched. She flicked her gaze to Madam Zhang before meeting her father’s burning stare.


    "You are the lord of the Lin family and magistrate of ckmere County. I will ept your judgment and punishment without question." Xin pressed her hands together. "But my maid is innocent. I will take any punishment myself."


    "Do you think your mother’s earlier threats shield you from consequences?" Lord Lin leaned forward on his throne.


    Xin shook her head. "The Third Concubine can have noint if I willingly ept your justice."


    Lord Lin rose from his throne, drawing himself to his full height. His deep voice echoed through the hall. "Eightshes for my Second Daughter who removed documents from the administration building. Let this serve as a lesson—none can ignore the sanctity of this administration!"


    "Impossible!" Madam Zhang sprang up beside him. "The sentence was eightyshes!"


    The crack of flesh meeting flesh split the air. Madam Zhang sprawled across the steps leading to the throne, her borate hairpiece scattering pearls across the marble.


    "Ignorant woman!" Lord Lin thundered. "You darepare my daughter’s blood to that of amoner?" He jabbed a finger toward the guards. "Eightshes! Carry out the sentence immediately, here in this hall!"


    "Miss..." Mei Chen’s whisper scratched at Xin’s ears.


    A guard approached with measured steps, the leather il swaying at his side. Xin studied the braided strips—standard leather, no metal tips. The sight triggered memories of the game’s punishment mechanics for PKing other yers. At least this won’t leave permanent scars.


    The cold marble pressed against Xin’s knees as she knelt. Her fingers worked at her cor, loosening the borate silk until it slipped down to expose her back. The cool air raised goosebumps across her skin.


    Mei Chen lurched forward. "Miss Xin, please—"


    A guard’s grip locked around the maid’s arm, yanking her back. The sound of her struggles echoed off the chamber walls.


    Xin shook her head, fixing her gaze straight ahead at the ornate tapestry on the far wall. "Let Lord Lin punish his unruly daughter." The words scraped past her dry throat.


    The first crack of leather against flesh echoed through the chamber. White-hot pain zed across her back, stealing her breath. A second strike followed before she could recover, forcing her to lean forward. The thirdsh tore a grunt from her throat as her palms pped against the cold marble.


    Tears streamed down her cheeks at the fourth strike. The fifth sent copper flooding her mouth as her teeth pierced her lip. By the sixth, a mixture of blood, tears, and saliva pooled beneath her face on the polished floor.


    Her arms trembled with the effort to maintain some dignity through the seventh strike. The eighth and finalsh carved fire across her already shredded skin. The world blurred into smears of color and light.


    Every breath sent fresh waves of agony rippling through her back. She dragged her silk sleeve across her face, grateful for the thick fabric that absorbed the mess.


    Lord Lin stared down from his throne with an expressionless mask. Beside him, Madam Zhang’s painted lips curved into a smile.


    "My lord," Madam Zhang purred. "The girl’s unusual attachment to this maid raises concerns. Allow me to question her. Who knows what schemes themoner has concocted without proper supervision?"


    "What?" The word gurgled from Xin’s raw throat.


    Lord Lin waved his hand dismissively. "Take her for questioning."


    Xin surged to her feet, ignoring the screaming protest from her torn flesh. Her concealed dagger slipped into her palm as she yanked it free. "You can’t take her!"