Court presents carried weight like coins; each ribbon was a ledger entry and each bow a contract. After the earlier discovery of the pin, Consort Mei's behavior became a delicate show of contrition and flattery. She sent more gifts—fine fabrics, painted fans—all ostentatious enough to placate eyes but not sharp enough to be dangerous.
[Consort Mei:] "May the nursery never know sorrow. Such a promising child deserves every comfort."
SYSTEM: Consort Mei: charm mode active. Probability of escalation: moderate-high if left unchecked. Recommendation: accept gifts publicly, vet privately.
The Empress accepted with an even nod, the kind of motion that reveals almost nothing. Long Yue, wrapped in layers and influence, watched the theater of kindness. The system annotated everything in its ledger.
[MC / Long Yue:] (thought) "Gifts buy eyes. Not all eyes are honest."
He had learned—through system nudges and the Empress's understated instructions—that acceptance could be tactical. A public acceptance of Consort Mei's gifts would not mean trust. It would mean control of optics.
[Empress Wu:] "Document the donors. Let the household's gratitude be known. But have the gift inventory inspected privately."
[Bodyguard Shen:] "Inspected and stored under lock."
The gifts were cataloged and inspected, and the system flagged nothing lethal. But minor toxins had been used previously to sap a mother's strength—effective if subtle. While the new offerings were safe, the pattern told a greater story: Consort Mei was sending surplus gifts and maintaining proximity. That posture, in palace terms, could be a prelude to influence.
SYSTEM: Pattern detection: Consort Mei increasing proximity over 20 days. Suggested counter: orchestrate benign public interactions to diffuse intent (tea, shared court tasks), increase positive exposure among lower-ranked servants.
The Empress—sharp and patient—acted with patience. She instructed Aunty Lin to include Consort Mei's servants in the kitchen rotation, and had Scholar Zhao gently invite the scribe's apprentices to copy a fan's calligraphy as an "honorary exercise." These were apparently simple gestures. Politically, they were fences. They relegated Consort Mei's influence to the broad shoulders of the populace where it could be measured and countered.
[Consort Mei:] "I only wish to help."
[Empress Wu:] "All help is noted. So are its limits."
Behind the diplomacy, Long Yue's system ran minute-by-minute risk assessments. The Empress' decisions increased the entropy that made a would-be plot harder to hide. Small eyes—from cooks to stable boys—now noticed the comings and goings in a way that favored the nursery's security.
SYSTEM: Social net widened. Detection probability for covert action increased by 26%.
Consort Mei, sensing the wall rising, changed tone. Her smile hardened into a dangerous sweetness. She began to subtly praise other parts of the palace in public and to draw flattering parallels between herself and the Empress. That social play—seemingly harmless—was a gambit for soft influence.
[MC / Long Yue:] (thought) "Smile. Note. File. Use later."
He was still a child, but the system taught him a useful habit: name feelings that might become weapons. Name a weapon in advance and the edge loses some of its surprise.
One evening, Aunty Lin caught Consort Mei whispering with a junior attendant near the pantry. The attendants' faces were pallid with fear—fear of speaking out. Aunty Lin's hands clenched, and she walked away slowly, as if to indicate she had seen nothing but everything.
[Aunty Lin:] (murmur) "They are careful. But careful people slip."
[Scholar Zhao:] "Then we learn to notice slips. Everyone slips."
SYSTEM: Minor success: Consort Mei's approach diffused; allies' vigilance +5. Reward: 200 XP.
The Empress's subtlety worked—gifts were accepted; influence was bluntly neutralized by inclusion. Long Yue, still small and learning, registered these moves as a slow game of balance. The system rewarded the Empress' technique not with applause but with stable probabilities.
[Empress Wu:] "The court is a living thing. Feed the good parts; expose the rot to air."
[MC / Long Yue:] (thought) "Feed the good parts: dumplings for allies. Expose rot: vinegar for pests."
SYSTEM: New culinary diplomacy subtask added: arrange small meal for scribe's apprentices (age 7+). Strategic effect: goodwill +8 among lower ranks.
Long Yue's plan for dumpling diplomacy had its first official sponsor: Aunty Lin, who promised to teach the scribe's apprentices how to make them on a Sunday when the court's eyes were turned elsewhere. The small conspiracy was harmless in public and potent in the long run.
As Consort Mei's gifts lost their sharpness through inclusion, the nursery's watch tightened. The Empress had not yet struck, and perhaps she never needed to. For now, long-term security was being woven through bread and ink and small, carefully timed kindnesses.