He is inside the body of some poor woman who had been poisoned by a rival in what sounded like a harem situation.
He started laughing. It hurt his damaged throat, but he couldn't stop. This was ridiculous. This was beyond ridiculous. He had died in a private jet explosion, probably courtesy of one of his many corporate enemies or possibly one of his assassination clients who had gotten cold feet, and had woken up in a woman's body in ancient China.
The universe had a terrible sense of humor.
"Mistress?" Xiao Cui looked terrified. "Should I call the physician? Are you having a fit?"
Alex forced himself to stop laughing and take several deep breaths. Fine. This was fine. He had handled worse situations. That time the Singapore deal went sideways and he had to negotiate with triads while simultaneously orchestrating a hostile takeover. That time a target had turned out to be protected by ex-Mossad agents and he had to improvise with a fruit knife and a can of hairspray.
This was just another hostile situation. He was in an unfamiliar environment with limited resources and at least one confirmed hostile actor who had already attempted assassination.
So. Time to assess.
"Stop crying," he said, voice still hoarse but firmer. "And tell me everything. I want a full briefing on my current situation. Who I am, where I am, who wants me dead, and what resources I have available. Start with the basics and work your way up."
Xiao Cui hiccupped and wiped her eyes. "I... what?"
"My situation. Explain it. Pretend I've lost my memory." Which wasn't technically a lie. He had lost Yan Lingxi's memory. He just had a different set of memories in its place.
"Oh! Oh, the physician said this might happen! He said the poison might steal memories!" She took a shaky breath. "You are Yan Lingxi, formerly of the Yan family of scholars from Jiangnan province. You entered the palace three years ago as part of the Emperor's selection of consorts. You... you have not been favored by His Majesty. Not even once."
Translation: This body's previous owner was a complete failure at her job. Noted.
"Go on."
"You live here, in the Tranquil Garden Pavilion, which is in the western section of the Inner Palace. You have me as your personal maid, and three other servants: Lao Zhang who tends the courtyard, Auntie Chen who cooks, and Eunuch Wu who runs messages. Your monthly stipend is..." She hesitated.
"How much?"
"Thirty taels of silver."
Alex had no idea if that was a lot or a little, but judging by Xiao Cui's embarrassed expression and the general state of disrepair he could see in this room, it was probably not much.
"And this Consort Su who poisoned me?"
Xiao Cui's expression darkened. "Consort Su is... she is the Emperor's current favorite. Beautiful and clever, or so everyone says, though I think she's just cruel and manipulative. She came from a powerful family, the Su merchant clan, and she has been making life difficult for all the other consorts since she arrived two years ago. Especially you, mistress."
"Why especially me?"
"Because..." Xiao Cui looked uncomfortable. "Because at the selection ceremony, His Majesty spoke with you the longest. You discussed poetry and philosophy with him for nearly an hour, and Consort Su saw it. She's been... punishing you for it ever since. Small things at first. Spreading rumors, stealing your servants, making sure you were never invited to palace events. But lately it's gotten worse."
So. Office politics. Harem edition. Alex was familiar with office politics. He had crushed many careers using similar tactics, though he drew the line at actual murder unless it was a paid contract.
"And five days ago?"
"There was a banquet. The Empress Dowager's birthday celebration. You were required to attend. Consort Su made sure you were seated at the lowest position, far from His Majesty. Then she publicly mocked your dress, saying it looked like something a servant would wear. You... the old you... you tried to defend yourself but you've never been good with words when you're upset, mistress. You ran away crying. The whole court laughed."
Alex mentally added "poor emotional regulation" to the previous owner's list of weaknesses.
"And after?"
"You came back here and refused to eat. You were so upset. But then the next evening, Consort Su sent a maid with tea and cakes. She said it was an apology gift. You were so surprised and happy that someone was being kind... you drank the tea." Xiao Cui's voice shook. "I should have stopped you. I should have tested it. But I was just glad to see you smile."
Classic poisoning setup. Isolate the target emotionally, then present yourself as an ally right before the strike. Efficient, if completely lacking in honor.
Alex filed away several important facts. One: Yan Lingxi had been a soft target. Emotional, easily manipulated, poor at palace politics. Two: Consort Su was bold enough to attempt murder, which meant she either had powerful backing or was confident she wouldn't be caught. Three: No one had investigated the poisoning or punished Consort Su, which meant either the palace authorities were incompetent or they simply didn't care about a low-ranking consort's death.
Four: He was in a very weak position with minimal resources and at least one active enemy who would likely try again once she realized the first attempt had failed.