Xu Lianhua's POV
Lady Pei screamed as guards dragged her into the throne room.
You can't do this! I have rights
You have nothing, the Emperor said coldly. Tell me about the man in palace robes who helped you plan the substitution.
Lady Pei's face went white. I don't know what
Yue'er heard you, I said. She heard him say 'the real plan begins.' Tell us who he is.
My stepmother's eyes filled with hatred. I don't know his name. He wore a hood, disguised his voice. Offered gold if I'd substitute you for Mingzhu.
Why me specifically? I demanded.
He said you were perfect. Illegitimate, powerless, easy to control. The perfect puppet. She paused. He said once you were Empress, the empire would be his within a year.
Someone was planning a coup. And they'd wanted me as part of it.
Describe him, the Emperor ordered.
Tall. Palace accent. Educated. Lady Pei swallowed. He wore a ring. Gold with a red stone. Some kind of symbol carved in it.
The Emperor went very still. He'd recognized something.
Take them back to the dungeons. No one approaches without my command.
As guards dragged them away, I turned to him. You recognized the ring.
Maybe. His jaw tightened. We'll discuss it later. He gestured to a table covered with maps and reports. These are border raid reports. My generals say they're random banditry. But something feels wrong. He looked at me. Read these. Tell me what you see.
Testing me again.
I moved to the table. Dozens of reports describing raidsvillages attacked, supply convoys ambushed.
My generals think it's increased bandit activity, he said. Nothing organized.
I picked up the first report. Then another. Years of reading Father's strategy books flooded back.
When did these start?
Three months ago. Why?
I traced the raid locations on the map. They're not random.
The Emperor moved closer. What?
Bandits hit the same areas repeatedly. Easy targets. I connected different raid points. But these attacks are spread out. Different provinces. Different terrains. They're testing defense response times. Garrison strengths. Supply routes. My heart pounded. Someone is using bandits as cover to scout your military weaknesses.
Silence.
You're saying someone is planning an invasion.
Yes. I grabbed more reports. See how they waited two weeks between these attacks? They're measuring reinforcement response times. These convoy attacks? Mapping your logistics.
Where would they strike?
I studied the pattern. Here. I pointed to the northern border. Weakest point defensively, most strategically valuable. Control this, control three major trade routes. I paused. Based on timing, they'll strike during the harvest festival.
That's in two weeks! When most troops are on leave
The perfect time for invasion.
He stared at me, then called his generals. Get in here!
Within minutes, the throne room filled with commanders. The Emperor spread out my analysis.
Check this. Every detail.
The generals looked skeptical until they examined the reports. Their faces changed from doubt to shock.
She's right, the head general breathed. This is reconnaissance.
If they strike here during the festival, another added, we'd be devastated.
The Emperor's expression was stone. Two weeks to prepare. Cancel leaves. Reinforce that region. Triple scouts.
The generals rushed to obey.
When they were gone, he turned to me. How did you know?
I read Father's strategy books. For years.
You just prevented an invasion. Saved thousands of lives. He moved closer. You saw what my trained generals missed because you think differently. He paused. That's extraordinarily valuable.
What are you saying?
Tomorrow, you'll be formally invested as Imperial Strategic Advisor. You'll attend all war councils. Answer only to me.
My heart pounded. No Empress has ever
No Empress has ever saved the empire in her first week. His smile was sharp. Make yourself indispensable.
Before I could respond, a messenger burst in.
Your Majesty! Urgent news from the dungeons! Lady Pei and Lady Mingzhuthey're dead. Both of them. Poison. The same kind that killed Minister Xu.
The world stopped.
When? the Emperor demanded.
Within the last hour.
I felt numb. My entire family. Dead. Silenced.
Someone is cleaning up loose ends, the Emperor said. Someone with authority to poison prisoners in my dungeons. He looked at me. Someone who doesn't want us finding the truth.
The man in palace robes.
He's eliminating everyone who could identify him. Which means... He paused. You're next.
My blood ran cold.
You just proved you're brilliant enough to see patterns, make connections. You're the biggest danger to whoever's planning this coup.
What do I do?
Become too valuable to kill. Tomorrow we announce your new position publicly. He stepped closer. And then we use you as bait.
Bait?
They wanted you as a puppet. Let's show them what happens when the puppet cuts her own strings.
Another messenger arrived. Your Majesty! The border raids have stopped. Completely. As of this morning.
Silence.
They know, I whispered. They know we discovered their plan.
Which means they're accelerating. The Emperor's expression went deadly calm. Whatever they planned for the harvest festival, they're moving it up.
How long do we have?
Days? Hours? My mind raced. They wouldn't stop unless ready to act.
Full palace lockdown, he ordered. No one enters or leaves. Triple security on the Empress.
He looked at me. You just became the most dangerous person in the palace. To them. His eyes met mine. And possibly to me.
The words hung between us.
I'd proven I was smart enough to see through deceptions, strategic enough to prevent invasions, valuable enough that he couldn't afford to lose me.
I'd wanted to survive.
Instead, I'd made myself essential.
And in a palace full of enemies, being essential meant being a target.
The only question was: who would strike first?