Chu Zhaoning sat cross-legged beneath the pear tree, her fingers idly twirling a fallen petal while her mind raced at high velocity.
She lifted her left hand, staring at the faint blue halo embedded beneath her skin. A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes.
"When Blue-One developed this, he never mentioned it could breach time and space. Since my bracer crossed over with me, what about the backup components for Blue-Five and Yellow-Seven?"
Blue-One was the organization's Chief Research Officer. Though she couldn't contact him now, this system—which had accompanied her through countless life-and-death missions—had clearly become her ultimate "cheat code" in the Great Qi Dynasty.
[System Prompt: Medical Core Module operating normally.]
[Command Confirmed: Switching to 'Big Data Strategic Analysis' Mode—Loading Power Distribution Map of the Great Qi Imperial Family.]
As she chanted the command in her mind, a golden web of power slowly unfurled across her retina. By cross-referencing the original host's memories with the system's data, the current situation became as clear as a tabletop wargame.
In this Imperial City, everyone had a mountain backing them. Everyone except Xiao Zhan, whose background was a desolate wasteland.
[The Legitimate Heir] First Prince, Xiao Yi: Backed by the Empress and the Duke of Zhao's Manor. He holds the status of the eldest son of the primary wife; his power is the most stable.
[The Financial Giant] Second Prince, Xiao Yu: Though he's a fool, his mother, Noble Consort Zhao, comes from a family with limitless wealth, controlling 30% of Great Qi's economic lifeline. His sister, the Fourth Princess, is even more arrogant, treating human lives like grass.
[The Favored Son] Fifth Prince, Xiao Ce: His mother, Consort Xian, is the Emperor's "White Moonlight." She is a constant presence by His Majesty's side; a few whispers on the pillow are enough to shake the foundations of the state.
[The Neutral Anchor] Sixth Prince, Xiao Jing: His mother, Consort Hui, is the "Evergreen" of the palace—calculating and cautious, she never takes a side.
"The Third Prince, Xiao Zhan..." Chu Zhaoning let out a cold laugh.
His mother, Consort Shu, had died early of illness. Xiao Zhan had no powerful maternal clan to support him, nor was he favored like the Fifth Prince. In this brutal battlefield for the throne, he was originally just a marginal figure, liable to be sacrificed at any moment.
"The Emperor's decree is a compensation for the Chu family on the surface. In reality, he's tethering two 'helpless' people together. This way, it doesn't threaten the First Prince's position as heir, nor does it shake the Noble Consort's power."
Chu Zhaoning crushed the petal into dust, her gaze icy.
"This is a blatant exile. But they've forgotten—the most dangerous hunters always emerge from the wilderness."
The Third Prince's Residence: Deep Night.
Within the high walls and secluded courtyards, only the innermost study emitted a faint glow of lamplight.
Xiao Zhan sat behind his desk, his ink-black brocade robe pristine. His slender fingers flipped through a thin secret report. The candlelight cast sharp shadows across his stern, handsome profile, making him look like a refined Tang Dao blade with its edge concealed.
It was the latest intelligence sent by Shadow Blade—concerning Chu Zhaoning.
"Behavioral patterns mutated abruptly on the night of the broken engagement."
"Personality shifted from impulsive to calm; actions are extremely precise."
"No contact with any suspicious individuals detected."
Xiao Zhan's fingertip pressed against the last line. He whispered to himself, "...No contact with suspicious individuals?"
Shadow Blade knelt before the desk, his voice low. "I have verified it multiple times. Miss Chu has not stepped foot outside the General's Manor since last night, nor has there been any unusual movement among the people entering or leaving the estate."
Xiao Zhan's gaze was as deep as the sea.
If she had been swapped or was wearing a disguise, there would inevitably be traces of external contact. But the facts proved that this sharp, calm, and ruthless Chu Zhaoning had "awakened" without any outside intervention.
This was even more unbelievable than her being "controlled."
"In the past, would she have retaliated against Xiao Yu like that?" Xiao Zhan asked flatly.
Shadow Blade hesitated for a moment before answering. "...No. The former Miss Chu was unyielding to a fault. If insulted, she would at most choose death to prove her integrity."
Xiao Zhan's eyes flickered.
Last night's counterattack—that suffocatingly precise "White Lotus" rhetoric, that bloodless method of nailing Xiao Yu to a pillar of shame—was not a scheme a sheltered orphan of a military family could devise.
"Interesting..." he said softly.
He remembered the little girl who used to chase him years ago, calling him "Brother Zhan."
If she really had changed, then what had she become?
An enemy? A pawn? Or... a blade he could fight alongside?
Xiao Zhan closed the report, his tone returning to a calm but undeniable authority:
"Keep a close eye on her. Not surveillance—I want the highest level of protection."
Shadow Blade was stunned. "Your Highness, she is the future Consort. Surely..."
Xiao Zhan looked up, a cold light swirling in his eyes. "Because right now, the number of people in this Imperial City who want her to vanish is likely greater than those who want me dead."
The Second Prince's Residence.
When Xiao Yu was carried back, his face was still deathly pale, and his limbs occasionally jerked with neurotic spasms.
As soon as the gates slammed shut and the seal of house arrest was applied, his sanity shattered along with his last shred of dignity.
"Bitch... That bitch Chu Zhaoning! And Xiao Zhan!"
He violently overturned his desk. Tea sets shattered on the floor, and scalding water splashed onto his robes.
She was supposed to be his legitimate consort. She was supposed to be his stepping stone to the throne, built on the remnants of the Chu family. Now, he had been stripped of her in public, and she had been handed to his most despised rival!
"Someone!" Xiao Yu roared, his eyes bloodshot.
A personal eunuch scrambled over, kneeling in fear. "Your Highness."
"Go. Arrange the fastest secret channel. Send a message to my mother, the Noble Consort."
Venomous resentment swirled in his eyes.
In his secret letter, he didn't mention a single word of his own debauchery. Instead, he wrote the most lethal accusation:
"Chu Zhaoning has conspired with the Third Prince to humiliate me. I fear they harbor treasonous intent. Mother, please cut off her path of retreat immediately."
As the wax seal dropped onto the envelope, Xiao Yu let out a viper-like sneer.
"Chu Zhaoning, you think you're safe just because you're marrying someone else?"
"You've forgotten. In this Imperial City, there is one person... who hates the idea of the Chu family rising again more than anyone."
In the night, a messenger pigeon took flight, soaring toward the heart of Great Qi's power—the depths of the Inner Palace.
The true storm had only just begun.