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Character Profile: Prime Minister Shen Feng (The Puppet Master)

Identity: Shen Feng, Prime Minister of Great Liang, maternal uncle to Fourth Prince Shen Qing.

Appearance: Strikingly elegant with sharp, calculating fox-like eyes, graying temples, and immaculate flowing charcoal robes. He carries a perpetual, freezing smile that never reaches his eyes.

The Vibe: High-tier, cold-blooded political mastermind. He views the entire imperial court as a chessboard, and he considers his nephew, Shen Qing, to be a highly disposable pawn.

Secret Agenda: He doesn't actually care about putting Shen Qing on the throne; he wants a weak, pliant puppet to control so he can rule Great Liang from the shadows.

Chapter 2: The Art of the Interrogation

[System Notification: Dynamic Point-of-View Protocol Engaged.]

[Current Location: The Secret Underground Cellars, Crown Prince’s Estate.]

[Atmosphere: Damp, heavily guarded, dripping with unspoken tension.]

> Clarification Corner: Xuan Yan is currently the Crown Prince (the heir apparent), but because his father—the reigning Emperor—is critically ill and bedridden, Yan holds the active military and political power of a Regent. He is an Emperor in all but name, which makes him twice as dangerous.

[Private Mental Chat: Shen Qing System]

Shen Qing: System, why are the torches flickering so dramatically? And why does this dungeon smell like old copper and bad decisions?

System: The copper smell is dried blood, User. Welcome to the torture chambers of the Crown Prince.

Shen Qing: [Internal Scream] I’m a modern university student! The most intense conflict I’ve ever witnessed was a group project dispute over a font style! I can't handle a medieval interrogation!

System: Don't worry. According to ancient Liang jurisprudence, as a royal prince, you are legally permitted to sit in the "Comfort Chair" while watching.

Shen Qing: What the heck is a comfort chair?

System: A wooden stool with a slight cushion. Enjoy your luxury, User.

[Narrative Shift: External View]

The rogue server—now stripped of his weapons and tied securely to a heavy wooden chair—woke up with a groan. His jaw was heavily bruised from Xuan Yan’s earlier strike.

Xuan Yan stood under the dim, flickering torchlight, slowly unstrapping his leather arm guards. His expression was completely blank, a terrifying mask of calm.

(Xuan Yan's Mind: If Shen Qing is truly the mastermind behind this, he will try to silence this assassin before he speaks. I am watching his every micro-expression. If his hand moves toward his sleeve, I will pin it to the table with my dagger.)

Shen Qing sat on his tiny cushioned stool, trying very hard to look like a dignified, villainous prince while internally panicking.

(Shen Qing's Mind: Don't look at the blood stains on the floor. Don't look at the scary rusty tongs on the wall. Just look at Xuan Yan. Wow, his shoulders are really broad. Wait, focus! Your life is on the line!)

"Wake up," Xuan Yan said, his voice dropping the temperature in the room by ten degrees. He didn't look at the assassin; his eyes were locked entirely on Shen Qing. "Tell me who paid you to spike my tea."

The assassin spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor and sneered, looking directly at Shen Qing. "Why ask me, Your Highness? The man who ordered the hit is sitting right next to you. The Fourth Prince promised my family fifty gold taels to ensure you never left that banquet alive!"

Xuan Yan’s eyes narrowed. His hand subtly drifted toward the hilt of his blade.

(Xuan Yan's Mind: As expected. The assassin immediately points to Shen Qing. But why does Shen Qing look more annoyed than guilty?)

[Private Mental Chat: Shen Qing System]

Shen Qing: System! He's lying! Fifty gold taels?! The original Shen Qing was a prince, surely his budget for a high-profile assassination was higher than fifty gold taels?! That's insulting!

System: Calculation... Fifty gold taels is equivalent to roughly three years of a high-ranking official's salary. It is a substantial sum, User.

Shen Qing: Still! I need to counter-attack! Give me a legal loophole!

System: Activating Ancient Law Database: The Great Liang Codex, Article 4, Section 12. In cases of royal treason, an accusation by a low-born criminal against a royal bloodline requires a "Three-Point Verification" or the accuser's immediate family faces execution by slicing.

