Morning sunlight spilled over the East Palace, wrapping its tiled rooftops and peaceful courtyards in a warm blanket of golden light. Servants and attendants had risen early as usual to begin their daily duties, yet a quiet tension lingered softly in the air. Unknown to most, a careful monitoring system had already been quietly put into place. From this day forward, every movement and activity within these grounds would be closely observed and recorded.
Acting on the instructions given the night before, Zhong Yi had already assigned trusted men to keep watch over everyone in the palace with great discretion. Even though Zhou Tianyi had not yet revealed exactly who the spies were, Zhong Yi carried out his orders faithfully, making certain that no suspicious action would go unnoticed or unreported.
Inside the private chambers, Zhou Tianyi slowly opened his eyes as bright daylight filtered through the gaps between the curtains. He shifted his body gently, feeling a dull soreness spread across his limbs along with a light throbbing behind his temples — clear reminders of how much strength he had drained when he fully used his special ability the previous night.
He let out a soft breath and gave a faint smile, recalling how he had collapsed right after finishing his inspection. I truly underestimated just how much energy this power consumes when used to its full extent, he thought to himself. Still, every bit of effort had been completely worthwhile. He now held the complete truth, knowing clearly who remained loyal and who were merely pawns placed within the palace by their enemies.
Just then, the chamber door opened quietly and Zhong Yi stepped inside. The moment he saw that Tianyi was awake, a heavy weight of worry lifted from his chest, replaced by deep relief. He walked closer with steady yet hurried steps.
"Your Highness, you have awakened. How does your body feel now?"
"I am feeling much better, though I still feel a little weak," Tianyi replied as he slowly sat upright. He accepted the warm cup of tea offered to him and took a small refreshing sip. "Have you completed all the arrangements I instructed last night?"
"Everything has been properly organised and secured," Zhong Yi answered respectfully.
Tianyi looked at him with calm and unwavering certainty.
"Within this residence, there are exactly ten spies hidden among us: five maids, two guards and three eunuchs. To deal with them, I will use a strategy I learned from stories and films in my world — it is known as Divide and Control. Let me explain how this works and how we shall execute it.
We will assign them separate tasks and share different pieces of false information to each group. For example, we will tell one group that I will travel out through the West Gate, while letting another group believe I will take the East Gate instead.
This method works by separating opposing parties and managing them individually. Once divided, they lose the ability to coordinate plans, share intelligence or combine their strength. It becomes far easier to track their actions, understand their true intentions and stop them from joining forces to cause harm. Instead of facing them as one powerful united force, we deal with them one by one — turning their own organisation and numbers into their greatest weakness."
Tianyi also introduced modern security concepts that had never been seen or heard of in this land. He ordered the guards to follow rotating patrol schedules and change access passcodes every few hours, so that no routine could be predicted.
He explained firmly, "Enemies always study our habits to find gaps and weaknesses. We must ensure we have NO fixed patterns that they can exploit against us."
Zhong Yi nodded in understanding, his respect growing even deeper.
Tianyi paused and turned his gaze toward the bright blue sky visible above.
"In the world I come from, there is a well-known saying: the strongest defence is, in fact, a powerful offence. While they spend every moment weaving schemes and setting traps, they have yet to realise that they themselves have already walked straight into the net I laid long ago."
Oh no… what did I just say? Hahaha, am I going to expose myself like this? Tianyi panicked slightly in his mind.
As he turned back to Zhong Yi with a hint of nervousness because of what he had spoken, he saw that the guard was only listening closely, admiration shining clearly in his eyes. What exactly does His Highness mean by 'the world I come from'? Zhong Yi wondered silently. Yet no matter how complicated or dangerous the situation was, His Highness always seemed to possess the wisest and most brilliant solutions.
"Also," Tianyi added, his voice steady again, "send word to quietly strengthen all security measures. Do not make changes too obvious or cause unnecessary alarm, but ensure that starting today, no unknown person may enter or leave the East Palace freely."
"Understood. I will arrange this immediately," Zhong Yi bowed respectfully and prepared to carry out his duties.
As he was about to step out of the room, Tianyi called him softly.
"Zhong Yi."
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"…Thank you. Thank you for staying by my side and taking care of me while I was unconscious."
Hearing these gentle words, Zhong Yi's heart skipped a beat. A rare soft smile appeared on his usually stern face, and his eyes glowed with deep affection that he could no longer fully hide.
"It is my greatest honour and duty to serve you. No matter what happens or what trials lie ahead, I will always stand right here beside you."
Tianyi looked back and returned his smile warmly. For the first time in a long while, he felt genuine peace and safety in his heart. With loyal and devoted people like Zhong Yi supporting him, he knew that even the greatest dangers could be overcome.
Due to his current condition, he was excused from attending the morning court assembly.
"Good thing I got a day off. I can just stay here, relax and sleep all I want," Tianyi thought happily to himself.
He went outside and settled comfortably on a lavish armchair lined with soft white fox fur, placed right in the open courtyard where the warm sunlight shone gently. One of the serving maids stood beside him, carefully feeding him plump, juicy grapes and delicate traditional Chinese pastries. The fresh breeze carried sweet scents of flowers, making the moment feel even more pleasant and relaxing.
However, just as he was enjoying his food leisurely, this peaceful atmosphere was interrupted. Coming towards him was none other than one of the trusted officials of the Empire. He walked up properly, stopped at a respectful distance and bowed deeply before speaking in a clear and solemn tone, "Your Highness, I have arrived with an urgent and important report. This message comes directly from His Majesty the Emperor."