The male supporting character was actually myself.

Chapter Nine: Assassin Cat

"Well, with his potential to become the future head of the Imperial City Guard, he is quite a good match for my sister."

Jiang Chen nodded with a doting smile and whispered in Shen Qingluan's ear, "If you love him, do everything you can to get him. With your brother as your support, there's nothing you can't do or use!"

Shen Qingluan trembled slightly with nervousness, but looking up at her brother's determined eyes felt like a reassurance.

She stood up, straightened her clothes, and forced a smile on her pale face. "As long as you're here, brother, Qingluan has nothing to fear. I'll try to win her back first, and if that fails, I'll ask you for your help!"

"If I'm not mistaken, Shangguan Xuanyu will definitely find another opportunity to invite you to the banquet in a few days. At that time, it will depend on your methods, sister. You just need to remember to stick to your bottom line and leave everything else to your own devices. Don't leave too many traces, or he will notice something amiss."

"I understand, brother, please don't worry."

"You must be tired after talking for so long, go back and rest first. This afternoon, the master tailor from Banyan Tree will come to take your measurements and make you a few more new and beautiful outfits. With the arrival of early spring, many new fabrics from various places are available, so we'll make you several new and beautiful clothes."

When going out on a date or for a spring outing, you must outshine all the other young ladies of the household, so that Young Master Yu's eyes and heart will truly be captivated by you.

Shen Qingluan blushed deeply and nodded in agreement, then left the study with her maid, Honglian.

After the door closed, leaving Jiang Chen alone in the study, the fluffy little dumpling hurriedly asked, "Host, can guiding and cultivating the female lead into a yandere solve the problem?"

"I don't know if I can solve the problem, but I can solve the script." He smiled, took out the script, and opened it. Sure enough, it showed that the plot was in the update phase.

The little white cat breathed a sigh of relief. "While the script team is working on the plot, let's hurry up and kill that emperor of the enemy country. Oh, by the way, I heard you talking to the handsome emperor about that assassin or something, is that true?"

Jiang Chen nodded solemnly and said, "There is indeed such a person, and the previous experiences are all true."

That was an infiltration plan I arranged several years ago. The Ninth Bureau of the Imperial City Guard of Yong'an Kingdom assisted the dog emperor in guarding against it, and many of our intelligence network's secret agents were exposed, making the transmission of information extremely difficult.

Left with no other choice, they had to send a suicide squad to carry out the mission alone.

They entered enemy territory in batches to conceal their identities, either to do business or to go to places where they could gather all sorts of information for the songstresses.

As a result, one of the girls got into trouble on the way.

Originally, he was supposed to infiltrate the pleasure quarters of the enemy capital, but instead, he passed through a county that had been flooded. Covered in mud, he was spotted by human traffickers and kidnapped as a refugee.

The girl was quick-witted and opportunistic, and was sold to a wealthy family as a maid.

She then took the opportunity to become involved with one of Prime Minister Lin's concubines, successfully entered the Prime Minister's residence, and was even favored by the Madam to be groomed as a head maid. However, she was later tricked by a trap set by the Imperial City Guard, which led to the exposure of her identity.

Under the guise of visiting Consort Qi in the palace, she was supposedly kept there, but in reality, she was secretly executed by the Imperial City Guard.

"Oh, what a pity!" The fluffy little dumpling frowned and said dejectedly, "Host, the original owner's trained assassins were really powerful."

To travel to enemy territory under assumed names, to tread carefully while gathering and transmitting intelligence, and even to have these girls enter brothels to entertain high-ranking officials without regret—what were they thinking?

Grinding ink and picking up a brush, Jiang Chen wrote large characters on the paper. After a moment of contemplation, he said quietly, "Only a heart full of patriotism."

In every era, there are many such people who do admirable things in the dark corners unknown to the public. They are ordinary, silent, and unknown, but they hold fast to their beliefs and are willing to shed blood for them, choosing a path of faith and walking it to the end without wavering.

It is because so many patriots like him have bravely faced the darkness that ordinary people can live and work in peace and contentment, and that the machinery of the state can function normally.

The same was true for those assassins who were sent out, and it was also true for the original owner of this body.

Although he secretly cultivated his confidants, it cannot be denied that all his actions, thoughts, and intentions were for the sake of Southern Qi. Even at the end of the original story, what he led his confidants to do was still to hunt down enemy spies, trying to use his last bit of strength to eliminate a future major enemy for the country.

The script simply unfolds and completes a story from the perspective of the male and female protagonists.

The ending merely sees Shangguan Xuanyu take over the Imperial City Guard and, entangled in a complex mix of emotions—moved and infatuated—marry Shen Qingluan. But what happens after that? The Regent of Southern Qi dies tragically, the political situation descends into chaos thanks to the male protagonist's machinations, and several key generals are lost one after another.

Judging from the way Yong'an Kingdom seizes every opportunity to invade, I don't think they'll give up so easily.

Perhaps the most cruel beginning lies after the unwritten happy ending.

