The male supporting character was actually myself.

At this moment, she was walking happily from under the eaves with a gold-edged invitation in her hand, asking her brother if he would allow her to go to the Orchid Garden to attend the poetry gathering before he went to court.

"Miss, oh dear, Miss, slow down!" Honglian, Shen Qingluan's personal maid, ran behind her and whispered a reminder: "If the Prince sees you like this, he'll say you're not dignified and elegant enough."

Wearing a light green brocade dress and adorned with pearls and jade, Shen Qingluan was only sixteen years old, in the prime of her youth. She stopped and turned around charmingly, her eyes sparkling, and said in a sweet and reproachful tone, "How many times have I told you to call me Young Master!"

Calling him "Your Highness" all the time sounds too old. My brother is only twenty-six years old this year, right in the prime of his youth and handsomeness!

Honglian was dressed in the uniform of the head maid of the Prince's mansion, a pale yellow long shirt and a light pink skirt, with a red velvet flower tucked into her simple hair, making her look even more lively and cute.

She looked around to make sure no one was watching, and whispered, "This servant wouldn't dare, Your Highness is so fierce!"

"My brother isn't fierce at all. Oh, stop nagging and hurry up! If he goes to court and doesn't come back for most of the day, how am I supposed to go to Lan Garden?"

Don't you want to see what the legendary "unparalleled gentleman, as handsome as jade," Young Master Yu really looks like?

Shen Qingluan said with a look of anticipation and a smile, "Today (no) I want to see if he is as accomplished in both literature and martial arts as the rumors say!"

"It's all because the young lady of the Lin family keeps whispering in your ear that he's just a strange man. Even at poetry gatherings, men and women sit separately. At most, you can only catch a glimpse of him from afar across the pavilion, and you might not even be able to see his face clearly..."

The maid Honglian pouted helplessly, then followed closely behind her young mistress, who was running happily, towards the main hall.

"Host, what are you doing here?" The little white cat asked curiously when it saw its host standing silently on the platform behind the hall, looking at the clouds in the sky after transmigrating.

Jiang Chen pulled up his wide sleeves, looking suspicious. "Didn't you hear the main system issue a task? It tells me to agree to my sister seeing Shangguan Xuanyu. I can't just go to her room and bring this up without waiting here, can I?"

"Ancient times are so troublesome. Are we waiting for the female lead?"

"That's right. Since the main system has issued a task, it means that the female lead has already received the invitation from Lan Yuan."

In wealthy families, unmarried girls need the head of the household's permission and an elder's accompaniment to go out. The original owner and her younger sister lost both parents at a young age, and he raised her from childhood, caring for her like a father and brother.

"If the young lady wants to go out, she naturally needs my permission. Otherwise, do you think the gatekeepers and stewards in this grand mansion are all dead?"

The fluffy little dumpling stroked its big, furry ears and asked curiously, "How come Shen Qingluan in the story goes to meet with Shangguan Xuanyu every few days? It's very illogical. If this gets out, won't the young lady's reputation be ruined?"

"The so-called alternate history is probably just a way to cover up loopholes in the script that the scriptwriters didn't set up rigorously enough."

The plot portrays a perfectly good girl as being incredibly immature. She has a powerful and loyal brother who raised her from childhood, so she shouldn't be influenced by him and turn out badly.

Children from ordinary families know how to protect their homes and love their country, but the female protagonist should at least understand that communicating with spies from the enemy country and providing them with intelligence is treason.

However, Shen Qingluan in the story felt no guilt about leaking secrets after learning the truth, and even felt no remorse for her brother's death.

She truly forgets everything the moment she sees a handsome man; her mind is filled with love and romance, and she throws even the most basic human decency and shame to the back of her mind.

He straightened his black velvet official hat embroidered with gold thread and said coldly, "This time, we can't salvage the female lead's love-obsessed persona. For the sake of the country and the people, we have no choice but to sacrifice her."

The little white cat thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "That's right, traitors don't deserve sympathy!"

After waiting quietly for a while, they heard light footsteps and a crisp, sweet voice calling from afar.

"Brother! Brother!" Shen Qingluan, holding the long-awaited invitation, ran along, her light green embroidered shoes with pearls and jade making a soft thud on the wooden floor of the eaves.

She walked around the lotus pond, lifted her white veil, and passed through the hall. Through the plum blossom window, she saw her brother's majestic figure in court attire. Her smile widened as she ran over, "Great! Brother, you haven't gone to court yet? I have something to ask you."

Jiang Chen tossed aside his black-faced, red-lined cloak and turned around, a smile appearing on his young and handsome face. "A young lady shouting like this has no manners at all. It's making a fool of herself."

What's wrong? Is there something urgent you need to tell me so early in the morning?

