Episode 8 — The Betrayal That Smiles
Minister Xu Ming invited Li Wei for tea.
Alone.
Shen objected.
"This is a mistake," he said flatly.
Li Wei adjusted his sleeves. "He was my mentor."
"He is a survivor."
"So am I."
That earned him a dark look.
"I'll be nearby," Shen said. "If he breathes wrong—"
"I know."
The tea pavilion was quiet. Peaceful. Deceptively so.
Xu Ming smiled warmly. "You've grown sharper."
"You taught me to," Li Wei replied.
They spoke of old lessons. Of books. Of court hypocrisy.
Then Xu Ming leaned closer.
"You should leave Shen Zhiyuan."
Li Wei froze.
"He is not your shield," Xu Ming continued softly. "He is your grave. Men like him do not love. They consume."
Li Wei's voice was steady. "This isn't concern. It's fear."
Xu Ming sighed. "Yes."
That honesty hurt more than lies.
"The Crown Prince will move soon," Xu Ming said. "When he does, Shen will fall. And you will fall with him."
Li Wei stood. "You're choosing sides."
Xu Ming looked up at him sadly. "So are you."
The attack came before Li Wei reached the gate.
Arrows.
Chaos.
Shen burst through the smoke like a wrathful god, sword red, eyes wild.
He reached Li Wei and pulled him close—too tight, too desperate.
"Were you hurt?" he demanded.
"No," Li Wei said. "But Xu Ming—"
Shen's expression hardened. "Gone."
The silence that followed was heavy.
"You knew," Li Wei said.
"I suspected."
"You let me walk into it."
Shen's voice dropped. "I let you see the truth."
Li Wei pulled free.
"That wasn't protection," he said. "That was manipulation."
For the first time, Shen Zhiyuan had no answer.