Time Travel: He is My Dad!

Traps in the chess game

Princess Shen's eyes gleamed with an unpredictable light, as if she had calculated all the possibilities in advance and that everyone's fate was under her control. The tension in the palace grew increasingly intense, and He Qingqing realized that although she was in the middle of it, every decision and every action she took could become a pawn in the game.

The storm outside the palace gradually approached, but at this moment, the atmosphere in the banquet hall remained silent and subdued. Princess Shen walked back to the center and gently waved her hand, signaling the guards to place all guests in the designated area and forbid anyone to leave without permission.

"Tonight, no one will be able to leave easily." Her voice was calm yet menacing. "In this game of chess, no one can remain indifferent."

He Qingqing stood aside, looking at Princess Shen, a complex emotion rising in her heart. At this moment, she could almost feel Princess Shen's almost icy determination, as if she was destined to make everyone pay the price, and these prices would become the ladder to her victory.

Yet, deep down, she still felt a vague sense of unease. This feeling grew stronger and stronger, as if she were standing on the edge of a huge trap, ready to be swallowed at any moment. She couldn't help but begin to wonder what Princess Shen's true intentions were. Was she simply seeking to control power within the palace, or was there a deeper agenda?

At this moment, hurried footsteps were heard again outside the palace gate. This time, there were no guards, but the figures of several palace ministers. He Qingqing looked at Princess Shen and saw her eyebrows slightly raised, and a barely perceptible coldness flashed in her eyes.

Several ministers hurried into the hall, their faces solemn. One of them, an older official, whispered, "Princess, Zhao Han's disappearance seems to involve a larger force outside the palace. We have received a tip-off that someone has begun to ally with another force within the palace in an attempt to use this opportunity to undermine Your Majesty's authority."

"Forces outside the palace?" Princess Shen smiled slightly, as if she had anticipated this news. "It seems that even the forces outside are beginning to get restless."

She turned to all the guests present, her eyes swept across them coldly, and finally stopped at He Qingqing: "Tonight, the game inside and outside the palace will completely break out, and you, Miss He, I'm afraid you will no longer be able to stand here safely."

He Qingqing's heart trembled. Her intuition told her that Princess Shen's words were not just a threat, but rather revealed a control over the upcoming events. The intervention of forces outside the palace meant that this game was no longer just a struggle between Princess Shen and Zhao Han, but a fusion of multiple forces.

Princess Shen's eyes gradually grew colder, and she said calmly, "Zhao Han's disappearance is part of our chess game, but it's far from the end; it's the beginning." Her tone was gentle, yet full of menace, "The power struggle in the palace has been determined from the beginning, and this ending is the moment I ascend to the pinnacle of power."

He Qingqing tightly gripped the wine glass in her hand, calmly considering the meaning of Princess Shen's words. Clearly, Princess Shen was not only trying to control the hearts and minds of the people in the palace, but also using Zhao Han's disappearance to provoke a reaction from forces outside the palace and use all possible resources to consolidate her position.

"You want to use the power outside the palace to speed up your own rise to power?" He Qingqing finally spoke, her voice emotionless. "Princess Shen, are you really sure you can control all of this?"

A complex emotion flashed across Princess Shen's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. She turned to look at the ministers who had hurried in and said calmly, "Someone must be secretly plotting Zhao Han's disappearance, but no matter who it is, tonight, I will not let them succeed." She slowly walked towards the center of the hall, her gaze firm and cold. "My goal is to make everyone understand the price of betrayal and infidelity."

He Qingqing's heart stirred, as if she had realized something. Princess Shen's words revealed a fierce desire for control. She not only wanted to seize power, but also to suppress anyone who stood in her way. And she seemed to care little for those who had once allied with her, not even Zhao Han, whom she had once been close to. Princess Shen's scheming was so profound that it was almost unpredictable.

"What are you going to do?" He Qingqing couldn't help but ask, with a hint of challenge in her tone.

Princess Shen turned around, a faint smile on her lips: "Tonight, everyone will know who is the ultimate ruler in this palace." There was no hesitation in her voice, as if everything had been predetermined.

Just as she finished speaking, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the palace gate. This time, it was the emperor's personal guards. One of the guards hurried into the hall, his expression anxious, "Princess, His Majesty has summoned you."

"Your Majesty?" A trace of deep thought flashed across Princess Shen's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. "Okay, take me to see Your Majesty." Her tone was still gentle, as if she had anticipated all this.

He Qingqing cast a deep glance at Princess Shen, pondering inwardly. Princess Shen's composure at this moment seemed as if she was fully aware of all the changes taking place. Her actions would undoubtedly make the situation in the palace even more confusing, and her every decision would profoundly affect the fate of everyone involved.

As Princess Shen left the banquet hall, He Qingqing felt an indescribable sense of oppression spread. The storm in the palace had begun to reveal its true nature, and her fate would be deeply implicated.

"I will no longer be a spectator in this game." He Qingqing whispered to herself, a hint of cold determination flashing in her eyes.

Next, she will face a bigger situation, more conspiracies and calculations, and she must be prepared to meet her own destiny in this struggle.

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Chapter 15: The Emperor's Chessboard