After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

As night fell and a cool breeze blew, the bright moon could be seen hanging in the sky through the half-open window. The soft moonlight bathed the earth, and in the dim candlelight, a handsome and gentle profile of a young man was reflected.

The boy was dressed in white, his hair unbound. His slender fingers gripped the book, his expression focused.

A crow swept across the moonlight, landed on a branch, and let out its distinctive cawing. The boy frowned slightly, put down his book, and looked out the window. The crow turned its head and looked at him, its eyes meeting his.

A knock sounded at the door. The boy lowered his eyes and asked calmly, "What is it?"

"Your Highness, they have returned."

The one who answered was the head eunuch of the Eastern Palace. He was an old man left behind by the late emperor, and he was the one who served His Majesty when he was the crown prince.

The boy stood up and opened the door: "Let them in!"

The head eunuch lowered his head and coughed softly, covering his mouth. The young man's heart softened, and he walked up to the head eunuch and instructed him, "It's chilly at night, please wear another layer of clothing, sir."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I'm fine. This cough is just an old ailment."

“Your cough needs to be treated. I’ll have your uncle write you another prescription later.” The young man squeezed his hand. “It’s getting late, Father-in-law. You should go back and rest. They’ll be here to take care of you.”

The head eunuch smiled and nodded.

His Highness the Crown Prince is someone he's watched grow up. He's kind and benevolent, and the most diligent of all the princes. As the Crown Prince, he's the best; as the Emperor, however, he's too soft-hearted. He hopes the Empress can choose a suitable Crown Princess for him, helping him secure his position.

The head eunuch left, passing by the two figures shrouded in the night. The head eunuch didn't look up; his eyes were even slightly closed. The two figures in the darkness didn't greet him either; they were like two ghosts, carrying a thick aura of death.

They were secret guards trained by the Crown Prince and only obeyed his orders.

With a creak, the study door was pushed open, and moonlight slanted in from outside, only to be covered by shadows.

"I see you, Your Majesty."

They removed their outer robes, revealing the most ordinary clothes worn by commoners. The two men looked different, yet were equally unremarkable. Of medium build, of medium skin color, with no distinguishing features, no moles or blemishes on their faces—utterly unremarkable. If you threw them into a crowd, they would be instantly lost, never to be found again.

The two men bowed respectfully to His Highness the Crown Prince, and the young man asked softly, "You've worked hard. Did you find anything?"

His Highness the Crown Prince was as gentle as ever, not like a master to a servant, but like a friend showing concern and care.

"Your Highness is worried." The guard said respectfully, "I have not failed in my mission. After several days of investigation, I have found out that the Empress Dowager did not die from illness, but hanged herself on the night she entered the temple."

Another guard said, "The Empress Dowager gave birth to a son at the royal villa. Rumor has it that this son was born to the Empress Dowager and that Lord Zhang Qi."

“Zhang Qi?” The young man frowned slightly. “He was once my father’s teacher. I have read his articles and learned about his life. In my opinion, he is by no means a muddle-headed person.”

“Your Highness is right, that child is not Lord Zhang Qi.” The guard handed over the investigation results: “This person entered the palace with money, lay low in the palace for many years, and eventually came to the side of the Empress Dowager.”

"which one?"

"Eunuch Cheng."

The boy pondered for a moment and finally remembered the person. The kind old man in his grandmother's palace always appeared humble and submissive, allowing himself to be bullied. No matter how much the people in the palace mistreated him, he would always smile with his head down. Thinking about it carefully, this person was truly strange; he had visited his grandmother's palace so many times, yet he had never once clearly seen what he looked like.

"He is Lord Zhang Qi's cousin?"

“He was born posthumously and did not grow up in the Zhang family.” The guard said, “His temperament is more like his stepfather’s, a small businessman who is ambitious, opportunistic, and only cares about means rather than methods.”

"How did he die?" The boy clutched the paper. "A man like him would never commit suicide to be buried with his grandmother. The so-called suicide was just a cover-up for some truth. Was Minister Xie present when this man died? Was it his doing?"

The guard shook his head: "It doesn't seem like Lord Xie's doing! The body was unharmed and showed no signs of poisoning; he committed suicide in full view of everyone."

The boy turned his back and looked at the moonlight outside the window.

The death of Eunuch Cheng certainly didn't seem to be the work of Minister Xie. Although Minister Xie didn't hold the title of Grand Tutor, he had indeed been Cheng's teacher for two years, and Cheng learned half of his character and conduct from Minister Xie. The Minister's residence had secret guards, far more capable than those of the Eastern Palace; he was the one who captured the spies from Southern Chu who had infiltrated the capital of Northern Liang.

He had also been to the dungeon of the Minister's mansion and witnessed the methods Minister Xie used when interrogating those spies. Rather than harsh punishments, he was more adept at exploiting a person's weaknesses, winning them over psychologically. Minister Xie had said that everyone has weaknesses, and even if someone doesn't have one, you can create one for them. All's fair in war; extraordinary people require extraordinary methods.

There was an assassin from Southern Chu who wanted to kill Minister Xie. He was an orphan, without parents, indifferent to money, women, and fine wine and food. This man seemed to have no weaknesses. He was elusive; if one assassination attempt failed, he would try again, and if that failed, he would try a third. Minister Xie initially intended to ignore him, but the assassin was relentlessly persistent. So, Minister Xie laid a trap for him.

He had a younger sister who died because of him during their escape, a fact that haunted him. Minister Xie ordered a play to be staged, and a little girl of similar age to his sister was found to reenact the events of that year in front of him. Sure enough, he saved the little girl.

Even the most ruthless killer has a soft spot in their heart that no one can touch.

The little girl reminded him of his own sister, and she became his new weakness. After spending half a month together, the little girl's older sister came, and because of the little girl, he naturally accepted her sister.

This older sister was a secret guard in the Xie family, the second move Xie Shangshu made for that assassin.

She cooked for the assassin, mended his clothes, and during holidays, she and her sister would take him out to buy him gifts. Gradually, the older sister, like the younger sister, entered his heart, and they became like family.

Just as their relationship was blossoming, Minister Xie sent men disguised as assassins from Southern Chu to "kill" them in full view of everyone, just a few steps away from the actual assassin, just as he was about to reach happiness. They then took the "corpses" and destroyed the evidence.

Their reasoning was to punish him for his failure.

His psychological defenses crumbled instantly. He sneaked back to the assassin headquarters that very night and killed his boss and thirteen other members of the assassin organization. Half-dead, he dragged his crippled body back to the small courtyard where he had lived with the two sisters, took their belongings, and left Beiliang for Nanchu.

It is said that he returned to his hometown.

The Crown Prince had once considered Minister Xie's method cruel, until Minister Xie produced a list—a list of Northern Liang officials assassinated by Southern Chu. Within six months, seven Northern Liang officials had died from assassination, including a general who had returned to the capital to report on his duties.