Chi Jiu set down her blue-and-white porcelain teacup. The base clinked against the table with a faint, crisp thud. She raised her eyelids slightly, shooting a cold, sidelong glance at Lan Wu, who was still rocking back and forth with laughter by the table, completely devoid of decorum.
"Have you laughed enough?" Chi Jiu's voice was as flat as still water, devoid of even a ripple of emotion. Yet, it carried an underlying pressure born only from years of walking the line between life and death.
Only then did Lan Wu manage to stifle her laughter, patting her chest to catch her breath while wiping away the tears that had squeezed out from the corners of her eyes. Carelessly brushing a few stray hairs behind her ear, she still couldn't resist arching her brows mischievously. "Captain, your self-control is truly something else. Aunt Mei added fuel to the fire like that last night, yet facing that drop-dead gorgeous, aloof Prince of Zhan, you really didn't 'eat him up'? Tsk, tsk. What a waste. If it were me facing that CGI-perfect face, I would have devoured him clean to ensure not a single moment of that beautiful night went to waste."
"You?" A ghost of a mocking smirk played on the corner of Chi Jiu's lips. "You're all talk. If it were actually your turn to step up, you wouldn't even have the horniness to back it up; you'd run faster than anyone. Have you forgotten who nearly jumped out of a window during our last overseas mission, terrified out of her wits by that informant who made a move on her?"
Stung at her sore spot, Lan Wu let out a couple of dry laughs, attempting to counter. But she noticed Chi Jiu's expression tighten slightly, her tone dropping a fraction.
"He didn't stay here... last night."
The grin pasted on Lan Wu's face froze instantly. She shed her cynical, playgirl demeanor, her expression turning uncharacteristically solemn. Moving over to sit beside Chi Jiu, she spoke with a rationale and vigilance that belonged to another era entirely.
"Actually, Captain, I think keeping this kind of distance between you and the Prince might not be a bad thing," Lan Wu said, looking at Chi Jiu with genuine sincerity in her eyes. "Just don't fall too deep. What if that spacetime rift opens up again one day and we suddenly transmigrate back to the modern world? A cross-era romance sounds romantic on paper, but if you actually get into it, it can destroy you. Have you thought about it? When that time comes, do you leave, or do you stay?"
Chi Jiu fell silent. She stared at the tea leaves drifting and sinking in her cup—tiny leaves struggling within a watery vortex, much like their current predicament. Her cold pupils reflected this ancient, sumptuously heavy, yet suffocating sleeping quarters.
"That is one of the reasons I've been weighing this," Chi Jiu said quietly, her voice as icy as frost. "The current situation is still volatile. We need to overhaul the vital lifeline of the Nine Fortresses, uncover the whereabouts of Chu Zhaoning's father, General Chu, and find the truth behind the disappearance of Huo Yan's father all those years ago... Furthermore, we don't even know if her eldest brother, Chu Yuning, far away on the eastern border, is alive or dead, or how much torture he's enduring. At a time like this, romance is too much of a luxury. It really isn't the time to consider consummating a marriage."
She lifted her head, her gaze snapping back to a sharp, unwavering focus, resembling a sniper rifle with its safety switch re-engaged.
"Xiao Zhan is a smart man. If he understands, he will naturally wait. If he doesn't, then it simply proves he isn't the man who can walk side-by-side with me."
Lan Wu nodded, letting out a long, emotional sigh. "As expected, the Captain stays clear-headed. Alright then, let's keep focusing on our career!"
Seeing Lan Wu reignite her fighting spirit, Chi Jiu ruthlessly suppressed that tiny ripple concerning 'romance' down into the deepest recesses of her heart.
On the other side of the estate, inside the study of the Zhan Manor, the air was so heavy it felt frozen.
Xiao Zhan stood before his desk with his hands behind his back, his face livid. His eyes, usually as warm and gentle as jade, were currently overcast with dark, churning clouds.
He stared fixedly at Ying Ren, who was kneeling on the floor, while his palm tightly gripped a freshly delivered secret intelligence report, his fingertips turning white from the sheer force of his grip.
"When did this Prince ever intend to take a concubine? How is it that I am unaware I have become the kind of vile degenerate who wallows in wine and lust while his Consort is gravely ill?" Xiao Zhan's voice was pressed incredibly low, yet it sounded like a thunderstorm brewing over a deceptive, calm sea.
