Rebirth of the Phoenix Empress

On a moonless night, with wind so sharp it stung the skin,

Jiang Xinluo stood before an abandoned temple near the edge of the capital.

Once a place for prayers to the god of peace, it was now nothing but ruins—

perfect, for a meeting held in shadow.

Three pairs of footsteps approached from beneath the trees.

A man clad in the robes of a foreign official—head of the shadow spy network—

stepped into view, flanked by two guards.

"Xinluo," he called, his voice calm.

"The time has come. You've earned the trust of the inner palace. If you act tonight,

everything will be over within the hour."

She did not respond—

only met his eyes with a gaze as cold as frost.

"I don't know whether your weakness lies with her… or with the crown prince of Nanyan,"

"But you should choose our kingdom over the fragile beating of your heart."

He threw a sword before her.

"If you cooperate—this will be the signal that war begins."

Jiang Xinluo looked down at the weapon.

It was her short ceremonial blade—engraved with the seal of her homeland.

—

In the stillness,

she reached for the sword.

The tip caught the faint gleam of moonlight filtering through a shattered window above.

Then—crack!

The blade snapped in half.

She hurled it to the ground.

Its clatter echoed through the ruin… and through her own heart.

"From this moment forward… I am no longer your spy."

Her voice was firm, not raised in anger.

"I will walk my own path."

The three men froze—

None had expected her to break the blade before their leader's eyes.

"Be warned, Xinluo. You're not the first to betray your nation."

She merely smiled faintly.

"Then let me be the last who dares to—on my own terms."

—

The next morning,

Luosu Hall had returned to its quiet calm.

Only a single crane soared past the window,

dropping a small slip of paper upon the sill.

"To you:

From shadow… to frost.

From foe… to ally.

I'll remain behind you until the final move."

Xianlan read the message and smiled.

There was no name, no seal.

But her heart knew well… who had written it.

—

That very afternoon,

within her private chamber,

Xianlan laid out a revised plan—

this time, with a nameless ally now included on the board.

They would never speak of each other publicly.

There would be no rewards, no history books to remember it.

Only a promise,

sealed under the shadow of the midnight moon.

—

Elsewhere in the palace,

Bai Yue Ning received a sealed message.

Upon opening it… she found it empty.

But to her, that was clear enough—

the spy had turned traitor.

The moonlit reflection within Bai Yue Ning's heart cracked.

In this game of chess…

Xianlan had already won the hearts before the next move began.

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