The topic was a bit heavy, and the fluffy little dumpling chuckled as it helped rummage through the paper roll, saying, "I believe in the host, I will definitely not let the tragedy happen! I will also not let the male protagonist wreak havoc on the court and then take the opportunity to invade."

I hate guys who are always thinking about seizing other countries' territory.

However, he is the protagonist, and readers, from his perspective, only care about enjoying themselves and don't think about how disgusting it is to actively provoke war and invade others, and how many lives are lost!

The country was perfectly fine, but because the male protagonist stirred up trouble, it was defeated, so many people died, and it even had to cede territory and pay reparations. Shangguan Xuanyu is a scourge!

"So I need to properly teach my sister, to let her turn evil and use the female lead's halo to restrain the male lead." Jiang Chen put down the brush and looked at the large characters he had written, revealing a slight smile. "If she can't do it herself, I can help her."

I don't care about anything else, I'll wipe out anyone who tries to start a war and cause widespread death!

The little white cat suddenly remembered this and excitedly rubbed its paws together, its eyes shining, and asked, "When is the host planning to make a move?"

"I told His Majesty that it would be most convenient to assassinate him during the night while he was in bed with me. But I was worried that if I killed Emperor An at night, the Crown Prince's faction would keep the death a secret and seize power. In that case, the nine princes vying for the throne that I hoped to see would not happen."

For the plan to proceed smoothly, it must be carried out in public, so that no one can hide the truth about Emperor An's death.

Therefore, I intend to execute that treacherous emperor who is determined to start a war on the spot at the grand occasion of the March Festival, four days from now, when Emperor An personally attends the spring sacrificial prayer ceremony and all the princes and ministers are present!

He put away his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, put his hands behind his back, looked out the window at the spring scenery, and pondered, "It's not a problem to kill him in one fell swoop, I can just use props. But I need to know the situation on the spot, and I need the exact teleportation coordinates."

"I can help!" The little white cat hurriedly raised its paw to volunteer. "Host, you don't need to go through all that trouble running around. It's just killing people with props anyway, I can do it!"

I can run fast enough to make a round trip in half a day, and no one else can see me.

"Then, we can just quietly throw a prop and kill that damned emperor—it'll be a piece of cake!"

Jiang Chen turned around and looked at it in surprise, "You little ball of fluff, you have the guts to kill someone?"

"It's not like I'm directly slashing with a knife, just throwing props, I can handle that." The little white cat muttered slightly guiltily, then added after thinking for a moment, "Host, you'd better help me pick a prop that isn't too scary, I'm afraid of bleeding a lot..."

Hmm, if we need to let everyone know that the dog emperor died on the spot, let's find a prop that can behead someone.

After I throw the blood and make sure he's dead, I'll run! There shouldn't be blood everywhere, right?

Chapter Ten tricked the female lead into becoming crippled.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen's eyes lit up!

Fluffy dumplings are indeed the most suitable for assassination, and besides, this place is far from the capital of Yong'an Kingdom, so it's a good place to conduct an experiment.

"Then it's decided!" He stroked the round, fluffy white cat, a slight smile playing on his lips, his tone softening. "I'll help you choose the most suitable prop."

The little white cat nestled in his arms, enjoying the bliss of being groomed, purring softly, "Mmm~ I'll definitely complete the mission perfectly, purr~ meow~"

As Jiang Chen had predicted, the morning after the siblings' conversation, Shen Qingluan received an invitation from Young Master Yu.

"Miss, this time it's an invitation to go on a spring outing outside the city." Since hearing the secret, the maid Honglian felt that the prince's trust in her had become even more diligent. Looking at the invitation with its delicate gold floral patterns and fragrant dew, she said with a delighted expression, "Your Highness is indeed a prophet!"

The master chefs at Banyan Tree worked through the night to make the latest spring clothes, which were just delivered this morning. Please wear the peach-pink 'Begonia in Spring Slumber' outfit; I think it's absolutely gorgeous.

Tomorrow, I'll style my hair in a hanging bun, and adorn it with the pomegranate-red, gold-threaded hair ornaments that the Prince gave me at the end of the year. That'll surely make Young Master Yu unable to look away!

A smile involuntarily appeared on Shen Qingluan's face whenever Young Master Yu was mentioned.

"Honglian, I'm so nervous." She recalled what her brother had said, and hesitated, twisting her handkerchief in her hands. "Am I being selfish by only satisfying my own desires without considering Young Master Yu's feelings?"

Even if he stayed in the manor, he would be very unhappy, wouldn't he?

Honglian put the invitation away, looked at her delicate yet hesitant face in the mirror, and asked, "Does Miss only want to make Young Master Yu happy? Right now, the only thing that can truly make him happy is watching our family perish and our country fall into ruin."

If you grant his wish, and the prince dies while the country is at the mercy of others, would you really be happy?

