[ Third Person ]
Dan Weicheng was summoned before the rest of the academy had even begun to stir. The sky was a bruised, heavy purple when the Empress's right-hand maid tapped sharply against the wood of her dormitory door, her face a rigid, unreadable mask.
"Candidate Dan. Her Majesty requires your presence in the Magnolia Hall immediately. Do not delay."
Weicheng's steps through the labyrinthine palace corridors were hurried, her sleepy eyes heavy with a profound, leaden anxiousness. Today was supposed to be the day designated for the official reassignment of the training classes. Because the lost Princess was heavily suspected of being hidden within the northern valley, the entire curriculum had been shattered.
The atmosphere within the capital was suffocating. This day had been set aside for the Empress's royal decree to delimit the crushing provincial taxes, but it was a trap wrapped in diplomacy. The noblemen and ministers were being forced to clear their names by publicly proclaiming their absolute, unyielding allegiance to the crown before the royal screening team.
Anyone proven to be working against the throne would be utterly removed. Their actions, their past records, and their personal testimonies had to be completely inviolable before the Great Purge commenced. One wrong word meant immediate federal prosecution and execution.
The officials were walking on razor-thin ice.
As Weicheng navigated the sprawling exterior walkways, she watched small, tense clusters of ministers and chancellors crossing the grand courtyards under heavy military escort. The attendants led her toward the central heart of the imperial grounds, where the palace grounds were cleaved in two by a massive, perfectly still pond.
They walked across a magnificent, weathered oak bridge. Intricate silk ornaments and royal talismans were tied tightly around its lacquered railings, snapping softly in the freezing wind. To her left sat the grand Longevity Hall, the private sanctuary where the aging King resided, its frost-dusted gardens blooming with pale winter orchids and wild lavender.
But they did not stop there. The maid pulled her ruthlessly toward the far southern bank, where the massive, looming gates of the Magnolia Hall stood waiting.
"Candidate Dan Weicheng has arrived by your command, Your Highness," the attendant announced, bowing her head to the floor boards.
From deep within the inner sanctuary, a cold, rhythmic voice echoed back. "Let the boy in."
Weicheng had expected this confrontation since the terrifying announcement on the dais yesterday. Because she had been secretly subjected beneath the Empress's shadow network before she ever left the lower provinces, she knew the woman would eventually deploy her as a weapon. She simply hadn't anticipated the call coming this early.
The heavy doors groaned open, and Weicheng stepped into the private residence of the Empress. Calling a commoner candidate here, far away from the official ministry rooms, made the true nature of their transaction undeniably clear.
[ Weicheng's POV ]
"I would like to send my highest greetings to Her Imperial Majesty."
I fell to my knees, lowering my forehead until it brushed the polished floorboards. A few paces ahead, the Empress sat upon a high-backed mahogany chair, gracefully turning a small porcelain cup between her pale fingers. The sharp, bitter scent of citrus bloomed through the air—it was hot lemon tea, spiked with orange rinds. I subtly shook my head against the floor, forcing my face to remain flat to avoid letting my instinctual grimace show.
But when I permitted myself to rise slightly, my breath completely caught in my throat. I was utterly dumbfounded.
Sitting at the very same table, a cool, indifferent expression on his face, was Bai Ku Ji.
I desperately threw up every mental shield I possessed, forcing my panic into a deep, hidden pocket of my mind. He's part of this. The quiet, unassuming scholar from the back row wasn't just a brilliant tactical mind—he was a deep-cover spy operating directly under the Empress's personal command. A cold wave of relief washed over my skin; I was profoundly glad I hadn't backed down or exposed my true nature to him at that shabby inn on the border, or he would have spilled my secrets to the throne days ago.
The Empress gestured with a single, jewel-encrusted finger toward the empty cushion opposite her. "Sit."
The calm, predatory aura radiating from her frame told me everything I needed to know: blood was about to flow. I sat down cross-legged, my spine rigid as I waited for her to finish her tea. She set the porcelain glass down with agonizing slowness, her chilling eyes locking directly onto mine.
