Realization

On the Night of the Blue Orchids, the palace was alive with celebration. While the Rite of Blossoming took place, hundreds of people danced and feasted in the ballroom, while others were already discussing how to move forward once the ceremonies were over and the marriage had been consummated. Maybe King Shen and his new queen were partaking in a protracted orgy, but politics waits for no one, and everyone was out for their own advantage.

But behind the golden gates of the Shrine of Virtues, something far more consequential than a king and queen in bed was taking place.

“Is she asleep already?” I asked, looking at the half-empty pot of laced wine.

Lady Zhao lay on the grass, out cold like a slaughtered pig yet dignified in her pretty dress and red coral accessories. And though her face was peaceful, the longer I looked at her, the more I began to question my plan.

“It doesn’t matter, Miss Bai,” said the king, reaching beneath his robes toward his waist. “It should be enough for us to follow through.”

For a moment, I thought I understood what he meant. As long as Lady Zhao couldn’t remember what was going on, and I could paint her into the orgy, I had no reason to care about anything else.

I’d had the entire composition worked out for days, and painting the Seven Orchids or King Shen Zhilan was hardly a challenge by now. But when it came to portraying a future queen, there was no room for mistakes.

It was my first time seeing Lady Zhao, so I needed to make sure I did her beauty justice. Not just her beauty but the innocence in her resting face.

Still, when I saw King Shen draw a small dagger before moving toward her, I knew I had missed something.

“Your Majesty!” I yelled, throwing my supplies aside and rushing between the king and the princess. “Please, I implore you to reconsider what you’re about to do.”

He stopped, closed his eyes, and let out a faint breath. It was only a brief moment, but it felt like an eternity—one in which the king convinced himself he was right rather than doubting his decision.

“I appreciate your concern, Miss Bai. And though I sincerely apologize for taking advantage of you once again, I’m truly thankful for your help, as I’m sure your original plan would have succeeded had it not been for one small detail.”

“A small detail, you say?”

My heart was racing, and I was in no state to think. All I knew was that killing the Tianyu princess would put a target on our backs. Nevertheless, I was burning with curiosity, desperate to know what King Shen was talking about.

“So far, everything had unfolded as you intended,” the king calmly explained, looking me straight in the eyes. “We gave Lady Zhao the wine infused with the sleeping elixir, and now she’s unconscious. No one outside suspects a thing, and she had no time to question the existence of my Orchids.“We both know painting her while she’s sedated would be the easy part,” he followed.

“But did you ever ask Lord Decheng—may he rest in peace—how the Rite of Blossoming actually concludes, beyond the bride-to-be emerging worthy? You certainly haven’t asked me in all these years…”

Once again, he was savoring the expression on my face whenever I failed to notice the simplest things or ask the most obvious questions. Wounding me—not with the dagger he held, but with something that hurt even more than a thrust of steel.

This time, however, I wasn’t oblivious. I was pretending to be.

“I take it it’s not with a murdered princess, Your Majesty.”

“But with seven murdered maidens,” he quickly countered. “There will be bloodshed one way or the other, Miss Bai.”

“I am aware. Master Wenhao told me long ago… But you can put an end to this and let her go, Your Majesty. I’m begging you.”

The king paused for a moment, visibly affected by the unexpected revelation.

“So it wasn’t a miscalculation on your part?

“Ah… you certainly never fail to surprise me, Miss Bai.” King Shen said, almost conceding defeat.

“Now, if I don’t kill Lady Zhao, she will wake up sooner or later with no harem to murder and complete the Blossoming. So tell me, Miss Bai, what’s the difference if all roads lead to the same end?”

The king sure had a point. Even if she were to wake up and forget about the Orchids, Lady Zhao Mingzhu would return to Tianyu completely humiliated, proven unworthy of the Virtues. Her father and brothers would quickly try to restore both her honor and that of their kingdom.

They would answer just as King Shen would have.

War was inevitable, imminent. Something that had once felt like an abstract concept on Master Wenhao’s paintings was now dormant just behind me, in the form of an innocent girl my age.

“At the risk of offending you, Your Majesty, I don’t see how killing Lady Zhao will change anything. You’ll start the very same war our kingdom is trying to prevent by marrying you to her, yes, yet everyone will see you as a killer. A traitor.”

“Nonsense!” the king yelled, gripping the dagger tighter. “Even if you were right, they may call me a traitor now, but they will all recognize me as their rightful king once I defeat them.”

“I’m sure they will, but it’s not your only option,” I dared.

“Even if I had all the time in the world, I could never find an argument that would convince you to stay away from war, Your Majesty. All the love you lack for women, you make up for in your love of battle.”

