"How can I be fit for the Marquis?" Su Qingqian shouted, and the audience hall went silent. "Rise, Lady Su," the Emperor said, voice flat. "An imperial decree was made. Obedience is required." "No." Su stepped forward. Her hands were empty. She did not bow. "I will not be a name on paper if the house I join already belongs to another." A stir ran through the hall. Ministers leaned like reeds. The Grand Chancellor tried to usher serenity into the room with a clipped cough. "Lady Su, a marriage serves the realm—" "It serves the realm by tying the general's sword to the marquis's coffers," she cut in. "It does not serve the Su household if the marquis hides favors in his own bed and his household does not answer to me." "Silence," the Chancellor snapped. "You speak of slander." "I speak of fact," Su said. "Let the court ask the Marquis if he keeps a ward at his side who rules his decisions more than his household rituals do." Gasps. A handmaid behind the Emperor shifted. Empress Su's fingers tightened around her fan. The Emperor’s face did not change, but his patience did. For the first time since Su Qingqian's childhood, officials watched the Empress place her fan across her lips and make a choice. "You will kneel," the Emperor ordered, voice low. Su stepped down on one knee without bowing her head. She met the Emperor’s eyes. "Your Majesty, I kneel