Though their hearts burned with frustration at King Yibo's cold indifference and the sheer arrogance he carried like a second skin, neither Prince Langya nor Prince Deng allowed it to show on their faces. They watched in silence as he finished his tea with an air of regal composure before finally speaking.
"The absence of such men among us is more dangerous than their presence, Uncles. At times, I would rather sit with an enemy than with a so-called ally... for two very clear reasons."
The words struck them both sharply. Prince Langya leaned forward, frowning.
"Your Majesty, what sort of talk is this? Do you even understand the danger in what you say?"
Prince Deng cast his brother a sideways glare, biting back his irritation. This fool never knows when to hold his tongue. Outwardly, though, he fixed his gaze on King Yibo, who appeared utterly unmoved, as though the words had not even been spoken.
"Go on, Your Majesty," Prince Deng urged smoothly. "Perhaps your insight cuts closer to the truth than ours."
But King Yibo gave only a faint shrug, his tone clipped with dismissal.
"Forget it. Let us move to the next matter. One day, perhaps, we will return to that discussion."
The two uncles felt their throats tighten with swallowed anger. Prince Deng, especially, blamed Prince Langya for interrupting what might have been a revelation.
For a long moment, they held their silence. Then Prince Deng spoke again, more carefully this time.
"The next matter, Your Majesty, is the relief we all felt at the recovery of your royal consort. It is good fortune indeed. We only hope he will soon bring you heirs to carry the strength of the dynasty forward."
Instead of replying, King Yibo allowed a faint smile to curve his lips, enhancing his striking features, but he turned his gaze away, offering no words. The gesture alone made it clear he did not care to linger on the topic.
Prince Deng pressed on. "There is also the issue of Tian City. We must meet with its ruler, as well as the head of security, regarding what happened earlier. We cannot dismiss it lightly. We don't yet know the cause, nor the motive behind it. What disturbs us most is that such a thing has never happened before in Beiping kingdom. We have only heard of such events abroad...places where we ourselves have often mediated to restore peace. If it begins here, then our enemies have already found a crack in our fortress."
King Yibo seemed uninterested, but at last he looked up at Prince Deng. "You have my permission to act as you see fit, Uncles."
Their faces brightened at this rare mark of trust. Knowing his nature, they wasted no more time. Rising to their feet, they prepared to leave. But before they reached the door, Prince Langya turned back.
"One more matter, Your Majesty. Forgive me, but I must speak plainly. Was it wise to allow your male royal consort into the book hall so soon? Should he not remain secluded for now, if only to prevent our enemies from taking advantage of the situation? I fear it is too early to let him move so freely. Some restraint, I think, would be a safeguard."
Prince Deng gave a small nod of agreement. King Yibo, however, remained silent, his expression unreadable. With nothing more to say, the two uncles departed.
Long after they had gone, King Yibo sat motionless in the same spot, their last words echoing in his thoughts. At length, his lips moved in the faintest whisper.
"That fearless boy…"
And then, as quickly as it had come, the thought was swallowed into silence.
***
Just as Zhan had said earlier, a little after eight o'clock he stepped out dressed in a pure white robe. Though it was late evening, his presence carried both refinement and an authority that belied his young age. His face, brightened with a calm smile that revealed his teeth, greeted the gathered attendants who had already assembled on his orders.
One after another, they introduced themselves and their positions within the household. Zhan listened intently without saying much, his sharp gaze resting on each of them in turn. A nagging thought lingered in his chest... he could not simply trust everyone at face value. No matter their respectful bows, he was certain that among them were those with tainted hearts, just as Daneen had once warned him.
"Very well," Zhan said at last, his voice steady but edged with command. "I've heard all your introductions. But I will rearrange your duties myself, assigning tasks as I see fit. I won't plead with any of you to be honest or loyal...that is your own choice. But know this: if I catch anyone failing in those two things, I will pass judgment without hesitation. And that judgment may reach further than you ever imagined."
