Morning light streamed softly through the sheer silk curtains of the Hualan Pavilion.
Xianlan was already awake—before even the birds began to sing.
In her hand was the map of the inner palace, delivered by Feng Yuhan the night before.
It came with only two short, sharply written lines:
"Once you know where the enemy lies, you can place your next piece with confidence."
Xianlan folded the paper in silence, her amber eyes no longer soft, but as cold and firm as carved jade.
This was the beginning of the game—
and this time, she would make the first move.
⸻
Noble Consort Su Zhen was a master of control, especially over those around her.
Her charm, her voice, her gentle demeanor—
every aspect meticulously crafted to inspire trust.
If the inner palace was a battlefield, she was the general who wielded smiles instead of swords.
And Xianlan's first target… wasn't Su Zhen directly.
But the shadow behind the curtain.
⸻
A maid named Xiao Xin served Su Zhen personally—
quiet, unassuming, always in the background.
But in the past… she had been the one who drugged Xianlan's honey cakes
—ensuring the princess fell into a deep sleep on the very night Su Zhen swapped the poisoned needle.
Xianlan remembered it clearly—
the faint smile on Xiao Xin's lips as she offered her the tea,
and that subtle fragrance…
the beginning of her downfall.
⸻
That morning, Xianlan deliberately took a path that passed near Su Zhen's palace—
a place she had never once approached before.
"Consort! Consort! The Fourth Princess is outside her pavilion!"
The startled cries of eunuchs and maids rang out.
Xianlan halted calmly before the plum blossom garden and replied in an even voice:
"The Hualan Pavilion does not forbid a princess from taking in the morning air.
If someone is overly shaken, perhaps they need more training."
The noise died instantly.
Feng Yuhan had once said:
"If you intend to play the game, don't act like a piece—act like the player."
⸻
She passed by the guest quarters near the crossroads—seemingly by accident.
But from the corner of her eye, she saw Xiao Xin handing a vial to a young servant in white.
The moment their eyes met, Xiao Xin smiled and bowed politely.
Xianlan smiled in return.
But she recognized that vial—
it contained the same appetite-suppressing tonic once used to secretly drug her.
⸻
"You want to play a quiet game, do you?"
"Then let me return the favor."
That evening, Xianlan instructed her maid to purchase a steamed bun filled with black reishi mushrooms from a local market stall.
She then attached a note:
"I tried this and found it rather intriguing. Thought I'd share it with Sister Xiao Xin—so she might enjoy its curious flavor as well."
There was no poison in the mushrooms.
But she had added Xiansan seeds—a harmless herb on its own.
Yet when mixed with appetite suppressants, it caused numbness of the tongue and a hoarse voice.
The next morning… Xiao Xin's voice was raspier than usual, oddly unsteady.
She still smiled—
but could no longer speak clearly.
⸻
"What's wrong with your voice?"
Su Zhen asked curiously during a gift offering.
"Your Grace… I… might be coming down with a fever…"
Xiao Xin answered with a hoarse whisper, eyes flickering nervously.
Su Zhen narrowed her eyes slightly—
but said nothing.
For behind such small disturbances… something had begun to stir.
⸻
Xianlan never intended harm.
She merely wanted to remind those who betrayed her:
she had not forgotten.
And in this game—
no one was beyond the phoenix's gaze.
⸻
That night, while the palace slumbered,
a soft knock echoed at the Hualan Pavilion door.
The servant opened it to find only a small wooden box on the ground.
Inside was a single document—
and a brief letter:
"Expenditure Record – Cold Palace, 5th Year of the Fengming Reign: One set of rare poison-tipped needles."
"Signed by Court Eunuch Xin Hong. Record deleted two days before the Fourth Princess's case."
Xianlan smiled faintly.
Another gift—from him.
⸻
"Feng Yuhan…
Are you clearing the way for me—drawing out Su Zhen's people one by one?"
"If that's the case… let's see who lasts longer on this board—me or her."