Time Travel: He is My Dad!

Undercurrents surge, and the chess game is not over yet

Princess Shen sat on a carved rosewood chair, gently stroking a silver waist pendant, her gaze fixed on the moonlit palace walls outside the window. Outside, the wind rustled softly, bringing a hint of coolness. The palace seemed eerily quiet, yet the turmoil within her heart was far more profound than this.

Tonight, the night she and Jiang Shaozong had agreed to meet, was the first step in her journey to gradually devour her opponent, starting from a corner of the chessboard. Every move seemed fraught with danger, but she had no escape route. She knew that if she made a wrong move, she would be lost forever in the abyss of power.

"Princess, the message has been delivered." Eunuch Li's voice came in a low voice.

Princess Shen turned to look at Eunuch Li, who held an urgent, secret letter. Her brows furrowed as she took the envelope. The envelope had been opened, the handwriting scribbled, yet a sense of urgency permeated the pages.

"Jiang Shaozong has received the letter and seems to have noticed something. Princess, I'm afraid he has already started to re-plan." Eunuch Li frowned, his tone full of worry.

Princess Shen's heart trembled slightly, and a complex emotion flashed in her eyes. However, she quickly regained her composure and said slowly, "He wants to know my next plan, so let him guess. It's better to let him walk into the trap than to let him speculate in the dark."

She paused and looked intently at Eunuch Li, "Did Jiang Shaozong send someone to sneak into Prince Zhao's residence tonight?"

"Yes, Princess," Eunuch Li replied, "We have made all the arrangements, and Prince Zhao's spies have already taken action. If Jiang Shaozong makes any move, he will be exposed."

"Very good." Princess Shen's eyes flashed with a cold light. "Tonight, all the chips will be tilted in my favor in an instant. Let them all think they are still in control of the situation, while I have already laid out everything."

She stood up, walked slowly to the desk, and took out a detailed map from the drawer, spreading it on the table. It was a topographical map of the palace, meticulously detailed, with almost every corner clearly marked.

"Prince Zhao's chess game is progressing, and Jiang Shaozong is one of his pawns," Princess Shen whispered, pointing to several important locations on the map. "However, precisely because they are overconfident, they are more likely to expose flaws. Tonight, we will start from this flaw."

Her gaze fell on a corner of a palace on the map. It was where Prince Zhao had long been stationed—the secret room. That secret room, crucial to Princess Shen's plan, contained secret documents belonging to the Emperor. Princess Shen had already received reliable information that those documents contained evidence of Prince Zhao's collusion with the Qingyun Chamber of Commerce. If she could obtain this information, Prince Zhao's position would be immediately shaken.

"Eunuch Li, send someone to prepare immediately. We must take action tonight, and the power of Qingyun Chamber of Commerce must be controlled as soon as possible." Princess Shen's voice was low, with a hint of unquestionable determination.

"Yes, Princess." Eunuch Li responded and left.

-

As the night deepened, the moonlight cast long shadows on the palace walls. Princess Shen moved quietly through the palace, careful with each step, trying not to attract anyone's attention. She knew her every move was being closely watched by Prince Zhao and Jiang Shaozong. If tonight's plan were exposed, it would undoubtedly trigger a drastic change in the palace.

She walked along the secret passage until she reached the entrance of a hidden passage. This was an ancient area of ​​the palace, almost unknown to anyone. Just as she was about to enter the passage, she suddenly heard a faint sound of footsteps behind her.

Princess Shen stopped immediately and listened. The footsteps were subtle but rapid, clearly someone was stealthily approaching. She turned quickly, her eyes like knives, scanning the surroundings.

A figure walked out from the shadows. It was a familiar face - Jiang Shaozong.

"Young Master Jiang." Princess Shen spoke calmly, the corners of her mouth raised slightly, revealing a sneer, "Why are you here?"

Jiang Shaozong's expression darkened. He took a few steps closer, stopping in front of Princess Shen. His eyes were cold, yet tinged with a hint of amusement. "Princess Shen, do you really think I trust you? The secret letter you sent may have been well-spoken, but I already knew you had your own agenda."

Princess Shen smiled softly. "I never expected you to trust me, Master Jiang. Our cooperation has always been just an exchange of interests, nothing more."

Her tone remained calm, but deep down inside, waves were already stirring. Jiang Shaozong's appearance at this moment clearly indicated that he had sensed something was amiss and was preparing to take action. Princess Shen knew that the events of this night were no longer a unilateral plan of hers, but rather a hidden struggle between the two sides, making the situation increasingly complicated.

Jiang Shaozong sneered, "Do you really think you can control this chess game alone? Princess Shen, you are too confident. Tonight, your plan will become my opportunity to control everything."

Princess Shen's eyes narrowed slightly. She hadn't expected Jiang Shaozong to have noticed it long ago, and even to suddenly appear at this moment. She looked at him coldly: "What do you want to do?"

Jiang Shaozong showed a meaningful smile, took a few steps closer, and whispered: "If you want to know whether you can succeed, everything will be revealed tonight."

Before he finished speaking, his figure had disappeared into the darkness, as if blending into the depths of the palace, disappearing without a trace.

Princess Shen stood there, feeling an uneasy premonition rising in her heart. Jiang Shaozong's words were not simple, as if he had discovered some of her plans and even planned to push her into a desperate situation through tonight's situation.

-

Outside the palace, in Prince Zhao's mansion, another undercurrent of struggle quietly began.

Prince Zhao's men have quietly entered the palace and begun planning a new operation. The contest between Princess Shen and Jiang Shaozong has gone beyond a simple power struggle and entered a life-and-death duel without the smoke of gunpowder.

In this game, will she be the winner in the end, or will Prince Zhao and Jiang Shaozong work together to defeat her in one fell swoop?

Tonight, the mystery will be revealed.

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Chapter 79: Deadlock remains unresolved, power shifts