The matriarch's game

The moon hung low over the Yan family manor, casting long shadows on its intricately carved rooftops. The halls were quiet now, but Yan Qing was summoned—not by her grandfather, but by her grandmother, the elusive Matriarch Yan Zhi.

She was known as the "Iron Orchid" of the Yan Clan—silent, graceful, but lethal in strategy. Unlike the Patriarch, who favored raw strength and public maneuvering, the Matriarch wielded politics like a blade—sharp, hidden, and always precise.

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Summoned in Silence

Yan Qing entered a side courtyard—one she rarely visited. A warm lantern burned inside the small tea room where her grandmother sat, pouring herself a cup with the grace of an empress.

> "Come, child," Yan Zhi said softly. "Sit with me."

Yan Qing obeyed, nerves tight in her chest. Her grandmother rarely spoke—when she did, it meant something important.

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Revealing the Patriarch's Intent

> "Your grandfather has already made his choice," the Matriarch said, without looking up. "He wants that boy… Ash… tied to our family."

Yan Qing blinked, unsure what to say.

> "I know," she admitted. "But…"

> "But you weren't prepared for it," her grandmother finished for her. "You're still uncertain… still thinking like a disciple, not a politician."

Yan Qing lowered her gaze.

> "He's strong. Incredibly strong. But he's not… interested. Not in me. Not in anyone, really."

The Matriarch finally looked at her.

> "That's where you're wrong."

She set her cup down.

> "Men like him—men with strength that surpasses their generation—don't think in lines of affection. They think in purpose. If you become his purpose, he'll never abandon you."

Yan Qing looked stunned.

> "But… what if I'm not the only one? What if Lian Rou—"

Yan Zhi's eyes flashed.

> "Lian Rou is from the royal line, yes. But she's bound by politics and arranged futures. She has limits. You, child… you have freedom."

Yan Qing's chest tightened. "But she's already close to him. I've seen it…"

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The Matriarch's Plan

Yan Zhi leaned forward.

> "Then make your own place. Don't fight her for his attention—stand where she cannot. Be his confidant, his anchor. Every man who walks toward the throne needs someone behind him who understands the weight it carries."

She paused, then said something that struck Yan Qing's heart.

> "Strength does not always win the throne… loyalty and timing do."

Yan Qing's eyes widened.

> "Do you truly believe he can reach throne manifestation?"

Her grandmother gave her a piercing smile.

> "Child… I believe he may reach beyond it. And if he does, the entire realm will either bow to him… or burn trying."

The teacup clinked gently as the Matriarch stood up.

> "So be there. Beside him. Before the world realizes who he is."

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Yan Qing's Doubt

Left alone in the courtyard, Yan Qing stood beneath the night sky, troubled.

She wasn't sure if her grandmother's plan was ambition or manipulation. But she couldn't deny the truth:

> Ash was rising too fast. And those who rose like that… never stayed alone for long.

But Lian Rou—beautiful, noble, deadly—was a looming shadow.

> How do I compete with someone like her? Yan Qing clenched her fists.

While Yan Qing stood in the moonlight, torn between loyalty and strategy, a subtle war was already brewing within the walls of her own heart.

Her grandmother wanted power.

Her grandfather wanted influence.

And she?

She wasn't sure what she wanted more—Ash's strength… or Ash himself.

And Lian Rou?

She was no fool.

The real war had not even begun yet.