---
[Li Cheng Cheng's POV]
The palace shimmered like a dream carved from gold and frost. Lanterns floated in the air like captive stars, their light mirrored on the jade floors.
My borrowed name tonight was Lady Yan Ruo—a noblewoman from the Northern Territories, daughter of a vanished house.
My purpose, however, was carved in fire:
to stand before the ones who had murdered Su Mei Lian and smile as if I'd never bled.
> (System 003: Identity veil active. Neural resonance 98%.)
(Caution: Emotional fluctuations detected.)
"Let them see what a ghost looks like when it wears silk," I whispered.
The guards at the gate bowed low as I entered.
A thousand gazes followed the sound of my steps—measured, soft, deliberate.
Every noble's wife tilted her fan; every minister's son drew breath.
---
Music spilled through the great hall—harps, drums, and the chime of crystal cups.
At the dais sat Emperor Liang, his eyes clouded by age yet bright with calculation. Beside him, the Crown Prince Li Yun leaned lazily on one arm, handsome and unreadable.
At the lower seats lounged Prime Minister Zhao Rong, face smooth as porcelain, and beside him his protégé, Lord Xu Han, the "hero" of tonight's celebration.
The woman at Xu Han's side—Su Mei Xian—glowed in a new red gown, the same shade as the one her sister had died in.
My hands curled inside my sleeves.
> (System 003: Pulse elevation. Recommend moderation.)
"I am calm," I murmured. "I am simply remembering."
---
[Announcement]
A herald's voice thundered:
> "Honored guests, tonight we celebrate Lord Xu Han and Lady Su Mei Xian, blessed by Heaven and favored by His Majesty!"
Applause rippled like false rain.
Xu Han rose, bowing deeply. The candlelight carved his smile into something beautiful—and hollow.
If the dead could laugh, I thought, it would sound like that.
---
[Li Yun's POV]
Among the whirl of gowns and jewels, one figure did not belong.
The woman in pale silver silk sat apart, watching instead of worshiping.
Her eyes held a strange depth—like the calm of a storm before it breaks.
"Who is she?" I asked my attendant.
"Lady Yan Ruo, Your Highness. A noble from the North. She claims to study star-metal trade routes."
"Star-metal…" I murmured, intrigued. "That accent, though—it isn't northern."
When her gaze brushed mine across the table, for an instant I felt the air tremble.
Not beauty—that I'd seen a thousand times.
But purpose.
A quiet fire, banked under courtesy.
---
[Li Cheng Cheng's POV]
The Emperor's gaze found me.
"Lady Yan Ruo," he said, voice slow but firm, "we have heard the Northern Territories breed both warriors and scholars. Which are you?"
I bowed. "Your Majesty, in my land, a woman learns both sword and song. Otherwise, she cannot defend either her heart or her home."
A murmur swept the hall. The Emperor's lips curved slightly.
"Wise words."
Prince Li Yun's eyes gleamed with amusement.
Prime Minister Zhao Rong's did not.
---
During the feast, dancers swirled across the marble floor. I barely saw them; my attention remained on Xu Han and Mei Xian.
They toasted, laughed, whispered.
The crowd adored them.
Beneath my sleeve, the system's interface shimmered faintly—only I could see it.
> (System 003: Surveillance net established. Target Xu Han—primary lock.)
"Good," I thought. "Now let's see how he celebrates."
The wine cups moved from hand to hand.
One servant stumbled—just as planned—and spilled a drop onto Xu Han's robe.
A harmless slip.
Yet within that droplet, the system released a chain of nano-threads, invisible to mortal eyes.
They would trace every word, every heartbeat.
> (System 003: Network infiltration complete.)
I smiled behind my cup.
---
[General Wei Xuan's POV]
From my seat among the commanders, I watched the Northern lady with curiosity.
Her posture—too balanced for a court maiden.
Her gaze—too sharp.
And when the servant spilled the wine, I caught the faintest twitch of her finger, as if she'd commanded it.
Interesting.
---
The Crown Prince raised his glass toward me.
"Lady Yan Ruo, rumor says northern scholars debate the nature of fate. Tell me, do you believe destiny can be rewritten?"
I met his eyes. "Only by those who have died once and lived again."
For a heartbeat, silence fell. Even the music faltered.
Then the Emperor laughed softly. "An unusual answer. You must have seen much of war."