He then redistributed their duties, disregarding the roles they had been initially given. The unexpected shift unsettled them deeply, leaving many visibly shaken. The effect was immediate: his authority settled over them like a shadow, and whispers later compared his methods to the saying "when a lion roars, even the cunning foxes fall silent." Zhan had guessed correctly....most of them had likely been planted by powerful families to act as spies, as was often done within the great palaces.
When he dismissed them with orders to begin their work the following morning, Zhan carefully gathered his books and returned inside. He inspected every corner of his chamber, searching more intently than before, recalling Sir Mulan's warning about hidden cameras. Yet he found nothing suspicious.
Still uneasy, he picked up his phone. Instead of sending a message through social apps, tonight he chose to write a simple text to Sir Mulan, asking once again for updates on his parents' well-being. His instincts told him that Sir Fenghui had withheld something from him, or perhaps twisted the truth.
Every day he dialed the numbers of Huan and Babiy countless times, but never reached them. And then there were the dreams...visions of them returning to him, repeating every two nights. He did not believe in omens, yet his heart was restless. Fear always crept in, reminding him that dreams in his family's past had often proven dangerously close to reality.
★ Dowager Ruyan ★
The news of Zhan's late-evening appearance spread swiftly throughout the palace. It reached every ear... including Dowager Ryan's. Unlike others who scowled or whispered, she only smiled faintly, saying nothing. Her silence allowed her maid to chatter further about Zhan's visit to the book hall, before quietly returning to her own quarters.
Dowager Ruyan, however, listened with a still expression, her eyes fixed on her maid as though she could see Zhan's shadow written across the girl's face. A faint smile touched her lips before she turned toward her chief attendant, Banou.
"Prepare breakfast with the third royal consort."
Banou froze at the command, eyes wide, her head bowing quickly in barely concealed distress. For a moment it looked as though she might burst into tears. Dowager Ruyan watched her in mild surprise, though she said nothing... she already knew Banou's tendencies to overreact. Still, there were moments, even after years of service, when Dowager Ruyan herself could not explain why she kept the maid so close. Something about Banou's presence stirred a feeling that was difficult to name, even when all she did was carry out the simple duty of preparing her meals.
BARRISTER AAS
"Who are you? Why did you bring me here? What have I done to you?" Barrister demanded, his eyes darting across the tough-looking young men surrounding him, and then around the dimly lit room where he was tied tightly to a chair.
When it became clear they wouldn't give him a single answer, frustration rose in him, pushing him to speak more sharply. He was a man quick to anger when it came to truth and justice. He despised cruelty, and even without power, he would always stand for the rights of the innocent if he believed they were being wronged.
"If this is about the case, if you think silencing me or destroying my life will give you the freedom to do whatever you want to people who have done nothing to deserve it, then you're mistaken. I am not the one who decides their fate, and you will not escape accountability."
Still, none of them replied. Closing his eyes, Barrister felt his chest tighten with fury. At this point, he had only one desire: to uncover the real source behind the case involving Babiy. He had sworn to fight for it with all his strength and resources.
Night fell. He was still tied up in the darkness until around seven in the evening, when they finally allowed him to stretch his legs within the room. The small reprieve eased his tension a little. At least they showed some restraint, he thought. They even brought him food without binding him again, but he refused to touch it. When they returned around nine o'clock, they bound him once more and locked the back door as they left.
Countless thoughts and frustrations tore through him, but he remained silent, holding himself steady.
Close to eleven, just as he was dozing off, he heard the sound of the door unlocking. His eyes opened, though the dim light made it difficult to see who had entered. Three men stepped inside. The one leading them moved with authority, and from the way he carried himself, Barrister immediately sensed he was their leader.
The two men quickly placed a chair before Barrister. The leader sat, facing him. A dark silver mask covered his face, but his presence radiated weight and command.
"Why have you tied him up?" the masked man barked.
His men stammered, trying to defend themselves, until he silenced them with a sharp hiss of disapproval. "Untie him," he ordered.
Once Barrister was freed, he also commanded that food and water be brought again. Barrister only stared at him, puzzled by his authority. "I don't need food," he said quickly. "Just tell me why I've been brought here, and where I am."
