The night was as dark as ink, shrouding the entire palace in deathly silence.
Kunning Palace, a palace regarded as a "cold palace" by everyone during the day, quietly lit its most vital candle under the cover of night.
Lin Wanwan changed into a set of dark casual clothes that were easy to move in, and under Qin Zheng's cover, she silently passed through the secret passage connecting Kunning Palace and the Imperial Study, a passage known only to emperors and empresses throughout history.
The passageway was cold and damp, with moisture seeping from the stone walls, each step echoing heavily. Lin Wanwan's heart, however, burned as if scorched by flames. She clutched tightly in her hand the crucial intelligence report about the secret vault, just compiled by the intelligence network; those few thin sheets of paper felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
These are enough coffin nails to completely bury the regent!
When the hidden door disguised as a bookshelf was gently pushed open at the end of the secret passage, a familiar scent mixed with old books and fine ink sticks wafted out.
Inside the secret room of the Imperial Study, Xiao Che was already waiting.
He did not sit on the dragon throne, a symbol of supreme power, but stood before a huge map of the capital's defenses, his expression solemn. The flickering candlelight cast his tall figure onto the wall, creating a solitary yet majestic shadow.
Hearing the noise, he turned around abruptly. In his deep eyes, there was no longer the languidness and impatience he usually pretended to have, but only the sharpness and scrutiny of a hawk.
"They're here." His voice was low, with a hint of barely perceptible tension.
"Mm." Lin Wanwan nodded, without any further pleasantries, and walked straight to his side, handing him the note in her hand.
"The fish has taken the bait."
Xiao Che's gaze swept quickly across the contents of the note. When he saw the keywords "old-style heavy armor from the previous dynasty" and "armor-shaped warehouse", his pupils suddenly contracted and his breath caught in his throat for a moment.
The atmosphere in the entire enclosed room instantly plummeted to freezing point.
"What audacity!"
After a long silence, Xiao Che finally managed to squeeze out those four words through gritted teeth. His voice was filled with overwhelming rage and chilling killing intent. He slowly raised his hand, his fingertip slamming down on the map at that remote location in the northwest corner of the palace!
"He actually hid it right under my nose!"
It goes without saying who this "he" is.
The two of them knew perfectly well what this "thing" was!
That was far more than just a batch of old armor that couldn't be seen in the light of day. Behind it lay irrefutable evidence of treason, enough to send Regent Xiao Yuan, along with all his cronies, to the deepest abyss!
An immense surge of excitement and elation, like an electric current, instantly swept through Xiao Che's heart. He had waited far too long for this day! From the moment he ascended the throne, he had lived in the shadow of his imperial uncle, enduring, lying low, and feigning weakness... Now, the prey's most fatal vulnerability had finally been exposed before his eyes!
However, this ecstasy lasted only a moment before he forcibly suppressed it, replaced by a deeper calm and vigilance.
He immediately realized the enormous risks and opportunities involved.
"No," Xiao Che shook his head immediately, his voice resolute, "You can't move now!"
He looked at Lin Wanwan, his eyes sharp as knives: "Wanwan, you did very well this time, but this discovery also means we're already on the edge of a precipice. That warehouse is now undoubtedly a den of dragons and tigers. We know nothing about what's inside. If we force our way in under uncertain circumstances, and we alert him, making him realize we've uncovered his secrets, he'll immediately resort to desperate measures and launch a swift attack. At that point, we'll be unprepared and have only ourselves to blame!"
Xiao Che's analysis coincided with Lin Wanwan's thoughts.
She nodded, picked up the conversation, and calmly analyzed, "That's right. So, before we take action, we must know ourselves and our enemy. We need to thoroughly understand the guarding patterns of that warehouse, especially the number of sentries and their rotation times; we need to figure out the precise structure inside the warehouse to prevent traps or secret passages; and most importantly, we need to be 100% certain that the 'thing' we want is exactly inside!"
Their eyes met in mid-air, their thoughts perfectly synchronized. They both understood that every step from here on out had to be taken with utmost care, leaving no room for error.
This makes the carefully orchestrated pretense of "discord between the emperor and empress" more crucial than ever before.
A hint of approval and doting flashed in Xiao Che's eyes. He looked at the woman in front of him who could remain absolutely calm in the face of danger, and his heart was filled with unprecedented pride.
"It seems that I will have to continue this charade." A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips. "I will continue to play the 'tyrant' who is driven crazy by you in the court, drawing all of Xiao Yuan's attention to me, making him think that my biggest trouble is just how to deal with the jealousy in the harem."
As he spoke, he turned his head and looked deeply into Lin Wanwan's eyes, his tone becoming extremely solemn.
"And you..."
Lin Wanwan met his gaze, her eyes firm and bright; she knew what he wanted to say.
“I will use the perfect identity of ‘disfavored empress’,” she said softly, “to weave a net of inescapable traps for His Majesty in the shadows of the harem!”
One draws the fire in the imperial court, becoming a target in the open; the other plots in the harem, becoming a hunter in the shadows.
At this moment, in this secret chamber symbolizing the center of imperial power, the Emperor and Empress reached their most important and dangerous division of labor. Their trust and tacit understanding had already reached their peak through countless life-or-death trials.
Xiao Che looked into Lin Wanwan's eyes, where the light of wisdom shone brighter than the stars, and his heart was filled with emotion. He knew that with a wife like her, what more could a husband ask for?
He remained silent for a moment, then suddenly turned around and walked to the huge dragon throne.
Under Lin Wanwan's questioning gaze, he reached out and gently pressed a certain spot on the armrest of the dragon throne. With a soft "click," a hidden compartment popped out from the side of the armrest.
Xiao Che took out a token from a hidden compartment. The token was made entirely of black iron and engraved with ferocious divine beast totems. The token was cold to the touch, yet it seemed to contain boundless power.
He took the token and solemnly walked back to Lin Wanwan, handing it to her.
Lin Wanwan felt a sudden weight in her palm; the weight of the token far exceeded her expectations.
Xiao Che spoke in an unprecedentedly serious tone, enunciating each word clearly:
"This is the tiger tally to mobilize my three thousand secret guards. They are my last trump card, and they only obey the orders of the one who holds the tally. You are the one to cast this net."
He gazed intently at her, his eyes filled with unwavering trust and reliance. Then, a sharp, regal smile, characteristic of an emperor, curved his lips.
"I will be your sharpest sword."
The moment the words fell, Lin Wanwan clearly saw that the emoji area above Xiao Che's head suddenly lit up.
It was no longer any whimsical pattern, but a solemn scene of an ancient battlefield. A general clad in heavy armor was solemnly handing over the tiger tally, symbolizing supreme military power, to a strategist dressed in pristine white robes.
Below that dynamic pattern, a line of golden seal characters slowly emerged, carrying an aura of solemnity reminiscent of warring armies—
[All troops, listen to my command.gif]
Lin Wanwan gripped the cold black iron tiger talisman tightly in her hand, but her heart was burning with passion.
She knew that this protracted drama had entered its final and most dangerous stage of preparation.
The moment to close the net is not far off.
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