The throne hall after the third bell: black-gold funeral light, sealed doors, the dead empress above, Wei Qun trapped on the dragon throne below.

The sealed doors open for the northern emissary.

Bao identifies himself through faction before question, making the cousin-prince's pressure visible.

Bao frames a political demand as a mourning question.

Wei Qun hears the real threat under Bao's polite question.

Wei Qun answers Bao by drawing a boundary without sounding afraid.

The answer lands as a public cut; the court laughs just enough.

Bao retreats, but his warning remains in the hall.

The fifth hour approaches, and Wei Qun's confidence drains when she sees who enters next.

Nurse Su Lian enters, carrying grief instead of a courtier's weapon.

Auntie Su breaks form by speaking in southern dialect.

The dialect hits Wei Qun harder than the question itself.

Auntie Su asks a childhood secret no prepared decoy answer covers.

Wei Qun searches her training and finds nothing useful.

Wei Qun guesses; Auntie Su's grief reveals the answer was wrong without saying so.

Auntie Su leaves without accusing Wei Qun, which frightens Wei Qun more than exposure would have.

The sixth hour begins before Wei Qun can recover.

Han Rui asks about steamships, harbor levies, and foreign engines — a practical test of rule.

Wei Qun answers from memorized case records, using concrete statecraft to steady the hall.

Han accepts the answer, but Wei Qun cannot let go of the nurse's silence.

Wei Qun connects Auntie Su to the planned seventh-hour swap.

The promised swap becomes a problem: if Auntie Su came here weeping, why was she not preparing Lu Min?