He had originally been planning how to reinforce the defenses of the fiefdom. Who could have anticipated that upon waking up, he would become a despicable scoundrel in the mouths of the entire world—one who "favored a concubine and destroyed the wife, living in debauchery." What was even more absurd was that the rumors were described with such vivid detail, it was as if the rumormonger sat at the head of his bed every single night.
Ying Ren kept his head lowered, his spine straight as a rod, yet he did not offer a single word of defense. "The rumors originated from the private interactions between this subordinate and Huo Xi. It caused a misunderstanding due to my lack of foresight. Everything is this subordinate's fault. I am willing to accept any punishment; please penalize me, Your Highness."
"I was the one who allowed these rumors to spread far and wide."
A clear yet steady voice came from outside the study doors. Chu Yuning pushed the door open and stepped inside, his posture erect, his brow carrying the steadfast fortitude of a martial lineage. Ignoring the tense atmosphere in the room, he walked straight across from Xiao Zhan.
"Though the misunderstanding triggered by Ying Ren and Huo Xi is absurd, it is a cover sent to us by Heaven. The rumors generated by this blunder happen to blind those eyes in the Imperial Court that are glued to Your Highness. It will also make the secret scouts of the Fourth Prince of Western Yan believe that Your Highness has lost all grand ambitions and is no longer a threat."
Chu Yuning looked at Xiao Zhan, his tone calm to the point of cruelty. "Your Highness, this is the best smokescreen for us to overhaul the Nine Fortresses and secretly build up our strength."
Xiao Zhan let out a cold laugh, turning around sharply with a gaze as piercing as a blade. "This Prince can bear a reputation for debauchery, and I can even cooperate with you all to play along in this farce. But the rumors stating that the Consort of Zhan has contracted a plague and has little time left... this matter goes too far!"
Xiao Zhan suddenly took a violent step forward, his tone laced with an unmaskable aura of ferocity. "Even knowing it is false, listening to the entire city debate when exactly Zhaoning will draw her last breath—how is that any different from a curse? Yuning, she is your biological younger sister. How can you permit such words to circulate among the common folk?"
The study fell into a brief, deathly silence. Xiao Zhan's chest ached faintly—a powerful, fierce desire to protect her that he himself had not yet fully recognized.
He had grown up accustomed to mutual deception and betrayal; he could endure the vilification of the world, and he could stomach political slander. Yet, he absolutely could not tolerate a single word regarding the impending death of "Chu Zhaoning." Even knowing it was for strategy, even knowing it was fake, hearing the phrase "little time left" still felt as though someone were using a knife to gouge out his heart.
Looking at Xiao Zhan's fury—to the point where the rims of his eyes were slightly red—a complex flash of emotion crossed Chu Yuning's eyes. It was surprise, but also a newfound re-evaluation of his brother-in-law. He had originally thought Xiao Zhan and his sister were merely a political marriage, that even their cooperation carried calculation. He never expected this seemingly heartless Prince would actually lose his heart to Zhaoning.
Chu Yuning sighed, softening his tone. "Your Highness, only a 'dying person' will fail to trigger the Emperor's wariness. What Zhaoning needs right now is time. The Nine Fortresses are currently integrating. Only by letting the outside world believe her lamp has run out of oil can she swing her blade in the shadows without any restraint."
Xiao Zhan closed his eyes, taking a deep, long breath to settle the inexplicable anxiety in his chest. He knew Chu Yuning was right; this was the most rational strategic choice. Yet, that emotion deep within his soul—the urge to prevent her from suffering even a fraction of grievance—was madly battering against his logic.
"Forget it." When Xiao Zhan opened his eyes again, his gaze was a sheet of frigid clarity. "The rumors may spread, but the scale of the narrative will be controlled by this Prince personally. Ying Ren, rise. Go keep a tight watch on those secret scouts. This Prince wants to ensure that the 'truth' they see is only the truth we want them to see."
Ying Ren acknowledged the order in a low voice. With a flash of his form, he vanished into the shadows once more.
Meanwhile, back in the main courtyard, Chi Jiu and Lan Wu were sitting opposite each other, eating breakfast. The exact moment Chi Jiu lowered her head to pick up some food, a sudden chill raced up her spine, causing her to shudder involuntarily. She had no idea that the Prince she considered a "smart ally" had just nearly overturned his entire study because of a single rumor about her fake death.