Autumn of the fourth year of the Qingli era.
Outside the window, a light drizzle fell. Raindrops gathered along the branches in the courtyard, falling and striking the rippling blue bricks and gray tiles, coldly playing out a funeral dirge.
In an elegant pavilion in Heyang City, a girl in a wheelchair silently withdrew her gaze from the window.
—It had been a day since she woke up in Prince Qi's mansion, and she was still not quite accustomed to her current identity.
Mu Qinglan sighed, as if resigning herself to fate, and picked up the bronze mirror from the dressing table.
The mirror reflected her image.
Silver-white hair cascaded like a waterfall, features delicate and demure, eyelashes slightly lowered. Together with her pale, tender cheeks, they accentuated a pair of eyes as red as blood, as if all the flush of the girl's face had gathered in one place.
Undoubtedly, she was a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms.
Unfortunately, the only flaw was that this beautiful girl now sat in a wheelchair, limited in mobility.
Thinking of this, Mu Qinglan shook her head slightly.
"Transmigration... and into a game, no less..."
Mu Qinglan set down the bronze mirror, leaned back in her wheelchair, and looked out the window. Her gaze crossed the distant, towering walls and landed directly on the massive gray shadow at the horizon.
That was the imperial palace of the Xia Dynasty.
The girl's current location was Heyang, the capital of Great Xia.
And to possess such a luxurious mansion, the girl was naturally no ordinary person.
In fact, though physically frail, Mu Qinglan was the only daughter of Prince Qi, the Great General who defended the western border of Xia, a position of crucial importance. She enjoyed a revered status and was showered with affection.
For a transmigrator, this should have been a perfect starting point.
Yet there wasn't a trace of joy on the girl's face.
Although being the only daughter of Prince Qi meant a prestigious status—essentially a perfect beginning—this identity had a major problem in the game—
She was a dead person.
The game background had stated it clearly: "Mu Qinglan, daughter of Prince Qi, Great Western General of Xia. Died in the fourth year of Qingli. Prince Qi consequently fell into conflict with the royal family."
This year was the fourth year of Qingli.
In other words, she was supposed to die this year.
To be more specific, she should have died last night.
She looked at the system panel floating before her and sighed softly.
[Name: Mu Qinglan]
[Level: Below Average]
[Destiny Traits:
Fate Puppeteer (Gold): You have crossed the cycle of life and death once
Crystal Wit (Gold): You possess immense soul power and are more intelligent than ordinary people; as a price, your physical body is extremely fragile
Shadow Affinity (White): Your affinity with shadows exceeds normal people]
Fate Puppeteer—this trait clearly told the girl that she had already met with misfortune last night.
After fully recalling the game's plot, Mu Qinglan felt things were even more troublesome.
This was the world of an online game called "Destiny."
Players would take on the role of a warrior of Great Xia, wielding supernatural powers, gradually resolving crises, and finding the mastermind behind world turmoil through a series of events, ultimately saving the world.
A classic savior-type online game.
When Mu Qinglan transmigrated, the game had already entered its later stages, which was precisely why she knew the events of the first few major versions like the back of her hand.
"Prince Qi's mansion, my home, is the main villain of 'Destiny' version 1.0, and is completely wiped out in version 2.0."
After recalling everything, Mu Qinglan felt her situation becoming increasingly dangerous.
And this was just the current state.
In version 1.0, Prince Qi's mansion and the Great Xia Dynasty still maintained basic restraint—
The [Alliance to Destroy Xia] had not yet formed, the [Stars] were still watching the mortal world from above, the three world bosses [Ice Calamity], [Great Shadow], and [Night Weeper] had not yet taken their positions, and the [Transcendents] conspiracy was still being planned. Everything seemed relatively peaceful.
But once the plot began, disasters would immediately befall this world.
It had the beauty of Azeroth.
The internal turmoil of the dynasty in version 1.0 was indeed minor compared to the nation-destroying catastrophes of later stages, but for the current Mu Qinglan, it was already deadly enough.
"If the assassin finds out I'm not dead, they'll definitely strike again, maybe even stab my corpse a few more times..."
Mu Qinglan sighed, feeling deeply helpless.
This transmigration was really...
But despite the difficult situation, she had no intention of passively awaiting death. Having finally gotten the chance to be together with cute 2D little sisters, how could she give up? Who wants to die?!
So she had to save herself.
And the first step to saving herself was to deal with that vigilant assassin.
"But the house steward is away these days, and I don't have subordinates stronger than her at hand. I can't go to the authorities without evidence, and moreover, that demon is in league with the princes. Anyone sent to investigate would probably be known to her before they even arrive."
Mu Qinglan pondered, unconsciously twirling a lock of hair beside her ear.
"Report..."
"No, how could I forget about her? At this point in time, she hasn't betrayed Great Xia yet, right?"
