Let me tell you something about human anatomy. When your brain registers a sudden, life-threatening crisis, it is supposed to activate a beautiful little thing called the "fight or flight" reflex.
It's an evolutionary marvel. Your adrenaline spikes, your muscles coil, and you either throw a punch or sprint away like a Olympic athlete.
My body, however, did not receive that evolutionary software update.
The absolute second the dressing room doors clicked open and revealed the towering, majestic form of the Crown Prince, my body didn't choose fight. It didn't choose flight.
It chose to **freeze**. It chose to turn into a literal human block of ice, rooted to the spot, staring directly into those bottomless, striking blue eyes like a absolute idiot.
The Crown Prince stopped. He didn't say a word at first. He just stood there on the threshold of the luxury chamber, slowly tracking his gaze up and down my figure.
He observed me like a scientist examining a completely baffling new species of prehistoric beetle that had somehow learned how to put on silk robes.
That look? Oh, it didn't just give me butterflies. It gave me a localized arctic blizzard that sent horrific shivers cascading down my spine, vibrating all the way to my toes.
*The heck is he looking at?!* I screamed internally, my face instantly threatening to match the crimson silk curtains hanging on the wall.
*Is my collar crooked? Did the maids miss a spot behind my ears? Or is he just admiring his new property before he turns me into a luxury shield for the next assassination attempt?!*
"Is it right to look directly into our eyes like that?" the Prince murmured.
His voice was a freezing, heavy baritone that sliced through the steam of the room like a razor blade.
He stared at me so intensely, radiating such an oppressive, terrifying royal aura, that if I weren't an absolute macho man—a pinnacle of masculine resilience and fifty years of accumulated spiritual grit—I would have collapsed onto the marble floor right then and there.
*Survival mode: ENGAGED!*
"Oh~ my brave, fearless, handsome, kind, and full of grace Crown Prince!" I blurted out, instantly abandoning every single ounce of my human dignity.
I dropped to my knees with the speed of a falling anvil, slamming my forehead onto the pristine floorboards in a textbook, Olympic-level kowtow.
"This humble subject has sinned egregiously! Please punish me accordingly!"
*Internal translation:*
I am humiliating myself in front of this overpowered imperial teenager! I am kissing the floorboards! But just you wait, you royal brat! One day, the plot wheels will turn, you will fall to your knees, and you will beg for my forgiveness! For your information, according to the standard rules of transmigration web novels, I am destined to be the legendary hidden master who saves your ungrateful life in the future! So be nice to me!
The Crown Prince let out a low, dangerous hum that vibrated right through the floor against my forehead.
"Oh? So you want us to punish you according to our liking? Hmmm..."
The way he dragged out that *hmmm* made every single hair on my body stand up straight like tiny acoustic antennas.
A sudden, deep-seated sense of primal dread washed over me. Why did that sound less like an execution order and more like something that required a high-grade censorship filter?!
I couldn't help it. I cautiously, slowly tilted my head up just a fraction to sneak a peak at him.
My soul nearly exited my body for the second time today.
Looming directly behind the Crown Prince's flawless, handsome figure was a literal, swirling vortex of dark, devilish purple-black aura. 👿
He looked like a final boss from a high-tier demonic cultivation sect who had casually wandered into the palace for a morning tea break.
*The heck! He is so scary!* I internally wept, tears metaphorically streaming down my face.
*What is he planning now?! Where is my System?! Why did I get traded from a dirty slum to a premium, high-end horror movie?!*
*Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak.*
The sound of his pristine leather boots clicking against the floor echoed in the silent room, drawing closer and closer. Every step felt like a drumbeat counting down to my inevitable demise.
I wanted nothing more than to sprout wings, turn into a moth, and flutter away into a dark corner where his terrifying blue eyes could never find me.
The boots stopped mere inches from my face
.
"As you wish," the Crown Prince spoke softly, his voice dropping into a dangerously smooth whisper as he looked down at my quivering form.
"I will punish you... accordingly."
*You absolute brat!* I screamed at the floorboards, my inner fifty-year-old grandfather spirit temporarily flaring up with righteous indignation.
*You have absolutely no manners! how dare you humiliate an elder like this! Even if you are the future King of this entire realm, I will fight for my basic human rights! I will file an appeal! I will—*
Before I could muster the courage to actually stand up and execute my grand defense strategy, the Prince leaned down slightly, his deep voice delivering a line that completely shattered my entire universe and turned my skeleton into absolute liquid jelly.
"Your punishment is... You will be my... **[REDACTED]**."
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[Author's Personal Interruption Zone]
*Dear readers, the Crown Prince has officially spoken! But guess what? You will have to wait until the very next chapter to find out exactly what that sentence whispered into Xiu Liang's burning ears!
*Author proceeds to dance across the room with ultimate happiness* Hahaha! I am evil, I know! Deal with it! 😘✨*
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Meanwhile, at the Intimidating Tang Mansion...
