The palace corridors were too quiet.
Long Wei walked half a step behind Empress Zhao Lian, his eyes moving constantly—doors, windows, shadow lines, guard rotations, torch placements. Old habits didn't die. In fact, in this world, they had become even more useful.
Moonlight filtered through carved lattice windows, spilling silver patterns across the polished jade floor. Every few pillars stood armoured guards with spears crossed, their faces expressionless.
But Long Wei noticed what others might miss.
Two guards near the eastern archway kept glancing toward Zhao Lian, not with loyalty, but with calculation.
A maid near the turn of the corridor lowered her head a second too late.
And the silence itself felt… prepared.
Like a stage waiting for the next act.
He leaned slightly closer to the empress and murmured under his breath,
"Security weak hai."
The empress did not turn.
Her voice remained calm.
"I know."
That answer made him glance at her.
Interesting.
So she was fully aware.
Then this wasn't ignorance.
It was pressure.
The kind that comes when a ruler knows the walls around her are closing in.
Empress Zhao Lian
As they entered the inner council corridor, Zhao Lian suddenly stopped.
The guards behind them halted instantly.
Long Wei nearly walked into her.
"Whoa—"
He steadied himself.
She turned slightly, her moonlit profile cold and regal.
"You observe too much."
He smirked.
"Occupational hazard."
For the first time, her lips moved in what might have been the beginning of a smile.
Then she gestured toward the massive bronze doors ahead.
"These doors lead to the Hall of State."
Her eyes met his.
"Inside are men who smile while sharpening knives."
Long Wei's expression sharpened.
Ah.
Politics.
Basically, we are analysing not modern warfare in silk robes.
"Good," he said quietly.
"I'm more comfortable with knives than smiles."
For a brief second, her gaze softened.
Then the doors opened.
The Hall of State was magnificent.
Tall crimson pillars rose toward a ceiling painted with golden phoenixes and moonlit clouds. Rows of ministers stood on either side of the central red carpet, their robes rich with rank insignia and political ambition.
At the far end stood the imperial throne.
Empty.
Because Zhao Lian had not yet taken her seat.
The moment she entered, every voice died.
A heavy silence filled the hall.
Long Wei instantly felt it.
Tension.
Factional division.
Power struggle.
The air itself smells of conspiracy.
An elderly man stepped forward from the ministerial ranks.
Tall.
Sharp-featured.
Eyes like a snake.
Prime Minister Xu Wen
He bowed.
Perfectly.
Too perfectly.
"Your Majesty."
His voice was smooth.
Dangerously smooth.
"We have been waiting."
Long Wei's lips twitched.
"Clearly."
Xu Wen's eyes shifted toward him.
A pause.
Then the old minister smiled.
And Long Wei instantly disliked him.
"May we ask who this… guest is?"
The way he said 'guest' felt almost insulting.
Zhao Lian's expression remained unreadable.
"He is under my protection."
A visible ripple moved through the hall.
Interesting.
That was a strong statement.
Long Wei's eyes swept across the ministers.
Several faces tightened.
Some looked surprised.
Others were openly displeased.
Prime Minister Xu's smile remained intact.
But his eyes had gone colder.
"As Your Majesty commands."
Then he raised a scroll.
"The Western Duke has sent a formal demand."
The hall tensed.
Zhao Lian's gaze sharpened.
Long Wei mentally filed away the name.
Another faction.
Another enemy.
Xu Wen continued.
"He requests the Imperial Phoenix Seal be transferred to the Western Council for 'temporary protection'."
Long Wei almost laughed.
Temporary protection?
Even in another world, politicians still had the same nonsense lines.
He leaned slightly and whispered,
"Classic power grab."
To his surprise, Zhao Lian replied just as softly.
"Exactly."
So she trusted his judgement enough to respond.
Progress.
Prime Minister Xu continued.
"The nobles fear instability after the late emperor's passing."
There it was.
The missing piece.
Late emperor.
Dead ruler.
New empress.
Weak succession point.
Perfect moment for betrayal.
Long Wei's mind began connecting the battlefield.
This wasn't just political tension.
This was an active coup in slow motion.
He stepped forward.
Every eye in the hall turned toward him.
Prime Minister Xu's smile tightened.
"And you are?"
Long Wei looked straight at him.
"Someone who hates obvious lies."
A collective intake of breath moved through the court.
The audacity of it.
One random man in foreign robes speaking against the prime minister.
Xu Wen's voice cooled.
"Careful."
Long Wei smiled.
"Bas analysis kar raha hoon."
Just analysing.
He gestured toward the scroll.
"If the Western Duke truly wanted stability, he would reinforce the palace."
A beat.
"Not to ask for the seal."
Several ministers exchanged uneasy glances.
Exactly.
He had hit a nerve.
Xu Wen's eyes darkened.
"And what makes you qualified to speak on matters of state?"
Long Wei's lips curved.
"In my last life?"
He paused.
"Let's just say I've dealt with worse traitors."
The hall went silent.
Even Zhao Lian turned slightly toward him.
For a brief second, he realised what he had almost revealed.
Oops.
He quickly added,
"Figure of speech."
Prime Minister Xu's expression hardened.
Zhao Lian stepped forward.
"Enough."
Her voice cut through the hall like steel.
"The seal remains with the throne."
A pause.
"The matter is closed."
Xu Wen bowed again.
Too calm.
Too obedient.
That made Long Wei's instincts scream louder.
This man wasn't defeated.
He was adjusting.
Retreating to strike elsewhere.
The council dismissed soon after.
As Zhao Lian turned to leave, Long Wei fell into step beside her.
The moment the bronze doors shut behind them, he exhaled.
"Wow."
He rubbed his forehead.
"Politics here is more dangerous than border warfare."
This time, Zhao Lian actually smiled.
A small one.
Brief.
But real.
"You handled yourself recklessly."
Long Wei grinned.
"Handled? I thought I was amazing."
She gave him a side glance.
"Arrogant."
"Confident."
"Annoying."
"Charming."
That earned him the faintest breath of a laugh.
A sound so soft it almost disappeared into the corridor.
Then—
he
He realised the pendant beneath his robe pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Warm.
His steps slowed.
The world around him blurred for just a second.
And suddenly—
The empress saw it.
A vision.
The Endless Tomb Hall.
The tombkeeper is standing before the first glowing tomb.
The Tombkeeper
Her voice echoed in his mind.
This is the first tomb.
Her betrayal begins tonight.
Long Wei's eyes widened.
The vision vanished.
He looked at Zhao Lian.
Then toward the dark corridor ahead.
A sudden chill ran down his spine.
Something was about to happen.
Something bad.
He grabbed Zhao Lian's wrist instinctively.
She stopped.
Surprised.
"What are you doing?"
His voice turned low.
"Trust me."
The words had barely left his mouth—
when an arrow tore through the darkness.
Straight toward her heart.