An army divided is easier to control. An unwelcome thought. Was the Celestial Emperor wary of the soldiers uniting against his will again? The soldiers had not realized their support of me could be seen as a challenge to the emperor—they were ignorant of what I had done to earn his wrath. My true defiance of the emperor that day, my calculated misinterpretation of his command to bring him the pearls, was something only the two of us knew. And likely, the newly elevated general, his most trusted advisor.

“Is that the worst of it? Quiet mealtimes?” I spoke lightly, trying to brighten her mood despite my own reservations.

She wrinkled her nose. “It’s hard to keep track of the rules when new ones are added each day. Soon, it will be an infraction to leave the palace without permission. I won’t be able to visit then.”

The thought unsettled me. How things had changed since I left the Celestial Kingdom. How I would have chafed beneath these restrictions. The worst punishment I could recall was a stern rebuke from General Jianyun or Wen—I recoiled, casting aside the unwelcome memory. “What happens if you ignore the rules?” I asked.

“Kneeling. Confinement. Lashings.” Her voice cracked over the last word.

My fingers clenched around the bowl. “You must be careful.”

“Oh, I am. I’ve never been so circumspect before,” she said with feeling. “But they seem to be keeping a close eye on me, particularly after General Wu’s elevation.”

“Why?” When she did not reply, I probed, “Is it because of our friendship?”

She looked down, stirring the soup with her spoon. “It is others, seeing threat where there is none. It changes nothing; I will not pander to them.”

Remorse gripped me. This was what I had dreaded all this time, that she might come to harm for simply being my friend. “If things are that bad, if they’re looking to punish you, why stay?”

“I can’t leave yet. While I serve the emperor, my family is safe. We have no powerful friends who would speak for us should trouble arise again. My younger brother hopes to join the army when he comes of age, and if I resign, he will lose the chance.” Her gaze turned distant. “Sometimes, steering clear of trouble doesn’t keep you safe. Pebbles by the side of a path still get trodden by careless feet, and idle words carry too much weight when whispered into the wrong ears.”

“There is room for you and your family here,” I offered at once. “The eyes of the Celestial Kingdom are far away.”

But they are still fixed here, a voice inside me cautioned.

“I wish I could,” she said wistfully. “But my family will be reluctant to move. These roots we have set down are not so easily wrenched free.”