Even if Young Master Yu were to marry you then, would you be willing to go with him to a foreign land to suffer humiliation? Just imagine what the servants in his mansion would say? Ha, he's nothing but a traitor!

Young Master Yu will look down on you even more. After all, you are the one who betrayed your own brother and your country. With his kind of mentality, he will definitely think, "If you can betray your family and country, what else can't you do?"

He won't believe you!

Besides, how can you not consider his feelings?

Young Master Yu used your proximity to achieve his goal of stealing information, but did he ever consider your feelings?

Miss, you should read less of those storybooks that the Lin family's young lady secretly sent over.

This servant doesn't understand so many intricate poems and prose, nor can I appreciate the beauty of those things you're talking about, like love and affection.

"I am a servant, only knowing how to sell myself to the Prince's mansion. I am born a member of the Prince's mansion, and I will die a ghost of the Prince's mansion. As long as the Prince is powerful, I can live a peaceful life; but if the Prince is betrayed by traitors and loses power, I will be like all the other servants—either killed or sold into a brothel, with no hope of ever rising again!"

Shen Qingluan blushed. "What does this have to do with storybooks? Those stories are very well written and deeply moving."

"Anyway, I think that Miss started acting strangely after reading storybooks."

The maid Honglian pouted and said unhappily, "Miss wasn't like this before! Although the books that the Prince made Miss read were a bit dry, they were full of great principles for living and dealing with people."

The love stories in traditional Chinese novels are just too awkward.

Is it really true that for the sake of love, the protagonists in the book would disregard their families and country?

Just like Xiao Wu said, everyone says that it's good to practice vegetarianism, chant Buddhist scriptures, and cultivate oneself in the deep mountains, but if everyone in the world goes to seek cultivation, who will farm the land? Who will weave the cloth? Wouldn't the world be in complete chaos!

Miss, look at those books, they're the same. Nine out of ten have female protagonists who abandon their families and countries to go far away for the male protagonist, saying they'll live happily ever after. How is that possible?

Take us, mistress and servant, for example. Without me, Miss Little Red Lotus, you probably wouldn't even be able to tie your hair up in the simplest way, let alone move around or sit comfortably. In the stories, the young ladies who eloped with men didn't even bring a personal maid with them.

Since we didn't grow up together, who else could be as thoughtful as a personal maid?

Have you forgotten about Consort Zhou, whom we met at the Vice Minister of Revenue's residence? She has no one to care for her; even servants dare to bully her!

So engrossed in thinking about her own marriage, Shen Qingluan didn't notice that she had unintentionally mentioned Xiao Wu.

She stared blankly at the peach wood comb for a moment before speaking softly, "I certainly don't want to abandon my family and country, but if I imprison him in the mansion as my brother suggested, I worry that it might be going too far."

"Is it not excessive for him to try to make the young lady appear unjust and immoral?"

As for whether or not she will be imprisoned in the manor, that depends on whether Miss truly desires him. Honglian opened her dressing box and took out the gold and silver jewelry one by one. "First of all, Miss must not betray her family or country, otherwise she will lose everything, not to mention Young Master Yu's heart, she won't even get him!"

Secondly, if you want to win over Young Master Yu, you absolutely must not let him return to the country.

Otherwise, the next head of the Imperial City Guard would most likely marry a princess or even a county princess, so how could it be your turn, Miss?

Lastly and most importantly, Miss, you've only met Young Master Yu once, and you haven't even spoken to him. How come you're so determined to hang yourself on this tree?

Think about all the things you do that you start but don't finish. You might be passionately interested in them now, but after a few days, once the novelty wears off, you might lose interest. If you're fixated on this one thing, there'll be no turning back.

After being analyzed by the maid's words, Shen Qingluan suddenly realized, "That's right, as long as I hide under my brother's wing, I can do whatever I want!"

If I can't have his heart, I'll have his body. So what if he's unhappy? Everyone looks out for themselves; as long as I'm happy, that's all that matters! If one day I don't like him anymore, or someone more agreeable comes along, I can always choose again.

"Even the wealthiest men in the world have three wives and four concubines. Miss, as the Regent's only relative, is so favored. In a word, Miss can be considered second only to the Regent and above all others!"

Why can't she be like a man and fall in love with every woman she sees? Honglian seized the opportunity to instigate, "Princess Guangping of the previous dynasty was deeply favored by the emperor. After marrying her husband, he frequented brothels and refused to change his ways despite repeated admonitions. In a fit of anger, Princess Guangping obtained an imperial decree to execute her husband. Although she did not remarry, she kept more than a dozen male concubines and even imitated the practice of choosing names and titles in the imperial harem."

Despite such actions, the poems and writings that followed were all in praise. Even today, plays and storybooks are based on it, all depicting beautiful and sweet love stories.

It's clear that when someone is of high status, no matter what they do, they'll have scholars embellishing their words.

"Although you don't have the title of princess now, you are more noble than a princess! Plus, the prince dotes on you and cherishes you like a treasure. You could easily emulate Princess Guangping if you wanted to."