The Fallen Heiress Steals the Banquet

Lan had one job left after her family fell, keep the name alive. By day, Li Lan smiled at nobles who once bowed to her mother. By night, she bent over silk and stitched tiny hidden words into palace cloth, because paper could be burned and voices could be bought. When the court handed her the public seal for a banquet in the room where the old emperor died, she knew someone was testing her. Then her room was searched in her absence, and a stranger was the only witness. She had to stay calm, because every thread in her hands could save or ruin what was left of her house. The man she thought was gone came back with a hand that would not leave her wrist.