Chapter Thirty-Three: Unspeakable

Zetian dreams she is restrained in a steel chair while An Lushan and soldiers force liquor down a tube into her throat. The pain and terror feel real enough to shatter her sleep. She wakes beside Yizhi, panicked and gasping, and rushes—despite her wound—to confront Li Shimin.

At Shimin’s door, Zetian describes the torture from her dream. Shimin’s sudden panic halts her, confirming the memory is real. Zetian realizes An Lushan created Shimin’s addiction through forced intoxication, and fragmented memories surface of how the abuse eroded his will and trapped him in a brutal cycle.

Overwhelmed with guilt for judging him, Zetian apologizes. Shimin’s reply is brittle; her “credit” cannot bring back the girls he lost, and he tries to shut them out. Zetian and Yizhi hold the door, refusing to let the conversation end there.

Yizhi gently steadies Shimin, acknowledging the lives Shimin has protected and urging belief in their shared mission to liberate Zhou. For a moment, Shimin softens under Yizhi’s calm presence and touch, the offer of solidarity nearly reaching him.

Then Shimin notices that Zetian and Yizhi arrived together, hand in hand. Feeling pitied and excluded, he hardens, tells them to “go be happy,” and slams the door, leaving their attempt at connection rebuffed.