"If there's no rush, we can talk about it after I return from the palace. Yong'an Kingdom has been making trouble lately, constantly trying to test our borders. You know our emperor doesn't care about anything, and I have to deal with important military matters."

"It's nothing important." Shen Qingluan blushed slightly as she handed over the invitation and said softly, "Young Master Yu from Lanyuan sent me an invitation yesterday, inviting me to a poetry gathering today. Xiu'er and Mu Wan are also going, along with many other famous scholars from the capital. I'd like to join in the fun as well."

She leaned closer, pinched Jiang Chen's sleeve, and gently shook it, saying coquettishly, "The spring scenery is so beautiful, I want to go admire the flowers, listen to poetry, and relax! Brother, please let me go, okay?"

Chapter Three: Can't even keep an eye on a little girl?

He didn't reply, but took the invitation in his hand and examined it carefully. The handwriting was elegant and unrestrained, and the words were refined, making people feel happy as soon as they saw the invitation.

"Young Master Yu?" Jiang Chen frowned slightly. "I heard he's a talented scholar who recently settled in the capital, but I've never met him. Is he reliable?"

Shen Qingluan hurriedly explained, "Young Master Yu associates with famous scholars in the capital, and has had dealings with various mansions, so he should be reliable."

Besides, since I'm attending the poetry gathering today, I'll naturally be with Xiu'er and the others. As is customary, I'll keep my distance from the talented men; there won't be any problem."

"Since you want to go so much, then go and relax." Jiang Chen handed her the invitation and nodded in agreement.

The little white cat licked its paws and reminded the host, "Congratulations on completing the mission! The reward has been issued."

"but……"

Having received her brother's permission, Shen Qingluan was overjoyed and about to leave when she heard his change of heart. She hurriedly asked, "Is there anything else you need, brother?"

"After all, we are going to an unfamiliar mansion, and there are so many people participating. It would be really bad if there were lecherous men or spies from enemy countries among them. You are my only relative and my most beloved sister. We cannot allow any mishaps to happen to you."

Jiang Chen looked at his younger sister's face, which was full of doting smiles, and said, "Today at the poetry gathering, I have sent Xiao Wu with his personal guards to protect you, so that you will not be disturbed by those with ill intentions."

"Huh? Sending personal guards?"

Shen Qingluan was taken aback by the large-scale protection her brother had sent, and asked in a low voice, "It's just a poetry gathering, isn't it a bit much? Won't it scare people away?"

"If enemy spies target you, they will have seized upon your only weakness. At that point, a single misstep could mean the destruction of half of the Southern Qi Kingdom. How can you risk your life like that?"

"What if Xiao Wu takes his personal guards with me to Lan Garden? What will happen to you, brother? Your personal guards are there to protect you!"

Jiang Chen smiled confidently, "Even without personal guards, there are so many people following me. At worst, with my skills, no one in Southern Qi can easily kill me, so there's no need to worry."

"You should be especially careful when you go to the poetry gathering. The two countries are currently in a tense period, and there are likely many spies gathered in the capital. Be careful not to be deceived."

"I understand." A warm feeling washed over Shen Qingluan, and she obediently agreed.

My brother is definitely the best and loves me the most!

To protect my safety, even my personal guards have been dispatched. I just hope that Xiao Wu and the others won't frighten Young Master Yu...

After carefully instructing his trusted bodyguard commander, Xiao Wu, Jiang Chen led his guards away from the mansion to the palace.

Just as Shen Qingluan was happily getting ready, Lan Yuan had just finished setting up the courtyard for guests.

Shangguan Xuanyu, dressed in white, stood on the pavilion, gently waving a paper fan in his hand. The handsome young nobleman with a face as white as jade and sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes had a somewhat worried look on his face.

Having been dispatched to the enemy capital for nearly two months, I have made a name for myself and befriended many high-ranking officials and nobles as planned, especially the young ladies from various families who have extended olive branches to me. However, upon closer examination, none of them seem capable of handling the important task.

To conceal his true identity; to ascertain the affairs of the Six Ministries within the Southern Qi court and to investigate military deployments, he needed a sufficiently influential figure to cover for him, given the short timeframe and heavy workload.

Many years ago, the Imperial City Guard also sent spies into the Southern Qi Kingdom. At its peak, even officials of the Six Ministries had spies trained by the Imperial City Guard in their homes.

However, ever since the old emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne, the power of that weak puppet emperor has been completely usurped. The current ruler of Southern Qi is the Regent Prince, whose iron-fisted policies and strong purges have destroyed the foundation of the spy network laid by the Imperial City Guard.

Until he was appointed to take over the intelligence network in a time of crisis, the Southern Qi Kingdom's intelligence network was in a completely underground state.

Aside from helping them establish a foothold in Kyoto, they had no other options left.

The next steps, such as reorganizing the spy network and planting spies, all require a well-designed plan that avoids suspicion. This would be difficult to do without the cover of a high-ranking figure.