“Ironic, don’t you think, Miss Bai?” he asked, getting up and slowly turning toward my easel, putting my scattered supplies back in place one by one.

“Had I truly meant to kill the princess, I suppose I would have done so already. You are no obstacle to a warrior king… yet here we are.”

There was no denying that, and once again, I found myself curious. By now, it wasn’t his constant contradictions, but the fact that there was always something more to uncover. Something that kept drawing me in.

King Shen slowly approached me and extended a hand to help me up.

“To be honest with you, a decision was made long ago, and nothing you could say or do will change it. Lady Zhao Mingzhu will be dead soon, and whatever happens here will remain a secret, as no one is allowed to enter this shrine.

“As for the war, it doesn’t worry me. We will eventually win it.

“But to make sure my darkest secrets remain protected, there’s one thing I needed to confirm. And that’s why I needed to delay things,” he confidently added, handing me one of my brushes.

At that moment, my heart was pounding like never before. I couldn’t tell why.

“You see, Miss Bai, all this time I played along to my council’s intentions. It was the new High Minister who suggested marrying a Tianyu princess, not me… but, strange as it sounds, that gave me the opportunity I needed.”

I was overwhelmed by my emotions, and all I could concentrate on was King Shen’s voice and pretending I wasn’t shaking.

“Opportunity?” I asked.

“With these very brushes, you’ve painted the Seven Orchids. Seven maidens whom every woman in the kingdom admires and every man lusts after.

“Or, as you’ve pointed out many times, every man but me.” he remarked.

“I’m far more interested in the Virtues themselves…

“Benevolence, who bears some resemblance to my mother; Wisdom and Righteousness, whom you paint as beautiful twins; Temperance, the youngest in the harem; Integrity, whom I’d wager you modeled after yourself…”

“…And then there are Courage and Loyalty,” the king completed. “They are the reason we’re here.”

My mind was blank as he explained it all. I felt like I was on the verge of understanding, yet at the same time, I was utterly clueless.

“…So listen to me carefully, Miss Bai: in a moment, Lady Zhao will be murdered. Don’t alarm yourself, I’ll make sure her death is painless.

“Then, I’ll stab myself somewhere that won’t hit anything vital.”

“What?! Are you out of your mind, Your Majesty?!” My voice cracked.

“Courage and Loyalty, Miss Bai. This is your Rite of Blossoming, don’t you see?”

It clicked. Finally.

“If you ask me, they’re virtues you show me every day. I’m sorry for putting you in this situation, but I need everyone in my kingdom to see them in something other than the paintings that uphold my lie.”

“Wait. What do you…? Are you really…?” I choked out, feeling my throat tighten.

“I never looked at you with hunger in my eyes, nor did I ever intend to confess my love to anyone. I expected to die unwed. Then I could simply appoint an heir when I was old enough…

“But High Minister Decheng was right all along, that dirty bastard. Being around you had an impact on me, and now I’m putting my future in your hands,” King Shen Zhilan said, reaching for my trembling hands.

“War with Tianyu can’t be avoided, but if you proceeded with my plan, I’d have a queen-to-be to return to. One that reunites all Seven Virtues. One that, in a way, made this shrine her home for so many years.

“One that I deeply care about, and who, without the people or even herself knowing it, has supported my reign all this time.”

I was… touched. So much so that tears began to fall, and I couldn’t stop them. I realized I felt the same. Not desire, not love as I knew it… something purer. So pure that it was extremely convenient for both of us, almost god-sent.

“If everyone believes Lady Zhao foolishly tried to kill me, and that you grabbed the dagger to save me while I fought her off, then I could marry a commoner. But only if you save my life.” King Shen explained, fully aware of the rules.

“But what about the Blossoming? Or the Orchids?”

“You’ll have your own Rite of Blossoming. And if it’s just the two of us, there’ll be nothing to pretend.”

When I arrived at the Shrine of Virtues earlier, I expected the Blossoming to be nothing but a farce. Somehow, I ended up being the one undergoing the rite.

If we had come this far, it was because King Shen’s Orchids had never really existed. And yet, there they were—on my canvas, showing both the king and me that I had always possessed the very virtues they represented.

And just as I had created them, I was now being given the chance to be the one to kill them. One final deception, the biggest one yet, that could finally let King Shen and me leave behind the secrets we had been carrying for so many years.

“Your Majesty… how does ‘Queen Bai Qinlian’ sound?” I asked, trying to make myself believe this wasn't some wild dream.

Behind me, I could hear the princess mumbling as she slowly stirred awake.

Then, the sharp sound of steel piercing flesh.