He had almost given up hope of an answer when the masked man finally spoke, his tone sharp:
"Barrister Aas, I didn't come here on a whim. I left matters far more important than this to see you. Whether you know where you are, or who we are, makes no difference. The only thing you need to know is why you are here. And that depends on whether you follow our instructions."
Something in his commanding presence unnerved Barrister, even though his instincts screamed that this was no good place to be. For reasons he couldn't explain, he felt unable to argue with the man. Quietly, he began to eat... just a few bites of the meal, followed by water. "I'm done," he said softly.
"Good for you," the masked man replied carelessly. Then he fell silent for a long moment, before exhaling with deliberate calm.
"My time is short, so I won't waste it keeping you here. You will do a job for us. You don't have choice or the answer yes or no. Do you know Barrister Lie Hua?"
"Yes. He is my close friend," Barrister replied respectfully, though he didn't know why he suddenly spoke with such deference. Perhaps it was the sheer weight of the man's presence.
The masked man nodded slightly, and one of his subordinates continued: "That is exactly why this task falls to you. Barrister Lie Hua has been handling certain matters for our enemies. The boss wants you to take his place."
Barrister cut in immediately. "How is that possible? Those people know who they are dealing with. They'll never mistake me for him."
"We know that better than you do. That's why we chose you," the subordinate shot back. "Barrister Lie Hua is already in our custody, just as you are now. We have the means to make the exchange believable. As far as the outside world is concerned, you're dead. Your family doesn't know where you are. You'll handle this task for no more than ten days. If you fail.... or refuse....you're finished."
"You're keeping me in the dark. Barrister Lie Hua is more than a friend....he is family to me. We've supported each other countless times. How do you expect me to betray him by impersonating him in his work? That would be nothing short of treachery."
"That's your problem, not ours," the masked leader cut in coldly. "The work begins tomorrow."
He rose to his feet, his voice hard.
"Please...listen to me!" Barrister called out weakly.
But the man did not even glance back as he walked out, his men following closely behind, leaving Barrister in silence once more.
~**~
In Zhan's quarters, after dismissing his attendants with calm but firm instructions, he finally retreated inside. As was his habit, he carried out his nightly routines before going to bed.
He climbed onto the grand new bed, lips pressed together in thought. His eyes lingered on the stack of heavy books he had brought from the royal library, neatly arranged on the bedside drawer. He let his gaze sweep across them until it rested on the one he intended to study first. Pulling the soft blanket over his legs up to his thighs, he adjusted his posture carefully and opened the book.
Patiently and methodically, Zhan began to study, pushing himself to truly grasp every word, measuring the ideas against his own thoughts. He read for a long stretch, but eventually, drowsiness overcame him. The book slipped from his hand to the side, and with a long yawn, he surrendered to sleep.
★★..... ★.....
"Cao, everything is falling apart. I don't know where to begin. Help me, before the battles I've already endured become wasted struggles against the failure of my ambitions."
It was Inner One who spoke, her voice trembling with panic and agitation at the fact that Zhan had survived where others had not.
Cao, seated with a cold and commanding air, listened in silence. Then she sighed, shaking her head, her expression hardening.
"That boy is not enough to shake me, Inner One. You know me, you know my methods, and you know the limits I will not cross. You should remain calm and remember what I told you before. His survival will indeed be troublesome at a critical moment, which is why I regretted losing the first opportunity we had. And your negligence has delayed us further...you still haven't delivered the robe from the chamber of the Great lady. If we had that thread, we could have pulled at it. Now I realize there are others who share our purpose regarding the boy, just as I warned you.
And they've already obstructed us by delivering him to the Ghost's chamber, breaking protocol. You know how carefully we laid those traps. They outmaneuvered us, but what they don't realize is that this won't save him from what we've set in place. His death is inevitable."
"This isn't negligence, Cao. The servant I assigned is close to finishing that task. My fear lies elsewhere...the second thread of my ambition is stretching further away with time. I still need the second piece complete before I can step into the third stage, which is the true fulfillment of my victory in this struggle. You must do something. If the boy's death cannot yet be arranged this way, perhaps we should set him aside for now and focus on securing that second thread."