"Yes, Majesty," I said. "And betrayal."
Across the table, Xu Han's smile froze.
---
[Su Mei Xian's POV]
That woman's voice… It brushed something in me, cold and familiar.
Her eyes—dark, too dark—felt like they'd seen my soul and found it wanting.
Who was she? Why did I feel… afraid?
---
[Li Cheng Cheng's POV]
As the banquet continued, I let the world blur around me.
The music changed—a slower rhythm, heavy drums echoing like heartbeats.
Dancers in gold veils entered, swirling under the vast crystal chandelier that hung above the hall.
It was time.
> (System 003: Sequence ready. Awaiting confirmation.)
"Begin," I breathed.
---
The dancers formed a circle, their movements hypnotic. At my silent signal, the system sent a pulse—tiny, precise—through the palace's power grid hidden within the walls.
The lights flickered.
Gasps rose.
Then the chandelier groaned. Chains strained.
With a deafening crack, the crystal colossus broke free, shattering on the marble floor just beside Xu Han's chair.
Shards flew like falling stars.
Screams filled the hall.
When the dust cleared, Xu Han stood pale, blood speckling his sleeve.
A single sliver of glass had cut his cheek—nothing more.
"An omen!" someone cried. "A bad omen!"
Panic rippled through the nobles.
The Emperor's guards surged forward.
Amid the chaos, I stayed seated, calm as the eye of a storm.
> (System 003: Impact radius calculated. Casualties: none. Desired effect achieved.)
Perfect.
---
[Li Yun's POV]
While others shouted, Lady Yan Ruo sat unmoving.
No fear, no surprise.
Only that same faint, knowing curve of her lips.
My pulse quickened. Whoever she was, she wasn't ordinary.
---
[Li Cheng Cheng's POV]
"Forgive me, Your Majesty," I said, standing and bowing low. "In my homeland, such accidents mean Heaven disapproves of false unions."
Every head turned toward me.
The Emperor's brows lifted. "False unions?"
I met his gaze steadily. "When vows are built on deceit, Heaven shakes the earth to remind us."
My words hung like frost.
Xu Han stared at me, eyes narrowing, recognition flickering behind disbelief.
For an instant, I let him see it—just a hint of her face beneath the illusion.
His breath caught.
> (System 003: Veil instability—three seconds.)
Then the light shifted, and I was again Lady Yan Ruo, serene and foreign.
---
[Prime Minister Zhao Rong's POV]
I knew politics, but that woman—she played a deeper game.
If she truly hailed from the North, why did her words sting like accusation?
And why did Xu Han look as though he'd seen a ghost?
I would find out.
---
The banquet dispersed early. Servants cleaned the shattered glass; whispers followed in every corridor.
The Emperor retired with a thoughtful expression.
The Crown Prince left last, glancing once over his shoulder at me.
Only when the hall was empty did I allow my mask to crack.
> (System 003: Mission progress—22%.)
(Next target: Information extraction—Prime Minister Zhao Rong.)
I exhaled slowly. "He will suspect me soon."
> (System: Probability—87%.)
"Good," I said. "Let suspicion become the leash that pulls him closer."
---
As I turned to leave, a shadow detached itself from the pillars—General Wei Xuan.
He bowed. "Lady Yan Ruo."
"General."
"Your composure during the accident was remarkable. Most women screamed."
"Perhaps," I said, smiling faintly, "I've already seen too much death to scream at glass."
He studied me for a moment, then stepped aside.
"I hope Heaven keeps you from its next omen, my lady."
His tone carried both warning and admiration.
---
[Zhao Rong's Son POV]
From a hidden balcony above the courtyard, Zhao Rui, the Prime Minister's son, watched her depart.
The moonlight caught her profile—and his breath stilled.
He had seen that face before.
Not in the flesh, but in a painting once hidden in Xu Han's study—a portrait of Su Mei Lian, the dead bride.
Impossible.
Yet when the wind lifted her veil, the resemblance was undeniable.
He gripped the railing, pulse racing.
"She's supposed to be dead…" he whispered.
---
[System Log]
> World 001 — Progress: 22.4%.
Host Stability: Optimal.
New Variable Detected: Zhao Rui — anomaly flag raised.
Emotional Reading: Host satisfaction—measured calm. Underlying grief persists.
Note: The dead bride walks among kings, and Heaven begins to tremble.
---
To be continued…