"In a court of silk and shadows, the most dangerous blade is a smile."
– Xie Lan, Seventh Prince of the Eastern Empire
---
[Location: The Eastern Palace – Hall of Whispered Jade]
The hall shimmered with candlelight, every golden flame casting dancing shadows across the scroll-laden walls. Ministers, princes, and noble heirs stood in arranged clusters, exchanging pleasantries so sharp they bled beneath the surface. It was the Imperial Banquet of Jade Lanterns — an annual ritual of unity, honor, and silent warfare.
Xie Lan arrived fashionably late.
He wore a robe of storm-silver and ink-black brocade, subtle crimson embroidery curling like serpents along the sleeves. His hair, loosely tied with a silver clasp, fell to his shoulders — elegant, but unrestrained. A fan hung at his waist, its lacquered surface painted with a lone phoenix devouring the sun.
Eyes turned. Whispers rippled.
"The disgraced prince dares show himself?"
"Didn't the Crown Prince humiliate him at the last court debate?"
"No… haven't you heard? He passed the Crimson Orchid Trial."
"Impossible."
Xie Lan smiled at the scent of disbelief. Let them choke on it.
> [DING!] Villain Points +5
Title Progress: "Whispers of the Imperial Fox" — 80%
Bonus Objective Triggered: Poison the Blood Lotus Wine Cup
He walked past the startled nobles, through the parted silks of the banquet canopy, and toward his seat — the lowest of the royal siblings. A mark of his shame.
And yet, no one dared speak.
The court had begun to watch him not as a disgrace… but as a threat.
---
[Location: At the High Table]
The Emperor sat beneath the imperial dragon sigil, his expression unreadable. Beside him, Crown Prince Xie Yan whispered something to the Grand Preceptor. His golden robes gleamed. His eyes found Xie Lan and narrowed — not with fear, but recognition.
He remembers, Xie Lan thought. He feels the shift.
So does she.
Across the banquet, seated beside the Dowager Empress, sat Li Meiyan — the Crown Princess.
Clad in soft gold and garnet, she looked ethereal, eyes downcast as she poured wine into her brother's cup. But Xie Lan saw it — that flicker of hesitation in her hand. The moment her gaze met his, veiled in guilt… or something else.
A memory struck him like a blade:
---
[Flashback: Year 979 – Autumn]
She had laughed in the rain.
Her hair was soaked, her slippers ruined, but Li Meiyan spun in the palace courtyard like the wind didn't matter. Xie Lan stood under the eaves, watching her like a fool.
"Come on," she had said, grabbing his hand. "You act like your life is made of glass."
"It is," he muttered. "You just don't see the cracks."
She pressed a kiss to his jaw and whispered, "Then let me be the glue."
---
He blinked.
Across the table, she turned her head — quickly — as if ashamed.
> [Villain System Notification] Detected: Emotion Fluctuation — Target: Crown Princess Li Meiyan
Cross-Reference: Betrayal Timeline
Potential Rebirth Status: 73%
Suggestion: Proceed with caution. Former lover may retain fragmented memories.
Xie Lan exhaled through his nose.
So it was true.
He tapped the wine cup before him. A servant immediately appeared.
"Bring me the Blood Lotus Wine," Xie Lan ordered softly.
"Y-Yes, Your Highness…"
---
[Moments Later: In the Garden Corridor – Beneath the Plum Trees]
Two figures met in secret.
Zhao Heng, former bully, now reluctant ally, adjusted the scroll tucked beneath his robes.
"You want me to do what?"
"Distract the Minister of Ceremonies," Xie Lan said, calm and cold. "And ensure that Crown Prince Xie Yan drinks only from the dragon-etched cup."
"That's poison, isn't it?"
"Of course not," Xie Lan lied with a gentle smile. "It's merely… truth serum. A small drop. For entertainment."
Zhao Heng snorted. "You're terrifying."
"And you're still alive because I'm merciful."
> [Villain System Update] Mission Unlocked: "Mirror of the Masks"
Objective: Cause scandal in the banquet without bloodshed
Reward: Venom Needle Fan – Rare Grade Weapon
---
[Back at the Banquet – Imperial Toast Begins]
The nobles raised their cups as the Emperor rose.
"To the enduring flame of the Eastern Empire," he intoned. "May we burn eternal."
Xie Lan waited. The cups tilted. Laughter rippled. And then...
Crown Prince Xie Yan dropped his goblet.
His face twisted.
"What" he gasped. "What… is this!?"
The hall froze.
His skin flushed. He staggered, then dropped to one knee not dead, not dying… but clearly drugged.
> [DING!] Bonus Mission Complete: Poisoned the Blood Lotus Wine Cup
Villain Points +25
Crown Prince Reputation -10 (Court)
Rumors Unlocked: "A Curse in His Blood?" now circulating
Chaos erupted. Ministers whispered. The Dowager Empress rose in horror.
Only Xie Lan sat unmoving, fan open before his face like a curtain.
He met Li Meiyan's eyes across the chaos.
She was pale.
She knows.
And she would remember.
---
[Later That Night – Rooftop Above the Hall of Autumn Leaves]
Li Meiyan stood in the shadows, cloak tight around her.
"You poisoned him," she said softly.
Xie Lan stepped beside her, not looking. "No. I simply helped him speak his truth."
"This isn't the boy I loved."
He turned to her, eyes glinting like cut glass.
"No," he said. "That boy died with your sword in his chest."
Silence.
"You remember, don't you?" he whispered.
Tears gathered in her eyes. "Only fragments. Dreams. Pieces I can't explain."
He touched her wrist.
"Then remember this: I loved you. And you buried me."
> [Villain System Update] Emotional Anchor Detected: Li Meiyan
Status: Unstable
Option Available: Sever Emotional Bond (Gain +30 Villain Points | Lose Human Emotion Level -2)
He released her hand.
"I'm not the same man anymore, Meiyan. And soon… neither will you be."