The court moved like a larger clockwork—chapters of ceremony turned without fuss. Long Yue was still too young to attend audiences, but the Empress decreed a small presentation: a formal day when servants and ministers might glimpse the heir. Public displays in the palace were both praise and probe; the Empress used them as one uses a tidy blade.
[Empress Wu:] "Bring him. Let the court see that the house of Wu bears heirs."
SYSTEM: Public display recommended: visibility +15, risk +6 (jealousy). Headline effect: Heir's presence stabilizes certain factions.
They wrapped Long Yue in silk the color of autumn leaves and carried him through the carved corridor. The palace halls stretched like a painted scroll, and the voices that filled them practiced diplomacy with the precision of a bell.
Minister Li observed from a respectful distance, expression unreadable. Consort Mei watched with a smile that was too patient. Courtiers whispered prophecies from the edges of their sleeves.
When they reached the central hall, the Empress placed Long Yue on a cushion embroidered with dragons. He was small and bright, a wet little pigment on a vast tapestry. The room tilted into a silence that expected a miracle.
[Empress Wu:] (softly, to the court) "This is Long Yue, newborn of my house. Observe with propriety."
SYSTEM: Audience engagement module activated. Passive: smiles have amplified effect. Active: mimic Empress expr. Cooldown: 3 hours.
Long Yue felt the system's guidance as a steady hand. He responded with what he did best—an earnest, practiced smile pitched perfectly between infant confusion and charismatic ease. It was a small thing, but the court's reaction was immediate: whispers melted into sighs, eyes that had sharpened for the bite of politics softened.
[Minister Li:] (muttering, to a neighbor) "A public heir can also be used as bait… or shield."
[MC / Long Yue:] (thought) "Bait. Shield. Noted."
The system translated the minister's words into a ribbon of potential threat. Minister Li's neutrality hid calculation—he had the temperament of someone who kept favors like a storehouse. Long Yue's smile did more than charm; it siphoned small percentages of suspicion toward curiosity.
Scholar Zhao fed Long Yue a couplet like a grown man feeds a small puppy: gentle and rhythmic. The Empress watched the exchange like a horticulturist assesses a sprout.
[Empress Wu:] "He has chosen his expressions carefully."
[Bodyguard Shen:] (from the side) "And will defend them with muscle."
A hush and a soft ripple of approval from those who liked muscle and decisive gestures. The Empress allowed a small nobles' ritual to pass—the placing of gifts, the formal bows. The display had sealed a small social advantage.
SYSTEM: Public favor gained: +40 Empress proximity token. Secondary effect: Minister Li suspicion reduced by 4%.
But court games never stayed only in public halls. After the ceremony, Consort Mei approached with the countryside's syrup of courtesy.
[Consort Mei:] "Such a vivid child. The empire's future is promising with such a seed."
[Empress Wu:] "Seeds flourish with care or are trampled by ambition alike. Your counsel is noted."
Long Yue detected the undercurrent as indirectly as a dream suggests a storm: Consort Mei was pleasant like honey that hid vinegar. The system flared a soft alert.
SYSTEM: Consort Mei: persistent proximity interest. Suggested handling: non-confrontational visibility (gifts arranged) to reduce threat level.
The Empress allowed the suggestion to be recorded in silence. Later, in the privacy of the nursery, she tightened the child's blanket as if securing a future.
[Empress Wu:] "Observe their small moves, child. The court will teach us both."
[MC / Long Yue:] (thought) "I will observe. And learn. And maybe in twenty years, make dumplings mandatory in court."
SYSTEM: Humor logged. Strategic growth path: cultivate allies among lower-ranked ministers and servants as buffer. Objective: 5 low-tier allies in 60 days.
Long Yue, still small and bright under embroidered dragons, felt the palace's weight and warmth press in equal measure. The ceremony had not turned the wheel of fate, but it had greased it just enough to move.