While Xiu Liang was currently undergoing severe emotional dismantling in the inner palace, the atmosphere inside the sprawling estate of the Tang Family was significantly more lethal.
A high-ranking covert operative was currently kneeling on the cold stone floor of the grand hall, his body trembling violently as he broke the worst possible news to his master.
"General... that girl, Xiaofan... she successfully bypassed our perimeters and went straight into the inner palace to see the Crown Prince," the spy reported, his voice cracking with immense terror.
"I am absolutely certain she has confessed everything regarding our network to him. What should we do, General?"
Standing by the window, his hands clasped tightly behind his back, was the great General Tang.
The air surrounding him was thick with a suffocating, bloodthirsty pressure. He slowly turned around, his eyes flashing with a terrifying, venomous rage.
"What did I tell you, you pathetic piece of trash?!" the General roared, his voice booming through the hall like thunder.
"We are too late! And why are we late? Because you failed to execute her from the very beginning when she first showed signs of betraying our household!"
The spy dropped his head until his nose touched the stone, his voice hollow with acceptance.
"General... please punish us, as we have severely disappointed your grand designs."
General Tang didn't even blink. His face remained a flawless, icy mask of absolute cruelty.
"K*ll yourself."
The command was flat. Cold. Devastating.
Without a single moment of hesitation, the brainwashed spy slowly rose to his feet. He looked at the retreating back of the great General Tang, who was already walking away toward his private quarters without casting a single glance backward.
For the spy, this was the ultimate end. He pulled out his own sharp, gleaming knife. In his twisted mind, fulfilling this final, horrific order was his only path to true freedom and serenity. With a swift, practiced motion, he executed the command, a bizarre, peaceful smile remaining etched on his face as he collapsed to the stone floor.
Meanwhile, the great General Tang stormed into his lavish private study, slamming the doors shut behind him as his fury completely boiled over.
"You little pest!" the General hissed, pacing across the room as he thought of Xiaofan and the Crown Prince.
"Clinging to the royal family for protection? Hah! Do you honestly think your precious Crown Prince is that powerful? You gotta be kidding me! I know for a fact that every single human being on this earth possesses a catastrophic weakness. I still have Plan B ready to counter his entire lineage, so be prepared, Crown Prince! Hahaha!"
He stopped by his desk, his fingers gripping the wood until it groaned under his spiritual strength.
"And as for that wretched girl... I will personally kill her with my bare hands. She ruined my grand layout, and now she will suffer the ultimate consequences of betraying the Tang Family!"
=====°°°°°
Back in the Palace: The Gossip Protocol
Hello, everyone! I hope you haven't forgotten about me. I am Xiaofan.
Yes, I used to be a highly trained spy and elite assassin operating under the dark banner of the Tang household.
But now? My allegiance has completely shifted. I officially work under the banner of the Crown Prince.
My loyalty belongs entirely to His Imperial Highness, and I am fully prepared to give my very life to defend him from the shadows.
As for Brother Xiu Liang... well, he is currently residing directly within the private quarters of the Crown Prince himself. Because of that, I am entirely at peace.
I know he is in the safest, most secure hands in the entire kingdom! After all, who could possibly harm him while he is under the direct protection of the future Emperor?
Right now, as part of my undercover placement in the inner palace, I am currently disguised as an ordinary maidservant, casually sweeping the long, lacquered hallway of the west wing with a bamboo broom.
*Swish. Swish.*
As I was meticulously cleaning the floor, my high-level assassin hearing suddenly picked up a strange noise from around the corner.
A group of regular palace servants were huddled together in a tight circle, whispering rapidly to one another and giggling uncontrollably behind their silk sleeves.
I stopped my broom mid-sweep. A spark of pure curiosity flared in my chest. I adjusted my posture, adopting the most innocent, harmless expression possible, and skipped over in their direction.
"Hello, sisters!" I greeted them warmly, flashing a massive, dazzlingly pure smile that screamed *'I am just a harmless new maid who loves doing chores.'*
The servants instantly stopped their whispering, turning their heads to look at me questioningly, though thankfully not in a hostile way.
"Hello there," one of the older maids replied, her voice soft and welcoming.
"What can we help you with, little sister?"
"Oh, nothing major!" I chirped, widening my eyes into the ultimate, irresistible puppy-dog start.
"I just happened to notice you all whispering and giggling over here, and it looked so fun! I really want to know what's going on too, so I can share in the happiness!"
The maids looked at each other, a collective, mischievous smirk passing between them.
They leaned in closer, pulling me into the tight circle of confidentiality. And right then and there, they unleashed a torrent of fresh palace gossip that instantly caused my entire body to freeze dead in its tracks, a wave of pure, icy shock washing over my consciousness.
My jaw dropped beneath my breath.
My mind went completely blank.
*Brother Xiu Liang...* I thought, my left eye twitching violently as the maids continued to giggle around me.
*What in the absolute name of the heavens did you do inside that room?!*