Mu Qinglan clapped her hands.
Wasn't she the one who could easily defeat the assassin and definitely wouldn't collude with those princes? Moreover, she was technically part of the authorities, so she could handle it both publicly and privately.
Most importantly, Mu Qinglan was confident she could make use of her.
"Shen Yao..."
Mu Qinglan narrowed her eyes.
This woman was a genius constable of the Six Bureaus, possessing the innate destiny trait [Snow Soul Ice Spirit, Frost Body Jade Bone]. Though only nineteen, she had already reached the fifth rank and had even been personally accepted as a disciple by the Chief Constable.
From any perspective, she could be called a star figure in Heyang City.
But Mu Qinglan knew that she harbored a secret that would shock the world.
And later, it was precisely the exposure of this secret that made her betray Great Xia and become one of the three world bosses roaming the land of "Destiny" in the later versions—
[Ice Calamity]
And now, this secret was buried in Shen Yao's heart, with no one else in the world knowing about it.
Except perhaps herself?
The corner of Mu Qinglan's lips curled upward as she thought of a solution to her predicament.
This was a world boss from the late game, one of the super powers, and even her game portrait was top-tier. If her plan went smoothly, then while resolving the assassin issue, she might also gain the loyalty of this world boss.
"An undeveloped world boss, huh?"
Mu Qinglan smiled slightly.
Then, she gently tapped the armrest of her wheelchair twice and spoke in a detached tone:
"Someone, find someone to introduce me to that genius constable from the Six Bureaus."
"Also, help me apply some light makeup and make preparations. I'm about to receive an important guest."
○
Shen Yao walked through the long corridor, noticing that all the maids in the mansion had solemn expressions and hurried steps.
It seemed something had happened, something significant enough to put the entire mansion on alert.
Had that princess really been targeted by an assassin?
Shen Yao's cold eyes flickered for a moment as she considered the reason she had been summoned here, feeling somewhat surprised.
As a constable of the imperial Six Bureaus, protecting nobles of the court was indeed her duty, but the bad temper of that princess was well-known throughout Heyang.
To be honest, Shen Yao did not want to deal with her.
But there was no choice when the other party had specifically requested her presence.
Perhaps she valued her abilities, or perhaps there were other reasons, but regardless, Shen Yao remained somewhat vigilant.
Because she had a terrible secret that could lead to her death without burial.
Arriving at the back garden, a maid stepped back and said softly, "Miss, the person has been brought."
"Please come in."
A cool voice with a hint of sweetness rang out, the tone undeniably weak.
Following the faint scent of medicine, Shen Yao stepped forward and entered the princess's chamber.
Then, facing the light, she saw the infamous princess.
She was currently leaning by the window, seated in a wheelchair.
Her pale, tender face was completely devoid of color, as if recovering from a serious illness. Her white hair lay smoothly on her shoulders, her features delicate and fragile. Her red eyes, far from frightening, reminded one of gemstones—clear, beautiful, and sparkling with fine light.
She's not as scary as they say...
Shen Yao thought instinctively.
"Constable Shen," the girl didn't turn her head, "I would like to request that you send people to search the residence of Secretary Li from the Ministry of Revenue."
What audacity!
Shen Yao frowned slightly, her tone remaining calm:
"Secretary Li is an imperial official. Without orders, I have no authority to dispatch constables from the Six Bureaus to search his home. Does the princess have an imperial document?"
"No."
"Then I regretfully must refuse." Shen Yao shook her head in refusal.
"Constable Shen, don't be so quick to refuse. A few days ago, I received an interesting piece of information that you might find interesting," the girl turned her head and spoke with a smile.
Hearing this, Shen Yao asked, "What information?"
"Sixteen years ago, the court sent troops to crush the Yan Kingdom and incorporated it as a prefecture. Sixteen years later, everyone thought the remnants of that fallen country were long gone, but unexpectedly, one fish slipped through the net and not only wasn't caught but even joined the Six Bureaus as an undercover agent after a decade or so."
"Does Miss Shen know who it is?"
The girl's tone was casual, as if discussing something unrelated to both of them.
However, Shen Yao's heart surged with immense waves.
How could this be...?
Her pupils contracted slightly, and that face, cold and aloof like a thousand-year snow mountain, almost couldn't maintain its composure.
Shen Yao suppressed her shock and asked as calmly as possible:
"Who is it?"
Hearing this, the girl smiled slightly, raised her head, and the ruby-like eyes reflected a mischievous gleam.
She looked at the woman opposite her, dressed in black with black hair and a graceful figure. She looked at this world boss who would later be complained about by players for her terrible game mechanics. She looked at this constable with unlimited future potential, and the corner of her mouth slowly curved upward.
Like a hunter watching prey caught in a net:
"Miss Shen, you wouldn't want your identity as a princess of a fallen country to be exposed, would you?"