"That's not a bad thought, Inner One," Cao replied, her voice sharp but measured. "Between the two royal consorts left, one of them can become the key to completing our second stage. After that, we merge it with the boy's case and with the other plan in the southern quarter. Even so, during the seven days he spends in the Ghost's chamber, we won't stop pressing our advantage."
(I feel pity for the remaining two female royal consort. 😟)
"Exactly," Inner One agreed. "You are the hand that wipes away tears, the mirror that shows the reflection of triumph at the end of every great conquest."
"Victory is certain, Inner One, as long as you remain with us. But about the boy...you must weave him into your schemes now, just as you've always done when securing the Ghost's marriages through the Great Lady. Draw closer to him. Bind him to you."
"If that is the way, then it's settled, Cao."
"Farewell," Cao said, her figure slowly fading until she vanished from sight.
A heavy sigh escaped Inner One as the weight in her chest deepened. In her heart, she began to doubt the strength of Cao's power....it was waning. She knew she would have to seek a new ally, though she could never forget the role Cao had played in bringing her this far, rising beneath the empire of Beiping, pulling strings both in shadow and in plain sight.
Yet, standing in her way was a boy, so insignificant he should have been nothing more than dust beneath the heel of her shoe. Instead, he was turning into a jagged stone, threatening to shatter the vessel of her ultimate ambition.
★★★..... ★★.... ★
Startled by the sudden ringing of the palace bell, Zhan jolted awake and glanced around in confusion. He found himself lying on a bed that was entirely different from the one he had fallen asleep on the night before. Heart pounding, he jumped up as if pushed and rushed out of the bed in alarm.
This was unmistakably King Yibo's quarters.
"How is this possible?" Zhan muttered, his chest tightening. A flicker of doubt passed through his mind...perhaps it was only a dream. To test it, he raised his hand and slapped his own cheek. But nothing changed. His eyes still confirmed the same disturbing reality: he was indeed inside King Yibo's chamber.
"What on earth is happening to me? How did I fall asleep in my own room and wake up here? Last night I was carried from the floor and placed back on my bed, yet now I've been moved again...this time into another wing of the palace entirely. Could someone here be playing with my mind?"
Driven by instinct, Zhan grabbed his robe and brought it to his face. The same unfamiliar fragrance from the night before clung to it, strong enough to overwhelm the faint trace of his own scent.
"Damn it," he whispered, spinning around to study the chamber more closely.
On a table stood a collection of perfumes. He hurried to them, opening each glass vial one by one, inhaling deeply, searching for the fragrance that lingered on his body. But none matched. That unsettled him even more. I must find out. This scent will lead me to whoever is behind this. He made a silent vow.
After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he returned to survey the room with calmer focus. Only then did he notice the differences...this was not the room he had stayed in last night. It was grander, more refined. Unlike the other chamber, decorated in gold and green, this one was all shades of blue. And like before, the air carried that same alluring fragrance.
What baffled him most was the state of the chamber. Though it was clearly cleaned daily, it looked as if it had recently been disturbed, almost like a fight had taken place inside. Zhan remembered entering the washroom and seeing the same strange signs of disorder in his reflection. Yet he knew he had slept soundly.....without tossing or thrashing about.
His first instinct was to straighten the room and resume his search for the mysterious scent clinging to him. But another thought took hold: perhaps he should wait quietly, as he had the night before, in hopes that the one behind this would appear again.
He settled on that plan and lay back down. Yet nearly an hour passed....no one came, no shadow stirred. Resigned, he forced himself to tidy the chamber, then took a bath. From the freshly arranged clothes left in the wardrobe, he dressed himself. They fit perfectly, as though chosen for him. Finally, he dabbed himself with King Yibo's perfumes, just as he had the previous night, and left around half past seven.
That morning, with some effort, Zhan managed to find the chamber he had stayed in two nights earlier. Fortune was on his side...it was unlocked. He entered after a light knock, not expecting anyone inside. The chamber was pristine, its sheets freshly changed, the air cool with the soft hum of scented air drifting from within.
