The mad princess forces love upon him, and the aloof imperial advisor trembles every night.

"Your Highness," he said, suppressing his trembling, bowing his head to report. His voice was exceptionally clear amidst the sound of rain.

"The lightning-summoning talisman was used in the Star-Picking Pavilion as planned."

"The Crown Prince and the Empress used a thunderbolt... I saw it with my own eyes. The Crown Prince did not escape. His right leg was broken by a beam, and the bone was visible."

Before the words were finished, Chi Yi's figure landed on the steps like a ghost, kneeling on one knee, his voice strained:

"Your Highness, news has come from the palace... The First Prince's leg injury has healed, and he has moved into the East Palace."

"It was...it was the Imperial Advisor who personally treated him."

A flash of bloodlust crossed Chu Qingyue's eyes, so fast that it seemed like an illusion.

She didn't stop walking, her voice eerily calm:

"Summon Cangming. We'll discuss matters in the study after an incense stick has burned. The previous plan will be brought forward."

She paused, a strange smile playing on her lips:

"I've changed my mind."

After saying that, she quickly walked into the room, closing the door behind her to block everyone's view.

When she reappeared, she was wearing a purple Taoist robe, her silver hair was tied up with a simple jade hairpin, and she wore a lotus flower hair crown.

A bright red cinnabar scar on his forehead was so striking it looked like a tear dripping blood.

She held nine copper coins in her hand, which twirled between her fingers, making a soft clinking sound.

—His appearance even bore a resemblance to Si Chen.

----study---

Cangming and Chixiao exchanged glances, both seeing solemnity in each other's eyes.

Your Highness, why are you changing into a Taoist robe?

Chu Qingyue walked in, her footsteps so light they were almost inaudible. Her purple Taoist robe accentuated her pale complexion, her silver hair cascaded down her back, and the cinnabar on her forehead was as red as blood.

She held a copper coin in her hand, her expression calm, but her eyes were like a bottomless, icy pool.

"Greetings, Master." Cangming and the others knelt down to pay their respects, their heads almost touching the ground.

Chu Qingyue walked behind the desk and sat down, arranging the nine copper coins in a row. She gently stroked each one with her fingertips, her movements as tender as if she were caressing a lover.

Get up.

She raised her eyes, which were like a lifeless, cold pool, yet beneath the surface, a turbulent undercurrent flowed:

"The plan has changed—I no longer wish to wait until the sacrificial ceremony."

"I want Chu Xuanche to... not live... tonight."

Cangming's pupils contracted sharply, his voice carrying a hint of dissuasion: "Master, the original plan was to publicly expose Chu Xuanche's lack of divine favor and ancestral recognition during the sacrificial ceremony, and then execute him. Only then could we have a legitimate reason to kill him and silence any dissent from the world..."

"Taking action now might give others ammunition to criticize you, which would be detrimental to Your Highness's grand plan..."

Chi Xiao also urged in a low voice, cold sweat beading on his forehead: "Your Highness, please reconsider!"

"He is, after all, the crown prince personally chosen by the Grand Preceptor. If he were to die suddenly, it would likely cause upheaval in the court and among the people, with endless consequences..."

"Furthermore, the Imperial Advisor has just treated his injuries; to attack now would be tantamount to slapping the Imperial Advisor in the face..."

After they finished speaking, they looked at each other.

It's an open secret throughout the entire Jinxue Pavilion that their prince's possessiveness is insane.

She could scheme against Si Chen, frame him, and even threaten to lock him in a golden cage—

But that can only be hers.

If someone touches it, they will die.

The plan has been moved up, probably because Chu Xuanche dared to have the Imperial Preceptor treat him personally, which is why his crazy master wants to send him on his way ahead of schedule.

Chu Qingyue listened to their advice and suddenly smiled.

The laughter was soft, yet it caused the temperature in the entire study to plummet.

"Si Chen's face, so be it," she said slowly, her fingertips lightly tapping the table.

"Anyway, all he ever cares about is his principles, the fate of his country, and the lives of his people."

"And I... am but one of the common people."

"One of the more troublesome, more disobedient, and more troublesome people for him—the common people."

"As for Chu Xuanche?" She chuckled softly, the sound echoing in the empty study, chilling to the bone. "The crown prince chosen by the Imperial Advisor?"

She stood up, walked slowly to the window, her back to them, and her voice drifted over, carrying a strange gentleness:

"The Imperial Advisor is never wrong; it's Chu Xuanche who is no longer worthy—he has no heir, how can a crippled man be the crown prince?"

Both Cangming and Chixiao were shaken.

When will Your Highness...

Chu Qingyue turned around, her eyes flashing with a cold light: "Even if we take a step back, he hasn't become the crown prince yet, has he?"

"Haven't they officially conferred titles yet?"

"Hasn't the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven been held yet?"

She walked back to the table, picked up a copper coin, and flicked it with her fingertip. The coin spun in the air, emitting a buzzing sound.

"Besides, so what if that good-for-nothing becomes the crown prince?"

"Who told you that becoming the crown prince guarantees you'll sit on the dragon throne?"

The coin fell headfirst.

She laughed, a laugh as alluring as a poppy, but her eyes held only a desolate, lifeless emptiness.

"And who can say for sure that the mighty Heavenly Dao will necessarily protect him?"

"If the way of Heaven is so unjust—"

She turned her head slightly, half her face was in shadow, and the other half was reflected in the cold moonlight, half bright and half dark.

Half of him is a detached, otherworldly being; the other half has the heart of a demon.

The cinnabar scar was shockingly red, like a mark of a curse:

"Then I will defy the heavens."

She channeled her inner strength, and nine copper coins spun rapidly in her palm before being laid out on the table, forming a strange pattern—a divination she had created herself, not to question the heavens, but to test her conscience.

"Look," she said softly, with a chilling certainty in her voice, "even God agrees."

She looked up, her gaze piercing through the rainy night, as if she could see into the distant future:

"This land, this dragon throne, this vast expanse of mountains and rivers—"

"I'm going to take it."

"Including that high and mighty person... we'll take them all and hold them in our hands."

Each word was like a poisoned needle, stuck in the air.

Cangming took a deep breath, knowing that dissuasion was useless, and could only bow: "Yes, Your Highness, what are your plans?"

Chu Qingyue's lips curled slightly, a smile that was cold and cruel:

"How should we arrange it? Hmph, let's go all the way. This time, we'll make sure he dies honorably, a death that will outrage both gods and men."

"Even if Si Chen wanted to save him, he couldn't."

She paused, a calculating glint in her eyes:

"Cangming, pass on the order—" Chu Qingyue's voice pierced through the rain, clear as a drawn sword.

"Proceed according to plan."

"I want Chu Xuanche's life to fall with the moonlight—before dawn, I want to see the Eastern Palace adorned with white banners."

"yes!"

Cangming and Chixiao accepted the order and withdrew, their footsteps disappearing at the end of the corridor.

She sat in the chair, rubbed her temples, and closed her eyes to rest.

After all, there is still a very long way to go.

A path paved with blood, leading to the dragon throne, and also leading to... the depths of his heart.

She closed her eyes, and what came to mind was the girl kneeling in the rain, crying and begging outside the Star-Picking Tower seven years ago.

"I'm sorry..." Chu Qingyue whispered to her past self, "I couldn't live the life you expected me to be."

"But don't be afraid."

"Those who have hurt you... none of them will escape."

"include……"

She paused, then a smile that was both gentle and cruel appeared on her lips:

"The one you love the most...