Chapter 203 -

Chapter 203: Chapter

Wenzhe exhaled a shaky breath, his shoulders slumping as he dragged a hand across his face.

"I tried so hard to find a way to talk to him after that," Wenzhe continued, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "I wanted to explain, to make him understand what my family did, but the Empress made sure of it. She immediately sent me far away to the front lines of the battlefield."

He stared down at his hands, the ghosts of old scars catching the dim light.

"By the time Xiao Chen finally won the war and returned, having earned the absolute loyalty and backing of the empire, he was a completely different person," Wenzhe muttered bitterly. "The boy I knew was gone. Replaced by someone cold, hollow, and consumed by rage. There was no way he would ever listen to me or believe a single word I said."

Wenzhe shook his head, a look of grim acceptance crossing his face.

"So, I just let it be. I stopped trying to bridge a gap that had already turned to ash. Instead, I kept my eyes on him, tracking his movements and uncovering all the cruel, wicked things he did behind the scenes of the imperial court."

A dark shadow fell over Wenzhe’s eyes.

"He became just as villainous and ruthless as the Empress herself," Wenzhe whispered. "After a while, I couldn’t even tell which one of them was worse."

Yueqing was completely speechless. Her chest tightened so much she felt like crying. Both of her boys had been through so much pain.

Without a word, she leaned forward and pulled Wenzhe into a tight embrace, wrapping her small arms securely around him.

Wenzhe let out a ragged breath, burying his face deep into her shoulder. A heavy, agonizing story he had meant to carry locked away in his heart forever was finally let out into the open.

Later that night, the bitter medicine finally took effect, and Wenzhe drifted off to a deep, exhausted sleep.

Yueqing carefully slipped out of his arms, tucked the blanket around him, and sat down at the wooden table nearby. She tapped her fingers against the surface and whispered, "Nine."

In a flash of light, Nine appeared. He wore his usual blue robes and lazily flicked open his paper fan, lounging in the air with a careless grin.

"Well, well. Look who finally decided to chat with her favorite system," Nine said, his tone dripping with teasing curiosity as he floated cross-legged over the table. "Did our wounded hero’s tragic backstory bring you to tears, Host? So, now that you know the big secret, what’s the grand plan? Are we going to cry together, or are we actually going to fix this mess before Xiao Chen sets half the capital on fire?"

Yueqing let out a frustrated sigh, glaring up at the floating system.

"The real people who are at fault are the adults here," Yueqing muttered, her voice tight with anger. "The Duke and Madame Xi knew all about this. I would have expected the Duke to be somewhat decisive, but the Duchess as well? They are truly sick. And then we have the Empress. She is a total menace. I thought I wouldn’t have to see much of her again after my first mission, but now her eyes are back on us."

She pointed a sharp finger at him. "It’s all your fault, Nine."

With a quick motion, she reached up and gave him a sharp smack right on the head.

Nine yelped, rubbing the spot where she hit him while exaggeratedly fanning himself. "Hey! Ow! What did I do? I’m just the innocent narrator here, Host! Don’t take your romantic drama frustrations out on my fragile system skull!"

Yueqing shook her head, her expression hardening with fierce determination.

"I have to help them," Yueqing said quietly, her voice full of resolve. "I have to teach all of those toxic adults a lesson. Xiao Chen is going to inherit this throne, and as for Wenzhe... I will make him strong enough to break free from his father’s control."

She crossed her arms, looking down at the wooden table as her plans clicked into place.

"I have to help my boys," she muttered. "Once I finally fix this and secure their paths, then I will be truly satisfied. And after that... I can finally focus on finishing this mission and leaving."

Nine lowered his fan, blinking at her with a rare moment of genuine surprise before breaking into a wide, amused grin.

"My, my," Nine chuckled, leaning forward in the air. "Look at you, Host. Turning a bloody palace survival game into your own personal rescue mission. Are you sure you’re just trying to finish the task, or are you getting attached to your son and husband?"

"Shut up nine!"

Yueqing stood up from the table, smoothing down her robes. "I need to go see the Third Prince."

Nine frowned, crossing his arms and floating lower. "Look at the time, Host. It is almost midnight. Just wait until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is the banquet, and we will be completely busy," Yueqing argued, grabbing her cloak. "I won’t be able to speak with him then. I am with the Xi family, who are tied to the Empress, so everyone will be watching me the entire time. I need to talk to him right now."

She pointed a finger at the system. "You are going to cover for me. You can change into different appearances or illusions, right? Turn into me and stay here."

Nine’s eyes widened behind his fan. "Wait, you want me to impersonate you while you go sneaking off to a dangerous prince in the dead of night? Host, my system manual definitely does not cover unpaid body-double labor!"

Yueqing rolled her eyes so hard it hurt. "He is knocked out cold from heavy medicine, Nine. He won’t even know what day it is, let alone try to cuddle you. Just lie under the blanket, face the wall, and don’t move."

Nine clutched his chest in exaggerated horror, his paper fan trembling in his hand. "Easy for you to say! What if he mumbles in his sleep and I accidentally reply in my robotic system voice? ’Beep boop, sleep well, General.’ Do you want to ruin all your hard work in one second?!"

"You’re a high-level system, figure it out!" Yueqing snapped back in a fierce whisper, grabbing her cloak and heading straight for the door. "If you don’t cover for me, I’m going to report you to the main office for being completely useless!"

Before Nine could argue back, Yueqing slipped out through the heavy wooden door, pulling it shut behind her and leaving the system stranded with a sleeping general.