"I have been waiting for this exact day, Weicheng," she said, her voice dropping into a low, terrifying pitch. "The Yun crest is officially in your hand now."
Beside her, Bai Ku Ji's eyes flicked to my face, a sudden, genuine flash of confusion ripping through his stoic features. He clearly didn't know the full extent of my prior dealings with the Empress.
The Empress observed his confusion and let out a small, mirthless smile, turning her gaze toward my classmate. "I trust the two of you implicitly with this endeavor. If you happen to exceed my expectations in the coming nights, I will forever be indebted to you, and I shall grant whatever wishes your hearts desire. Bai Ku Ji is a master strategist; he will provide the logistical coordinates and instructions. You, Weicheng, simply need to execute the physical parameters right away."
I didn't know if this assignment was a golden opportunity to secure my survival or a direct path into a mass grave. I never wanted to associate my hands with their dark, treasonous agenda, but there was an imperial knife at my back. I couldn't stop now.
I bowed my head until my chest touched my knees. "Tell me your worries, Your Majesty. I am your instrument."
The Empress's smile widened slightly as she reached onto the table, sliding a heavy, wax-sealed parchment scroll across the dark wood.
I took the scroll with steady fingers, carefully unfurling it beneath the candlelight. My stomach turned to absolute ice. It was an exhaustive directory of the Northern Kingdom's highest-ranking ministers. Several of the names had been violently crossed out with dark, dried crimson ink—including Chancellor Ba, the man who possessed the largest financial and military contribution to the infrastructure of the North. These were the exact same officials I had observed gathering in the shadows behind the main barracks yesterday.
They aren't just an opposition faction, I realized, my chest tightening. They are targets.
"I will grant the two of you precisely three days to confirm their underlying motives," the Empress stated, her voice filled with a sickening, proud detachment. "If they are found to be working behind the back of the Northern Kingdom..." She paused, her eyes gleaming with absolute cruelty. "...then you have my imperial authority to completely annihilate their entire households. Leave no one breathing."
I clenched my hands into tight, white-knuckled fists beneath the fabric of the table, the lack of air in my lungs nearly suffocating me. The Empress and the Queen weren't just ruthless politicians; they were cold-blooded monsters wrapped in royal silk. I could feel the Empress waiting, her eyes tracking the muscles of my jaw, searching for any sign of weakness.
I forced my lips to part, carving a slow, beautifully compliant smile onto my face. "I will do exactly as you command, Your Majesty."
"The Yun crest in your possession will allow you to bypass the primary palace gates at any hour of the night," she continued, satisfied with my submission. "I will place my elite shadow assets at your back. Infiltrate their estates, locate their private record books, and deliver them to my chambers within three days. Once those ledgers are in my hands, I will determine the final execution dates."
Bai Ku Ji and I rose in perfect unison, executing a flawless court bow before backing out of the grand hall. The transaction was officially concluded.
As we walked down the sprawling stone gallery, the wind howling through the open pillars, my mind spun in total chaos. The Empress had ordered us to completely abandon our standard academy rotations for the next seventy-two hours to avoid any conflict with the training instructors. We were to join the elite group of eight candidates leading the princess hunt, using the royal assignment as a perfect cover to mask our midnight raids.
"I never would have calculated that you were operating under Her Highness's direct command," I murmured in a low, guarded voice, keeping my eyes fixed on the path ahead.
Ku Ji let out a long, quiet breath, his usual arrogant posture dropping into something heavy and exhausted. "My family resides in a desolate, rural village near the lower border province," he said softly. "We were heavily indebted to the Empress when she selected me as her personal scholar years ago. My entire village rooted for me. They sacrificed their meager winter rations so I could enter this academy. I am the only person in our history who learned to read, Weicheng. They need me to secure a permanent government position, or our people will starve when the winter taxes hit."
"So you are destined to be their first-ever official?"
He simply hummed in response, his eyes fixed on the horizon. I looked at his profile, a deep, aching pity stirring in my chest. I wanted to understand his true intentions, but looking at the grand design of the Empress and the Queen, it was painfully clear: Bai Ku Ji was just another pawn they intended to throw into the meat grinder.