[The Emperor's Gambit]
Night wind surged through the palace doors, stirring the black-gold drapes. Si Chengjing (The Emperor) sat upon the imperial steps, his finger brushing over a silver-iron game piece carved with a nameless blade.
"Who should be sent to block the passage at Tiandao Ridge?" he asked softly.
A shadow emerged from behind a pillar. "If the Shadow Army moves, the commotion will be too great. If we use the Palace Guards, our intent will be exposed. Perhaps... the Third Prince?"
The Emperor paused, then let out a low laugh. "The Third Prince. A clever suggestion." He picked up the game piece and tossed it into the center of the board. "Ever since he returned from the Death Row Camp, he has been obedient. If I say 'left,' he cuts without question. Such a blade is sharp and useful—as long as it doesn't grow a heart."
His voice turned icy. "Order Si Moheng to intercept Gu Xingyu and the Five Yao. If he moves, it proves he still knows who is master. If he does not... then it is time to discard this blade."
[The Tent in the Dark]
In the Shadow Scale Camp, Si Moheng sat beneath a flickering lamp, staring at the secret decree bearing the Emperor's seal.
[Intercept Gu Xingyu and the Five Yao before they reach the Capital. Do not let them take a single step into the city.]
"Father is testing me," Moheng whispered to his second-in-command, Xiao You. "He wants to see if I am still his blade. If I strike, I lose her forever. If I don't, he will discard me."
Xiao You frowned. "Then, Your Highness..."
"That man... has not been my father for a long time," Moheng's eyes were cold as ice. "To him, I am a tool. A dog that is discarded once its use is over. He praised my kills, my endurance, my schemes... but he never once asked if I felt pain."
A cold laugh escaped his lips—a sound that shattered the chains of blood and duty. "I am not a tool, nor a shadow, nor a dog he can whistle for. If he wants me to sever my emotions to be a blade... I refuse."
Suddenly, he sensed a presence. A Shadow Guard emerged from the dark. "The Emperor has also deployed us to the outskirts, Your Highness. If you strike, we withdraw. If you remain still, we will execute the target."
Moheng's eyes turned lethal. "So, I am merely a pawn on his board. He never trusted me." He looked at the messenger. "Go back. Tell him I will comply. But if any of you touch her... I will personally clean your remains from this earth."
[The Staged Ambush]
The next day, as twilight approached, Moheng stood at the edge of the mountains overlooking the road to the Capital.
"The western ambush point is set with a false array," Xiao You reported. "It will 'startle' Lady Gu's party before they reach the city, signaling to the Emperor that we have made our move."
"I must make him believe I am still under his control," Moheng said, his fingers brushing the hilt of his dagger. "I will let him see me 'intercept' her."
"But will you really strike?" Xiao You whispered.
"I won't let a real blade fall," Moheng sneered. "It will be a performance. Have the Third Army's hidden squad disguise themselves as Shadow Guards. The noise must be great enough to reach the Capital—but not a single person must be hurt. And she must not see my face."
"Who do you want her to think did this?"
Moheng looked down. "She can hate the 'Yao-Breakers,' or anyone who wants her dead—but I don't want her to hate me anymore. I will carry this burden. As long as she lives to enter the Capital, that is enough."
He turned away. "If she is destined to be the Light, then let me be the Shadow that shields her from the dark."
[The Princess's Move]
Meanwhile, in the Palace of Eternal Joy, Si Yirou listened to the report with a chilling smile.
"So, Si Moheng received the secret decree but is staging a fake ambush?"
"Yes, Princess," Liu Yan whispered. "He appears to move, but he has no intent to kill."
"He can calculate for the Emperor and the world," Yirou's eyes were like a frozen pond. "But if he thinks he can protect her this way, he underestimates me. Order the Secret Guards to bypass his lines. Strike Gu Xingyu directly. Regardless of his fake ambush, that woman must not enter the Capital alive."
Liu Yan gasped. "You intend to challenge the Third Prince directly?"
"No," Yirou said, her gaze lethal. "I just want him to understand that this board is not his alone to control."