Danzhi, his mind seething with humiliation's fire, kicked open the training room door with his waist knife drawn. His eyes darted wildly before he bellowed, "Cuckold and adulteress! Come out to meet your fate!"

The silence that followed unsettled him. When he glimpsed into the empty chamber - not a soul stirred beneath its still-air shadows. Yet something lingered in the atmosphere, a pungent aroma that was unmistakably male. The scent was foreign to Princess Fifteenth's usual fragrance.

"Aren't you afraid of the princess punishing you for barging into her private chambers with your sword unsheathed?" His soldier regained consciousness and cautiously followed him inside.

A chill ran down Danzhi's spine as he realized they were alone. "We just saw Princess Fifteenth practicing here, didn't we? Where could they have vanished to so suddenly?"

The soldier massaged his temples, "I suppose it was a ghost then?" His voice wavered as he took cautious steps back.

"No, no!" Danzhi insisted, "Princess Fifteenth was definitely playing the flute for another man! I must prove this!"

The soldier's eyes widened in horror at the implications.

Back in the palace, Princess Sixteenth intercepted their commotion. "What business do you two have in my sister's training room?" she demanded.

Danzhi and his subordinate kneeled immediately. "Your Highness, we were patrolling when..."

"Someone was committing adultery?" She leaned forward intrigued.

The soldier blurted out the story while Danzhi bit his lip. "I saw Princess Fifteenth kneeling to play flute for a man!"

Princess Sixteenth's face twisted in fury. "It must be HIM! They've advanced so quickly!"

Danzhi trembled under her scrutiny as memories resurfaced - their recent estrangement since he'd challenged that other man.

"Describe what you saw," she demanded, her voice suddenly venomous.

Danzhi recounted the scene carefully, noting how his view of the man's face was obscured by shadows but recognizing him as a court official with influence. The soldier merely nodded, still disoriented from his earlier blow to the head.

When questioned about the missing couple, Danzhi insisted they'd hidden when he kicked in the door. "But I can't find them now," he admitted.

Princess Sixteenth smirked knowingly. She let him ramble on about royal honor before suddenly turning innocent. "What did you say about justice?"

Danzhi repeated his demand for retribution, unaware her expression had already darkened with calculation.

"Who are we seeking justice against?" she asked, feigning confusion.

Danzhi's blood ran cold as he realized the trap closing around him. "Princess, how could you deny what I saw..."

"Treacherous dog!" she roared suddenly. "You dare defame my sister and me? Come, let's take this to Father!"

A cold sweat broke out on Danzhi's brow as his mind raced through dire consequences - execution, family disgrace, perhaps even death.

"I beg your forgiveness," he fell to his knees, "My obsession with you must have conjured these illusions..."

Princess Sixteenth allowed the tension to hang before relenting. She warned him never to return without permission and hinted at severe punishment should rumors escape. As Danzhi retreated in defeat, she inspected a suspicious stain on the floor.

The stain smelled strange - an intoxicating mix that made her fingers tingle when she touched it to her nose. A forbidden thought crossed her mind as she unconsciously licked her fingertip...

"Come out!" she shouted suddenly, but only echoes answered.

Princess Fifteenth's sister entered just then in proper court attire. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard about..." Princess Sixteenth began.

"Father has appointed me to command the expedition," Princess Fifteenth interrupted.

The confrontation escalated as Princess Sixteenth begged to be included and was denied. She stormed out, only to return later after realizing her father had already made up his mind against her.

In a separate chamber, Princess Fifteenth lay in bed with her sister. "Father refused me again."

"Be patient," Princess Fifteenth said, noticing her younger sibling's distress.

As she began undressing for the night, Princess Sixteenth reached out and touched something damp between her sister's legs...

The next morning, a massive military operation commenced as food supplies were transported to Dragon Wing Fortress. The siege had left the city desperate - grain stores empty, horses starving. Bandits had launched reckless attacks in their final gambit.

Inside the fortress, General Zhang Guan was already in a foul mood. "Chong Wu! You're responsible for this disaster!" he bellowed at his subordinate.

Chong Wu defended himself against the accusations until Zhang ordered his execution. The other commanders protested but were silenced by Zhang's threats of treason charges backed by Lord Pang's authority.

The soldiers grew increasingly desperate as supplies ran out. When Zhang refused to share even a taste of his extravagant dinner, riots erupted in the barracks.

Suddenly, strange lights pierced the night sky - spacecraft descending with Sargent Zhao Qian at their helm. The mutinous soldiers were immediately disarmed and subdued.

Zhang tried to resist but was swiftly incapacitated when Zhao ordered his limbs amputated for his crimes against the army.

With order restored, Zhao turned his attention back to the palace, where Princess Sixteenth had just finished an intimate encounter with her sister.