Immortal

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death.

Liyen heads for the South Courtyard after leaving Lord Zhangwei’s company. Inside, she finds lovely yet uninhabited grounds and chambers. She wonders whether the place belonged to someone Zhangwei cherished, such as a family member or lover. When she touches a rose in the courtyard, it wilts, bringing to life magic vines that trap Liyen and trigger magic alerts. Queen Caihong arrives in the courtyard within an instant. She claims the courtyard is forbidden to all and demands to know Liyen’s identity. Liyen introduces herself to the queen, who asks how she gained access to the quarters. Liyen admits that she was warned not to enter but her curiosity led her to trespass.

Queen Caihong orders her guards to seize Liyen, but Liyen protests that Lord Zhangwei said she was under his protection and could not be harmed. Zhangwei arrives and convinces Queen Caihong to punish him for the infraction instead. Queen Caihong agrees and summons Zhangwei to the Palace of Radiant Light tomorrow for his punishment: four strikes on the Dragon Platform. She demands that Liyen come as a spectator, to “see what her actions have wrought” (94).