Chapters
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Chapter 23 Chapter Twenty-Three: The Guest Becomes the Host Epigraph: "When Tong Guan's secret envoy knocked on my door again, no longer to recruit but to compromise, I knew the time had come. I kept the Ministry of War document he brought and said with a smile, 'Go back and tell Prime Minister Tong that if he wants to cooperate, he must play by my rules.'" --- The news of the swift and decisive elimination of Zhang Gan, the Cao Gang's strongman, spread like wildfire through Tokyo's select circles.…-
86.5 K • Ongoing
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Chapter 22 Chapter 22: Undercurrents of the Grand Canal Transport Gang Prologue: "She threw me a rusty Grand Canal Transport Gang iron tally: 'Tong Guan's claws have stretched too far, it's time to chop them off.' Holding that token, stained with the scent of blood, I finally understood—the brothel was merely her mask, the Grand Canal Transport Gang was her true dagger." --- The assassination on the Lantern Festival was like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, its ripples spreading rapidly. Though…
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86.5 K • Ongoing
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Chapter 21: Killing Intent Under the Lanterns Epigraph: "During the Lantern Festival, she insisted I go out. Under the myriad of brilliant lanterns, she brushed the falling snow from my shoulders, like ordinary lovers. Until an arrow split the air, and she pushed me away with no surprise in her eyes—it turned out this assassination was part of her game all along." --- My shoulder wound was gradually healing, the New Year had passed, and blink, it was the Lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival in…
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86.5 K • Ongoing
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Chapter 20 Vinegar Fire Epigraph: "I thought the scar on my shoulder was my only mark, until Li Shishi saw the letter from Lu Junyi. She twirled the paper between her fingers and chuckled, 'Your elder brother is more troublesome than Tong Guan.' That night, she knocked over the vinegar jar, and the entire small courtyard was filled with sourness." --- The wound on her shoulder throbbed, a constant reminder to Yan Qing of the bloody covenant that night. As promised, she was "recuperating" in the small…
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86.5 K • Ongoing
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Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Sumo? Sumo! Quote: "Sumo wrestling in the training ground is no different from a public execution. When Li Kui's tower-like body charged at me, only one thought ran through my mind—is it too late to play dead now?" --- The morning horn sounded like a death knell, piercing the mist and also the fragile nerves of Yan Qing. She had barely slept. Fragments of her transmigration since arriving kept replaying in her mind, along with endless worries about the future. The bowl of…
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86.5 K • Ongoing
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Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen: The Stratagem of Self-Inflicted Injury Epigraph: "As Li Shishi's dagger plunged into my shoulder, I saw the resolve in her eyes. 'This stab is for Tong Guan,' she whispered in my ear, 'and it is also our pledge of allegiance.'" --- The appearance of Tong Guan's secret envoy was like a stone cast into a hidden current, not causing a tidal wave but accelerating the churning beneath the surface. Following Li Shishi's instructions, Yan Qing did not respond hastily. Instead,…
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86.5 K • Ongoing
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Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen: Returning the Scheme Epigraph: "I thought Li Shishi's plan was already a risky gambit, until Tong Guan's secret envoy showed up, hinting that he could help me replace Song Jiang. I smiled and agreed, then turned and soaked the secret letter in vinegar—revealing the second piece of intelligence for Li Shishi." --- The secret meeting by Jinming Pool was like a massive stone dropped into Yan Qing's heart lake, its ripples lingering long after. She knew she had embarked on a…
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86.5 K • Ongoing
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Chapter 17 Chapter 17: The Conspiracy by Jinming Pool Quote: "After her heart was cut out on a snowy night, she took me to Jinming Pool. Pointing at the frozen lake, she said: 'Look, this Great Song is like this ice layer, seemingly solid, but it shatters with a single blow.' Then she handed me a list—on it were twelve disgruntled generals holding military power." --- The dissection of hearts on a snowy night had torn away the last veil of ambiguity between them. After that, Li Shishi no longer…
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86.5 K • Ongoing
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Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen: Heart Laid Bare on a Snowy Night Epigraph: "I thought the humiliation at Drunken Immortal Pavilion was the end, until Li Shishi came through the snow, shed her fine clothes, and pointed to the scar on her chest, saying, 'Look, this is the real me.' In that moment, I understood that the brothel was merely her most formidable armor." --- After the banquet at Drunken Immortal Pavilion, Yan Qing confined herself to the newly acquired small courtyard, not emerging for three full…
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86.5 K • Ongoing
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Chapter 15 Chapter Fifteen: A Night Banquet at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion Prologue: "I thought Li Shishi's invitation was an elegant affair, until I stepped into the Drunken Immortal Pavilion and saw a hall filled with high officials and nobles. She pressed me before the zither and said softly, 'Play a tune, no one here thinks you're a hero.'" --- After the matter of Shi Xiu and the lesson of the Gold Melon Seeds, Yan Qing spent several days in quiet contemplation at the inn. She began to adjust…
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86.5 K • Ongoing
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