Fang Xian Operation

When she heard those words, Luo Zhao's eyes flew wide open.

Her pupils contracted, the corners of her eyes lifted, and her eyelashes were frozen in place from sheer shock.

Her whole body seemed under a spell, even her breathing had stopped.

Coming back to her senses, she shot up from her seat with a swish.

Her movement was so swift it stirred a breeze, rustling the edges of several memorials on the desk.

Bracing her hands on the table, leaning forward over the stack of documents, she pointed straight at Gu Chengyin.

"I knew it! I knew it!"

Her voice exploded in the empty hall, filled with the righteous indignation of one who had been proven right.

The finger aimed at Gu Chengyin trembled slightly.

Not from fear, but from fury.

"Last night you were trying to control Little Aunt! But you failed, didn't you!"

When these words blurted out, Luo Zhao felt like an absolute genius.

All the clues fell into place.

The fact that Gu Chengyin had lifted the hypnosis the night before was itself suspicious.

Why had he maintained his hypnosis over her for so long, only to break it last night of all times?

Breaking it when everyone was present?

The truth was, he was using that opportunity to make Lin Qingyan let down her guard.

If he could control Lin Qingyan, control the invincible Fairy Jingzhe who was at the Golden Core stage,

Gu Chengyin would hold a trump card that no one could counter.

He could manipulate Lin Qingyan to pressure the Emperor.

He could use Lin Qingyan to clear every obstacle for him in the court.

He could control Lin Qingyan...

Luo Zhao's back ran cold at the thought.

But for some reason, Gu Chengyin's hypnosis hadn't succeeded.

So he settled for the next best thing—sending Lin Qingyan to 'reason' with the Emperor.

And that seemingly explanatory speech afterward? All a smokescreen!

Nothing but a cover for his real intentions!

Only because Gu Chengyin had acted so convincingly that even she had been fooled at the time.

But now she saw through it all!

Gu Chengyin had absolutely intended to hypnotize Lin Qingyan!

The more Luo Zhao thought about it, the more airtight her reasoning seemed.

Her eyes grew brighter, and the finger she pointed at Gu Chengyin steadied.

Her chin lifted slightly, her lips curling with the smugness of someone who had caught another in the act.

Gu Chengyin stood where he was, his expression unchanged.

His face had not shifted from the moment Luo Zhao had stood up.

Calm, composed, like deep water whose surface had been rippled by wind but whose depths remained utterly still.

Even when Luo Zhao pointed at him and spoke, he didn't bat an eye.

"Your Highness."

Gu Chengyin spoke, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, his tone neither rushed nor slow.

Like someone reasoning with a child throwing a tantrum:

"Rice can be eaten at random, but words cannot be spoken recklessly."

He paused, his gaze fixed on Luo Zhao's face, neither evasive nor confrontational.

"My heart toward Little Aunt and toward Yunying—heaven and earth bear witness, the sun and moon shine upon it."

The words landed with weight, every syllable measured, carrying full conviction.

Especially the name "Yunying," nestled precisely between "Little Aunt" and "heart," positioned with maddening accuracy.

It neither felt like deliberate emphasis nor did it fail to reach the ears of Shangguan Yunying, who was just walking in.

Luo Zhao didn't notice this detail.

She was too caught up in her anger, her focus entirely on confronting Gu Chengyin.

She hadn't paid any attention to the footsteps outside the hall.

But Gu Chengyin had heard them.

He'd heard Shangguan Yunying from the moment she was within thirty feet.

So he had added those three words—not for Luo Zhao, but for Shangguan Yunying.

In the subtle details lay true mastery.

This was where Luo Zhao could never match him.

"As I said last night."

Gu Chengyin's gaze shifted from Luo Zhao's face, sweeping briefly toward the hall's entrance.

Then he looked back.

"I have never once intended to control any of you."

When Shangguan Yunying walked in, she caught Gu Chengyin saying the words "toward Yunying."

Her steps faltered for just a moment before returning to normal.

Her face betrayed nothing, her eyes straight ahead—the proper expression of a chief female official.

But the tips of her ears flushed faintly pink, like peach blossoms dampened by morning dew, standing out clearly against the crimson of her official robe.

In her arms, she carried a stack of sorted documents. She walked to Luo Zhao's side and offered a respectful bow.

"Your Highness."

Not a word more, not a word less.

But only Shangguan Yunying knew how much faster her heart was beating than usual at that moment.

"...heart toward Yunying—heaven and earth bear witness, the sun and moon shine upon it."

Gu Chengyin had said such a thing in front of Her Highness.

In broad daylight, while fully conscious, with no one forcing him.

Shangguan Yunying's ears flushed even redder.

Luo Zhao looked at Shangguan Yunying, then back at Gu Chengyin, her heart seething with frustration.

She saw Shangguan Yunying's reddened ears.

She also saw that Gu Chengyin's words had been meant for her.

And she saw, in Shangguan Yunying's eyes, a joy too vivid to hide.

This realization made Luo Zhao even more bitter.

Now, only she knew the truth.

Only she had seen through Gu Chengyin's scheme.

But it was useless.

Without evidence, no one would believe her.

Shangguan Yunying wouldn't, Gu Xiaoli wouldn't, let alone Lin Qingyan.

Luo Zhao took a deep breath.

It was a long breath, as if she were using it to press down all the anger, bitterness, and resentment in her chest, little by little.

Her shoulders relaxed from their tension; her spine straightened out of its rigidity.

Her expression shifted from "I'm going to fight you" to "I'm not going to stoop to your level."

Then Luo Zhao slowly sat back down.

The movement was deliberate, as if she were proving her composure with every gesture.

Once seated, she reached out to smooth the wrinkles in her robes that had been mussed by her sudden rise.

When she lifted her head again, her face had resumed the cold, proud, and aloof demeanor of a crown prince.

Her brows were serene, her lips lightly pressed, her eyes holding a natural look of condescension.

Gu Chengyin watched this transformation, a flicker of admiration in his eyes.

Setting everything else aside, the sheer ability to endure what others could not—

even he had to marvel at it.

To yank herself back from the brink of losing control at the height of emotion.

To go from bristling fury to perfect calm in the span of a few breaths.

That wasn't talent.

It was instinct, forged through years of being forced to learn court etiquette, to sit in on court sessions, and being told, time and again, "You are the heir apparent."

That restraint and self-control—it surpassed even his own.

"Yunying."

Luo Zhao's voice was as steady as if she were presiding over a morning court session.

"Take these memorials to the Cabinet."

She nodded toward a pile of documents on the desk.

The one on top bore the words: "Your subject, Cui Zhenji, respectfully submits."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Shangguan Yunying gathered the stack, tidied it, and held it in her arms.

Her movements were swift and meticulous, each corner aligned.