Through the faint haze of dust, a graceful figure in red rushed into the courtyard.
She wore a gold-and-red gown whose hem swept the ground, adorned with numerous ornaments and crowned with a phoenix headdress. She had clearly dressed with meticulous care.
The moment Ji Mingyue rushed into the courtyard, she spotted Ji Mingyuan lying lifeless on the ground. The wine cup in his hand had rolled aside, spilling amber wine across the ground.
Her steps stopped abruptly. All color drained from her face, and her pupils contracted sharply.
"F-Fifth Brother..."
Ji Mingyue's voice trembled, barely holding its shape.
She threw herself down beside Ji Mingyuan and reached to check his breathing. Beneath her fingers, everything was cold and utterly still.
"Fifth Brother!" Her voice grew calm as she seized Ji Mingyuan's shoulders and shook him.
Ji Mingyuan's body still held some warmth, but all life had already left him.
His eyes were tightly shut, his face ashen. A trace of wine he had never had the chance to wipe away remained at the corner of his mouth, along with a curve that seemed both mocking and relieved.
The black-clad swordsman stood silently to one side, watching Ji Mingyue's devastated expression. A flicker of complicated emotion crossed his eyes before they settled back into calm. His grip on his sword tightened slightly, but ultimately, he said nothing.
The courtyard fell utterly silent.
A long time passed.
Feeling the corpse in her hands gradually grow cold, Ji Mingyue slowly raised her head and looked at the black-clad swordsman beside her.
"Was this Eighth Brother's order?"
Though she phrased it as a question, certainty lay in her tone.
The black-clad swordsman fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Your Highness, His Majesty's will cannot be defied. The Fifth Prince... drank this