The palace was quieter than usual. Too quiet.
Zhen Luo stood in the Eastern Palace library, sleeves rolled up, hands resting on the carved table. He didn't look up when Feng Huai entered.
"They've placed guards outside every exit," Feng Huai said, voice low. "Li Shuran is under protective observation, but the Queen is watching you like a hawk."
Zhen Luo didn't flinch. "Let them watch. I'm already three steps ahead."
Feng Huai frowned. "Are you sure?"
Zhen Luo's gaze flicked toward the window, eyes narrowing. "I've never been more certain."
Outside the palace, Bai Zehan and Luo Xian crept through the shadowed corridors.
"This mission," Bai Zehan muttered, "is suicide if we get caught."
"Then we won't get caught," Luo Xian replied, voice calm, almost teasing. "Stay close."
Bai Zehan's lips pressed together. "Do you always sound so confident?"
"Only when I know we're already winning," Luo Xian said.
They slipped into a restricted archive room, the Queen's seal still faintly lingering on the heavy wooden door. Inside, stacks of scrolls documented every covert operation—the palace's hidden hands, secret alliances, and most importantly, the threads connecting everyone.
"This…" Bai Zehan said quietly, "could bring the whole palace down."
Luo Xian's lips curved faintly. "And we're holding the matches."
Back in the Eastern Palace, Han Jian lay on a mat, recovering. The blood had stopped, but the wound still stung.
Zhen Luo entered quietly, expression unreadable.
"You should rest," he said.
Han Jian raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like I'm resting?"
"You should not move freely in the palace," Zhen Luo said softly. "They're waiting for any excuse to strike again."
Han Jian smirked faintly. "They've already tried. Twice."
Zhen Luo's jaw tightened. "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."
"You always say that," Han Jian said, voice teasing, "but somehow, it's never enough."
Zhen Luo's lips twitched, almost a smile. "Then you'll have to stop being so reckless."
Han Jian laughed softly. "Where's the fun in that?"
At the palace gates, Li Shuran was pacing, unaware her presence was being observed by invisible eyes.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," she whispered to herself. "He's too clever. The Crown Prince… and Han Jian…"
From a rooftop above, Han Jian watched silently, smiling faintly. "She thinks she's clever," he murmured. "But she has no idea what she's caught in."
Zhen Luo appeared beside him without a sound. "Do not underestimate her," he said quietly.
Han Jian looked at him, eyes sharp. "And yet, I do. Because if I didn't…" He paused, gaze glinting. "…this wouldn't be nearly as fun."
Zhen Luo let out a breath, half exasperated, half amused. "You're impossible."
Han Jian's smile widened. "I know."
Meanwhile, Bai Zehan and Luo Xian carefully pulled a scroll from the archive, enough evidence to threaten the Queen if it fell into the wrong hands.
"This is dangerous," Bai Zehan said again. "Are we really doing this?"
"Yes," Luo Xian replied, voice soft but firm. "Because if we don't, someone dies—and it won't be us."
Bai Zehan nodded slowly, gripping Luo Xian's sleeve. "Let's play our part then."
By nightfall, the palace was buzzing quietly. Guards shifted, servants whispered, and the Queen's eyes were sharper than ever.
But the true players—the Crown Prince, Han Jian, Bai Zehan, and Luo Xian—had already moved their pieces.
And tonight…
The game had changed.