Confluence: Goddess Reborn

Shen Kexian was nowhere to be found.

According to the guards, he'd left the palace to hunt down leads on whoever had attacked us in town. No timeline. No updates. Just one vague message scrawled in neat, annoyed calligraphy: Training is paused until further notice. Do not cause diplomatic disaster in my absence.

Which suited me just fine.

With the training on hold and no mysterious masked cultivators dropping from rooftops, I finally had something I hadn't touched in weeks: peace.

And Ming Yu.

Gods, I had Ming Yu.

He stayed close—not hovering, not possessive, just there. A warm presence beside me in gardens, quiet breakfasts, long walks. We didn't need to say much. After everything, just existing in the same space felt like healing.

It was a quiet afternoon.

For once.

Sunlight streamed through the open window of my quarters, painting long golden stripes across the floor. I was half-asleep on a pile of folded robes, pretending to meditate and failing spectacularly, while Ming Yu sat a safe distance away, doing an impeccable job of not looking at me too long.

We weren't alone. Of course not.

Lan Wangji was seated by the tea table, serene as a painting, sipping from a porcelain cup with the kind of silence that felt like judgment. Ming Yu had been talking to him in low tones—something about palace security rotations. I hadn't listened. I was too busy enjoying the rare lack of disaster.

Until, of course, the door burst open. Wei Wuxian stormed in like a man dramatically late to his own play. "We need a new plan," he said.

I blinked from the cushion where I'd been happily ignoring paperwork. "Hello to you, too."

He tossed a scroll onto the table between us. Lan Wangji caught it before it could roll off and opened it with a flick of his wrist. "New consummation schedule. Yufei. Two days."

My stomach dropped.

"What?" I sat up, unrolling the scroll. "No—she wasn't scheduled for another month."

"She moved it up," Wei Wuxian said. "Probably got wind of the last disruption. She's insisting on a 'quiet ceremony with minimal staff' to avoid interference."

I turned to Lan Wangji. "Is there a way to delay it?"

He shook his head once. "The official schedule has already been endorsed. Altering it now would raise suspicion."

There was a long pause. Then I said it.

"We could… drug her"

All three men stared at me.

Ming Yu blinked slowly. Lan Wangji resumed sipping tea like he wished he weren't hearing this. Wei Wuxian looked delighted and horrified at the same time.

I went on. "Only this time—just hear me out—we drug her and make it look like Wei Ying slept with her."

Wei Wuxian made a noise that could only be described as a strangled wheeze. "Excuse me?"

"Not for real!" I waved him down. "Just enough to stir a scandal. Some illusion magic. A robe on the wrong floor. Hair out of place. One servant conveniently in the hallway heard the sound of the performance all night and spread the words in the morning. She wakes up confused, with no memory but satisfied."

"I don't even want to be in a room alone with her!" he groaned. "Do you know what she smells like? It's floral death."

"You'll survive." I encouraged him. But we did it.

Somehow, with an embarrassing number of scrolls, incense, illusion charms, and coordinated timing, we made it happen.

Yufei went quiet. For five blissful, radiant weeks, she said nothing.

One morning, the Queen called for a gathering.

No explanation, just a formal summons to the Hall of Tranquil Grace. That alone was enough to make everyone tense. That hall was only used for announcements the palace wanted everyone to hear and remember.

When I arrived, most of the others were already there. Wei Wuxian was standing near a pillar, pacing. He looked annoyed and anxious, a combination I'd learned to worry about. Ming Yu stood near the far wall, arms crossed, quiet. Distant, but alert. His face gave nothing away. Lan Wangji was seated already, calm as ever, watching the center of the room like he was expecting a fire to start. Yuling sat beside him, one hand resting on her lap. She didn't speak, just looked straight ahead with a closed expression.

Then the Queen entered. She didn't waste time.

"I thank you all for coming," she said, standing at the front of the room. "There is news that must be shared with the court. Consort Yufei is with child."

Everything stopped.

There was a short, stunned silence. A few gasps from the back of the room.

Wei Wuxian started to speak. "That's impo—"

But Ming Yu reached out and grabbed his arm before he could finish.

Wei Wuxian stopped talking, biting down the rest of his sentence. His eyes widened, but he nodded once, understanding.

Because we couldn't say anything. We couldn't risk admitting what we'd done. The illusion. The staged scandal. It was supposed to stall her, not lead to this.

Now we were caught between two terrible possibilities. Either she really was pregnant with someone else's child. Or she was lying. And we all knew, we'd have to find out the truth. Fast.

The Queen continued, her tone cool but satisfied. "This is cause for celebration. The royal bloodline is blessed. We will begin preparing formal recognition in the days to come."

We walked back to the prince's quarters in silence.

No one said a word along the corridors. Not through the main hall. Not as we passed the servants bowing along the walls. The Queen's announcement was still echoing in my ears, like it had been carved into stone and pressed behind my ribs.

When we reached the doors, Lan Wangji opened them without a word.

We stepped inside.The doors closed behind us with a soft click. That was all it took.

Wei Wuxian let out a long, strangled groan and dropped straight onto the couch like the air had been punched out of him. "I cannot believe this. I told you that illusion powder should come with a disclaimer!"

"You didn't even know what half the powder did," I snapped, already pacing. "Don't act like you were the voice of caution."

Ming Yu stood near the window, arms folded, jaw tight. "We can't panic."

"Too late," Wei Wuxian muttered. 

Lan Wangji remained by the door, calm as ever. "The Queen intends to move quickly. Once Yufei is publicly acknowledged, the child will be protected—whether it's real or not."

"So what do we do?" I asked. "If she's lying, we can't accuse her without proof. If she's not…" I trailed off.

The room went quiet again.

Ming Yu looked at me then, and for a moment, I saw more than strategy in his expression. I saw worry. "We need to find out the truth," he said. "Fast. Quietly."

Wei Wuxian groaned again, louder this time. "I am never pretending to sleep with someone again. I can't handle another surprise baby."

Yuling leaned back slightly, folding her fan with a soft snap.

"If only Shen Kexian were here," she said. "He'd probably know by now if Yufei was bluffing or not."

The room went still.

Ming Yu's head turned sharply toward her, his eyes narrowing before he could catch the expression. He didn't say anything, but I felt the shift in the air—the tension pulling tight across his shoulders.

Wei Wuxian, surprisingly, nodded. "She's right. That bastard reads people like books he already memorized. Yufei wouldn't be able to blink without giving something away."

I glanced at both of them, and despite myself, thought the same thing.

Shen Kexian would know.

Somehow, he always knew—what wasn't said, what people were trying to hide, what lies were just about to unravel. He could read the room before it entered itself. He wouldn't have needed a month. He would've taken one look at her at the ceremony and told us whether she was carrying a child or a threat. 

He'd vanished with one cryptic message and no return date. And while I appreciated the break from spiritual fire drills and emotional combustion… I hadn't realized how badly I needed him until now.