Wei Lian's POV
News of my success spread through the palace like fire.
Did you hear? That new concubine predicted the Jiangnan disaster!
The Emperor personally rewarded her!
She's rising so fast...
I kept my head down, but the damage was done. I'd drawn too much attention.
The Empress Dowager watched me with cold calculation. Imperial Consort Hua Rong's smiles grew sharper. Even other concubines whispered behind their fans.
You've made enemies, my lady, Su Jin warned. Powerful ones.
I know. But I couldn't let those people die.
Three more attempts on my life in the next month. Poisoned tea, Su Jin caught it. A falling roof tile, I'd learned to watch for shadows. A servant who tried to strangle me in my sleep, I'd been awake, expecting it.
Each time, I reported nothing. Handled it quietly. Let my would-be killers think I was just lucky.
But I was gathering names. Building my own list of who worked for whom.
The palace was a web of alliances and betrayals. The Empress Dowager controlled most of the Inner Palace. Hua Rong had her claws in the imperial household. Prime Minister Zhao Feng dominated the outer court.
And somewhere in this web was Lady Chen, who'd tried to poison me at the welcome banquet. Her maid had been executed for attempting to poison the Crown Prince, but Chen herself remained untouched.
Protected.
Su Jin, I need information on Lady Chen. Who visits her, who she reports to.
Su Jin's network discovered the truth: Chen Mei was one of the Empress Dowager's many spies among the new concubines. Her job was to befriend targets, gather information, and eliminate threats.
I'd been her first target.
Can we expose her? Su Jin asked.
Not yet. If we move against her, the Empress Dowager will just replace her with someone we don't know. I smiled coldly. Better to watch your enemy than find a new one.
Meanwhile, I continued visiting the Imperial Library, genuinely reading everything I could. The Emperor had assigned guards to protect mere, ally to watch me, report on what I researched.
Let them watch. I had nothing to hide except knowledge I shouldn't possess.
I read military reports. Provincial updates. Historical records. Anything that might help me prevent the disasters I remembered.
Six weeks after the Jiangnan success, I was summoned to the Emperor's study again.
He sat reviewing documents, barely glancing up. You wanted library access. You've used it extensively.
Yes, Your Majesty.
My guards report you're reading military logistics, rebel movement patterns, and historical coup attempts. His eyes pinned me. Why?
I'm trying to understand how the empire works, Your Majesty. How threats emerge. How to recognize dangers before they become catastrophes.
Most concubines spend their time on poetry and gossip.
I'm not most concubines.
Finally, a small smile. No. You're not. He pushed a document toward me. This is a report on unusual troop movements near the northern border. What do you see?
I studied it carefully. Remembered fragments from my first life there'd been a minor rebellion in the north that the Emperor had crushed. But the real threat had come from within the capital.
The movements look threatening, Your Majesty, but they're not the real danger. They're a distraction.
His eyebrows rose. Explain.
If rebels wanted to attack, they'd move supplies first, not troops. This formation is designed to draw your attention north while something else happens elsewhere.
Where?
I don't know yet. But I'd watch the capital. Specifically, who's been sending messages north and who benefits if your forces are occupied at the border.
He leaned back, studying me with those intense eyes. You think like a strategist. Where did you learn this?
My father was a military logistics officer before his disgrace. He taught me to read patterns.
Partial truth. My father had taught me some things. The rest I'd learned watching an empire fall.
Your father was wrongfully accused, the Emperor said quietly.
I jerked my head up, shocked. Your Majesty?
I reviewed his case after the Jiangnan success. The evidence against him was too convenient. Someone framed him. His expression hardened. I'm reopening the investigation. If he was innocent, his name will be cleared.
Tears burned my eyes. Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you.
Don't thank me yet. Justice takes time. He paused. But you've proven yourself valuable. Your insights have merit. I'm assigning you as an informal consultant on internal security matters.
My heart stopped. Your Majesty?
You'll review reports I designate and provide analysis. Quietly. No official title, no public role. Just your observations. He smiled slightly. Consider it making use of that library access.
I'm honored, Your Majesty.
You're useful. There's a difference. But his voice was less cold than before. Dismissed.
I left in a daze.
I'd done it. Gained the Emperor's trust. Positioned myself to actually help prevent disasters.
But I'd also painted the biggest target on my back.
That night, Su Jin burst into my quarters, panicked. My lady! The Empress Dowager summoned the other new concubines for tea. All except you.
What did she want?
She told them you're dangerous. That you're manipulating the Emperor with witchcraft or political schemes. That anyone who associates with you will be punished.
Social isolation. Classic tactic.
How many believed her?
Most of them, my lady. Only Lady Lin defended you.
Lady Lin the kind concubine who'd noticed me at the welcome banquet. Another ally.
That's fine. I don't need their friendship. I need to stay alive long enough to matter.
Three months after my rebirth, I'd achieved the impossible: the Emperor's attention and trust. I'd saved fifty thousand lives. I'd survived multiple assassination attempts. I'd started clearing my father's name.
But the real battles were still ahead.
General Lin Zhao's family would be targeted in nine months. The Crown Prince's murder was still fifteen months away. And the rebel conspiracy that would destroy everything was already forming in the shadows.
I pulled out paper and wrote carefully:
Next targets:1. Find proof of Prime Minister Zhao's treason2. Identify the assassin who'll target Lin Zhao's family3. Discover who's really planning the Crown Prince's death4. Figure out Hua Rong's complete plan
Then I burned it, as always.
A soft knock. Su Jin again. My lady, someone left this for you.
A sealed letter. No marking.
I opened it carefully:
You're not the only one who knows the future. Meet me at the north garden pavilion tomorrow at midnight. Come alone, or your brother dies. A Friend
My blood froze.
Someone else knew I'd been reborn. And they were threatening my brother's life.
Tomorrow night. One meeting that could change everything.
Or end everything.