Especially the Regent Shen Jiangchen, who is highly skilled in martial arts and adept at scheming, I must be careful every step of the way to avoid falling into his trap.

"Young master, the reception courtyard has been prepared. Invitations to the banquet for the daughters of various noble families and renowned scholars were sent out yesterday. Given your reputation in the capital, you should all be attending today. Do you have any suitable candidates in mind?"

Shangguan Xuanyu lowered his head slightly to look at the fish swimming in the water, a strand of his long black hair falling over his shoulder. "If Miss Shen can come, she would be the best candidate!"

"The Regent's most beloved sister?"

The subordinate paused for a moment, "Even if Miss Shen is willing to come, I'm afraid she won't be easy to approach."

Her brother was a man of exceptional talent and wisdom, skilled in both literature and martial arts; even if his sister wasn't as capable as the Regent, she must be extremely shrewd and calculating. It would be incredibly difficult for the young master to approach her and gain her trust.

"Regent Shen Jiangchen lost both his parents at a young age. At that time, his younger sister was still an infant. He was only ten years old when he raised his sister to make a living and gradually rose to his current position. He is truly a genius of his generation."

Shangguan Xuanyu's tone carried a hint of mutual appreciation as he sighed, "That's why the Regent dotes on this younger sister so much, keeping her pampered in his household. Even though Miss Shen is intelligent and quick-witted, she is still quite naive."

At the tender age of sixteen, one is most prone to rebellion. Furthermore, the young lady of the Lin family 'accidentally' saw those erotic novels while playing on the boat. If nothing unexpected happens, she will definitely become obsessed with them and even bring the novels to her close friends to enjoy.

Once she is blinded by love, I am confident that I can make her fall deeper and deeper into the trap and become unable to escape.

At that time, Miss Shen will be our best protection.

Upon hearing this, the subordinate suddenly realized, "Young Master had already made a thorough plan!"

Before setting off, he had his talented scholars write and fabricate many touching stories of talented men and beautiful women breaking through barriers and falling in love during foreign wars. After arriving in Southern Qi, he had his spies print and publicize these stories extensively, all in preparation for what happened today!

Is it...

"Even before you came to Southern Qi, you already planned to use Miss Shen?"

“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to get Miss Lin.” Shangguan Xuanyu chuckled, fanning himself with his fan. “Miss Shen has been pampered in the mansion for many years, while her close friend Lin Xiuer is active in various grand events and gatherings in the capital.”

Since the two of them were able to become friends, Miss Shen naturally also enjoyed lively gatherings.

Otherwise, she would have distanced herself from the chattering and unrefined Lin Xiuer long ago.

It all depends on whether she accepts the invitation today. If Miss Shen attends the banquet, I'm ninety percent certain she'll be there!

The subordinate bowed and praised, "Young master is truly talented! As long as we can befriend the naive Miss Shen, she will naturally reveal various matters concerning her brother, at which point we will be able to steal military secrets!"

Shangguan Xuanyu remained silent, his gaze fixed on the clusters of spring flowers in the distance, lost in thought.

"Host, why did you send your personal guards to follow the female lead?" The little white cat perched on its host's shoulder, listening to the sound of the luxurious carriage rumbling over the bluestone bricks, and asked curiously, "Is it for artificial isolation?"

Jiang Chen sat upright in the car with his eyes closed, resting. After receiving the original owner's memories, he was pondering national affairs and thinking about how to avoid war.

Otherwise, war would cause immense suffering and make life even harder for ordinary people!

"That's right, I have already instructed Xiao Wu and the nanny in the courtyard to stay with Miss at all times during this trip."

Hmph, I refuse to believe I can't keep an eye on a little girl?

With such tight security, like an iron barrel, not even a fly could get through. That Shangguan Xuanyu could still seduce him is truly impressive!

Chapter Four: Long Live and the Nine Thousand Years

"This is a male-oriented story with political intrigue as its main focus!"

"Host, I think once the male lead's halo kicks in, even if you send a thousand riders to protect your sister, it'll be useless. She'll still be head over heels in love." The little white cat played with its fluffy tail, pawing at it, and muttered, "Why not just force it? If that doesn't work, we can just put it under house arrest!"

Jiang Chen didn't even open his eyes, just smiled and didn't say anything more.

The magnificent imperial court, bathed in the light of the rising sun, appeared even more grand and imposing. It was already late, and all the civil and military officials stood in neat rows in the hall, not even a cough could be heard.

"The Regent has arrived!"

As the eunuchs on duty called out their reports, the ministers stood even more upright and respectfully, not daring to raise their heads.

Amidst the solemn atmosphere, Jiang Chen strode in, his cloak billowing behind him, exuding an invisible arrogance as he walked straight into the court.