Shen Qing: Perfect. Time to use my brain.

[Group Chat: The Interrogation Array]

Shen Qing: @Crown_Prince_Yan Brother Yan, don't draw your sword yet. Let's do some basic accounting.

Crown Prince Yan: [Hand pausing on his hilt] Accounting? In a torture chamber?

Shen Qing: Exactly. [Standing up from his stool, clasping his hands behind his back] You, the assassin. You claim I hired you. Where did we meet?

Assassin: [Sweating slightly] In the back alley behind the Jade Swallow Pavilion! Three nights ago!

Shen Qing: Fascinating. Truly fascinating. Except for one tiny detail. Three nights ago, I was confined to my palace by the Emperor's explicit decree for accidentally breaking a priceless imperial vase. I had four elite guards standing outside my bedroom door twenty-four hours a day.

Crown Prince Yan: [Eye flickers] That is true. I signed the guard rotation log myself.

Shen Qing: Second point: You said I promised you fifty gold taels. System—I mean, my memory tells me that all royal allowances are distributed through the Imperial Treasury, managed directly by the Prime Minister. If I withdrew fifty gold taels, there would be a paper trail with my personal jade seal on it. Shall we send guards to check the treasury logs right now?

Assassin: [Paleness rapidly increasing] I... it was cash! Raw gold bars!

Shen Qing: Raw gold bars are stamped with the mint of origin, you absolute amateur!

(The Assassin's Mind: Dammit! The Prime Minister told me the Fourth Prince was a brainless, arrogant idiot who would just stutter and panic if framed! Who is this guy?! Why is he talking about mint marks?!)

Shen Qing: And finally, the third point. You have a tattoo on your inner right wrist. It’s small, partially covered by your sleeve, but it looks like a stylized flying swallow.

Crown Prince Yan: [Stepping forward, violently ripping the assassin’s sleeve back] ...The mark of the Shadow-Slayer Guild. They don't take contracts from individual princes. They only work exclusively for the Prime Minister’s secret enforcement squad.

Shen Qing: Bingo. My uncle, Prime Minister Shen Feng, sent you. He wanted to kill the Crown Prince and blame it on his stupid, easily manipulated nephew, effectively clearing his own path to total control.

[Narrative Shift: External View]

The dungeon fell completely silent, save for the crackle of the torches.

The assassin realized his cover was completely blown, his jaw dropping in absolute despair. He opened his mouth to scream—likely to bite down on a hidden poison capsule in his tooth—but Xuan Yan was faster.

With a sickening crack, Xuan Yan dislocated the man's jaw with a single flick of his wrist, preventing the suicide.

"Guards," Xuan Yan called out, his deep voice echoing through the stone walls. "Keep him alive. Feed him through a tube if you must. He is our primary evidence."

The guards rushed in, dragging the limp, groaning assassin away.

Xuan Yan slowly turned around to face Shen Qing. The oppressive, deadly aura surrounding the Crown Prince didn't fade, but his gaze had completely changed. It was no longer suspicious. It was predatory, intense, and deeply fascinated.

(Xuan Yan's Mind: He completely dismantled a professional assassination plot using logic and treasury laws. This isn't the weak cousin I grew up with. Whoever this 'New Shen Qing' is... I cannot let him out of my sight. I want to know everything about him.)

He walked closer, stopping just inches from Shen Qing, forcing the younger prince to look up.

"You've changed, Fourth Brother," Xuan Yan murmured, reaching out to touch a stray lock of Shen Qing’s long, loose dark hair. "The old you would have cried and begged for mercy by now."

"I told you," Shen Qing squeaked, his modern, anxious soul trembling under the intense physical proximity. "New software. Upgraded operating system."

"Then I suppose I'll have to get used to this new system," Xuan Yan smiled, a rare, breathtakingly handsome, yet dangerous expression. "Because from tomorrow onward, Uncle is going to realize his pawn has turned into a king. You'll need my protection."

[System Notification: Affection Meter: 35%. Suspicion Meter: 45%.]

[Status Unlock: The Crown Prince has marked you as 'Invaluable Assets/Personal Property'. Survival rate increased to 15%!]

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