"To rule a court, you must learn to listen to what isn't said." — Grand Tutor Wei Liansheng
---
[Location: Eastern Palace – Hidden Chamber Beneath the Archive Pavilion]
The torches burned low, casting long shadows across the faded scrolls and secret ledgers hidden beneath the Eastern Palace. The scent of old parchment mixed with the bitter aroma of burning sandalwood, creating an atmosphere heavy with secrecy and tension. Xie Lan stood before a massive web chart inked across the wall — names, titles, and bloodlines strung together with threads of red silk and silver.
At the center was his name, encircled in black ink.
Around him, five figures knelt.
Each one had pledged loyalty during the chaos of the Crimson Orchid Trials. Each had seen something in Xie Lan that terrified them enough to obey. And each bore a secret worth killing for.
The Hidden Court had begun. And it was growing.
"Zhao Heng," Xie Lan said quietly, eyes narrowing. "Status of our infiltration in the Northern Ministry?"
The former bully, now visibly reshaped by fear and shame, looked more nervous than usual. "Two clerks turned. One scribe refuses, but he has a gambling debt. We're working on him. Our forged ledgers are in place. If no audit comes in the next two weeks, we'll be ready to intercept the grain tax records."
Xie Lan nodded. "Ensure no loose ends. If we falter, the Crown Prince's men will devour us."
Zhao Heng swallowed hard. "Yes, Your Highness."
"And the Empress's lady-in-waiting?"
A woman in red — Yue Chan, former assassin turned informant — stepped forward. Her movements were silent, predatory. "She's loyal to the Empress, but her brother is stationed at the western borders. A forged letter of his death may sway her loyalty. We have three agents stationed in the courier halls."
"Good. Proceed. But carefully. If the Empress catches wind of this, we lose everything."
Xie Lan turned to the chart and tapped a name: Lord Wen Qishan — the Emperor's ears in every court, a master of whispers.
"We take him next."
The room pulsed with tension. No one questioned him.
---
[Location: House of Lord Wen – Three Days Later]
The air smelled of old ink and powdered sandalwood. Lord Wen sat with his back straight, tea in hand, brows furrowed. His study was lined with thousands of bamboo slips, records from half a century of imperial governance.
"I've seen you before," he said to Xie Lan, lips tight. "You're the discarded son. What brings you to my study?"
Xie Lan smiled politely, his eyes cold.
"I bring a gift."
He placed a scroll on the table — sealed in red wax, stamped with the sigil of the Grand Chancellor.
Lord Wen hesitated, then unrolled it.
His expression froze. His hands trembled.
"How?"
"Your bastard daughter," Xie Lan said calmly, "is quite talented at painting. The resemblance to the Queen Consort is uncanny. I wonder what would happen if this portrait reached the Emperor's desk."
Lord Wen's composure fractured. The knowledge he had hidden for twenty years exposed.
"You've no proof," he hissed.
"I have enough to plant doubt. And doubt is fatal in a court ruled by suspicion."
A long silence.
Then, slowly, Lord Wen dropped to one knee.
"What do you wish of me?"
---
[Location: Imperial Gardens – Midnight Meeting]
Li Meiyan waited beneath the flowering moonlotus tree. Her robes shimmered like dusk and twilight woven into silk. The blossoms around her glowed under the moonlight, a surreal contrast to the weight in her expression.
Xie Lan approached, his footsteps soundless against the stone path. His robe flared slightly in the breeze, and for a moment, the man he had once been — her Lan-ge — seemed to return.
"I warned you," she said, voice tinged with sorrow.
"And yet you're still here," he replied, stopping just short of the bloom's shadow.
She studied him for a long time, the moon reflecting in her eyes. "Do you ever regret it? What we were?"
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he handed her a folded parchment — a court ledger bearing the Crown Prince's seal, itemizing bribes, diverted funds, and falsified reports. Her hands trembled as she read it.
"Treason," she whispered.
"Or a bargaining chip," he said. "If you want to be Empress, you'll need leverage. This is the first step."
She looked up at him, eyes filled with a mix of grief and awe.
"You're becoming the villain they feared."
"No," he said, stepping closer, so close she could see the glint of pain behind his mask. "I'm becoming the villain they deserve."