The attendants of that part were startled when they saw him. Their shock was so evident that it unsettled Zhan for a moment, but he quickly masked it, walking with deliberate poise to one of the grand chairs in the sitting room. He seated himself with a natural authority that even he hadn't realized he possessed.
The attendants, shaken, rushed to bow before him in greeting. Their hearts were heavy with confusion. Everyone knew Zhan had not spent the night there....he had left for the library hall yesterday evening and had not returned before the gates were locked. They had seen him leave, and none had seen him come back.
Yet here he was, calm and composed, as though nothing were amiss.
Zhan answered their greetings curtly, his sharp eyes lowering to the elegant tray placed neatly on the table before the chair where he had sat yesterday....one he immediately recognized as belonging to King Yibo, even without being told.
He turned slightly toward the attendants, who were beginning to rise, and asked,
"And this?"
The King chef, dressed in her crisp uniform, quickly replied,
"It is the first tea His Majesty takes after morning exercise."
"What ingredients?"
Zhan asked coolly.
Nervously, she listed them. Zhan's expression darkened; he crossed his legs with deliberate calm.
"Replace them with fresh fruit and green tea leaves."
The attendants exchanged uneasy glances, but Zhan's stern look....and the warning flick of his hand...froze their protests. The chef disappeared as though vanishing into thin air. Within less than twelve minutes, she returned with a new tray of tea.
Zhan rose, motioning toward the direction where King Yibo resided.
"Take me where the King is.!
At once, unease swept through the attendants. Their wide, anxious eyes betrayed fear, but none dared speak...Zhan's steady, commanding gaze carried more weight than his youthful years should have allowed. One attendant, leading the way, faltered at the threshold. She lowered her head and murmured, voice trembling,
"I cannot step beyond this boundary, Your Excellency. It is forbidden."
"You did the hard work" Zhan thought grimly. Outwardly, he extended his hand, took the tray from her, and said nothing. With trembling fingers, the attendant opened the glass door for him. Zhan ascended the steps alone, nearly twenty of them, before glancing back at the bowed head of the servant.
"You may return to your duties."
As though awaiting release, she fled quickly, her mind reeling with astonishment at Zhan's boldness, sweat beading on her brow.
Zhan himself could not help marveling again at the strangeness of this palace. The moment his foot touched the first step, a hidden mechanism triggered, announcing his presence. What startled him most was not the sound, but the title it proclaimed aloud:
"FEARLESS BUNNY, RUILAN."
He had no time to question it further before a lift carried him swiftly to a door guarded by two men, each armed with heavy rifles.
They bowed their heads in deep respect, greeting him formally.
Do they truly believe the machine's proclamation? Zhan wondered. Or have they already accepted me as the royal consort Ruilan?
Without an answer, he continued forward as the guards opened the door for him. A cool morning breeze greeted him, refreshing yet unsettling. Zhan inhaled slowly, closing his eyes. But when he opened them again...his breath nearly stopped.
His pulse thundered. Blood rushed hot and fast through his veins until it nearly stole his breath. What he saw before him made his body want to flee. Yet with the guards watching, how could he falter now? To show weakness meant failure, and failure at this stage would bring down everything he had fought for.
He forced himself to breathe, jaw tight, lashes lowering as he fought the urge to look again.
The unmistakable fragrance of rare perfume drifted toward him, carried on the air with the heavy steps of boots on polished stone. Behind the scent came the man himself....King Yibo.
With fluid grace, King Yibo turned the gleaming sword in his hand, sparring with his Uncle. A swift twist transferred the weapon to his left hand, and in one masterful motion, the blade's radiant edge halted at Zhan's throat.
Zhan's breath caught sharply.
"Who are yo—?"
King Yibo's voice thundered with authority and cold fire, but the words broke abruptly. His eyes had fallen where he never expected....on the reflection in the flawless steel.
Their faces, caught in the blade's brilliant shine, stared back at one another.
And in that frozen moment, the sword was no longer a weapon....it was a mirror revealing everything.
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