Their fingers brushed, a single spark of what once was. Then it vanished, like a memory lost to smoke.
---
[System Update]
> Villain Points +50
New Title Unlocked: "Shadow Regent"
Political Influence: Tier II Reached
Faction Loyalty – Updated
Zhao Heng: 65% (Cautious)
Yue Chan: 80% (Devoted)
Li Meiyan: 45% (Conflicted)
"In every great game, there comes a moment when silence speaks louder than war drums." — General Ji Wuxiang
---
[Location: Imperial Court – Dragon Throne Hall, Morning Assembly]
Golden sunlight filtered through stained crystal windows, scattering prismatic light across the Dragon Throne Hall. Courtiers bowed in silence, lined like chess pieces before the dais.
The air crackled with ceremonial tension.
And at the top, veiled in incense and divine robes, sat the Emperor of the Eastern Empire — Xie Rui, father of princes, master of masks.
His expression, as ever, was unreadable.
Xie Lan stood two rows behind his brothers, dressed in mourning gray robes, quiet and unassuming. But his eyes sharp, calculating — never left the Emperor's form.
This was the first assembly since he had returned to court.
And the Emperor had summoned him by name.
"Let the Seventh Prince step forward," the Emperor's voice boomed.
Murmurs rippled across the court.
Xie Lan stepped forward.
He bowed deeply. "This son obeys."
Xie Rui's gaze, ancient and unyielding, pierced him.
"We hear troubling reports from the outer academies. Fist fights. Insulted nobles. Rumors of rebellion. Have you grown wild in exile, boy?"
Xie Lan didn't flinch. "Your son merely trains harder than most, and speaks truths others dare not whisper."
A collective intake of breath.
Prince Xie Yan — the Crown Prince — stepped forward smoothly. "Father, Seventh Brother has always had a dramatic flair. Perhaps he needs quieter studies. A return to monastery life would do wonders."
Chuckles. Scattered nods.
The Emperor raised a hand.
"Enough."
Silence fell.
Then, the Emperor reached for a small wooden token beside his throne carved with the Imperial seal.
He tossed it through the air.
Xie Lan caught it in one hand.
Gasps echoed. It was a Royal Edict.
"You are hereby assigned as Assistant Supervisor to the Imperial Trade Routes," the Emperor declared. "If you're so bold, let's see what you do with power."
Xie Yan's face twisted. "But!"
"Do you question Us?" the Emperor asked, voice like iron.
The Crown Prince bit his tongue. Bowed.
"No, Your Majesty."
Xie Lan bowed again.
"This son obeys."
But inside, he smiled.
Power. Access. Resources.
The game had changed.
---
[Location: Ministry of Commerce – Outer Hall, Later That Day]
Dusty ledgers. Lazy officials. Mismanaged taxes.
The Ministry of Commerce was a forgotten corner of the empire. But now, it was his.
Zhao Heng whistled low as he followed Xie Lan through the corridors. "You really pissed off the Crown Prince this time. He looked ready to bite his tongue off."
"Let him," Xie Lan murmured. "Rage clouds judgment."
They arrived at a locked vault. Xie Lan passed the edict scroll to a startled secretary, who bowed so hard he nearly toppled over.
Inside were shipment logs, border permits, and... bribes.
Xie Lan's eyes narrowed.
"Have these copied and sealed," he ordered. "I want three full records. One for court, one for the Emperor, one... for leverage."
Zhao Heng raised a brow. "Leverage?"
"Everything is leverage," Xie Lan said.
---
[Location: Inner Palace – Empress's Private Garden]
The Empress sat among plum trees, watching koi glide across still waters.
Li Meiyan knelt nearby, her face pale.
"He's rising too fast," the Empress murmured. "Like a flame fanned too high. Flames burn out."
Li Meiyan spoke carefully. "Then perhaps we must... smother it before it spreads."
The Empress smiled faintly.
"Yes. Inform Lord Qishan. It's time he earns his place."
---
[System Update]
> Royal Appointment: Assistant Trade Supervisor
Access Unlocked: Internal Treasury & Merchant Guilds
Villain Points +70
New Title Unlocked: "Silken Fang"
Political Influence: Tier III Approaching