EPISODE FOUR
The rain had returned to Beijing, tapping rhythmically against the windows of the military intelligence wing. General Li Xuefang stood before a holographic screen as classified files flickered in blue light across her face. Her aides, Colonel Mei Ling and Commander Shen Rui, watched silently as she reviewed the official marriage contract from nineteen years ago.
The document glowed with the seal of both families — the Li and the Jiang — and below it, a third insignia marked in crimson wax: The Seal of the Middleman.
"It was customary during the prewar years," Mei explained softly. "Engagements among elite families required a legal witness — a Middleman of Accord. Only that individual has the right to dissolve or alter the agreement."
Li's eyes narrowed. "And where is this middleman now?"
"Missing, General," Shen replied. "Reportedly disappeared fifteen years ago during the trade collapse. No trace. Without him, the law considers the contract binding."
The room fell silent.
Li's jaw tensed. "So I'm shackled by a ghost."
Mei exchanged a glance with Shen but said nothing. Li turned back to the glowing document, her mind already calculating paths, exits, loopholes. There had to be a way — until Mei hesitated and added quietly:
"There's another matter, General. Something tied to Professor Jiang's family inheritance. A codex — ancient property deed archives — rumored to contain a piece of land your grandfather once sought. The ownership passed to the Jiang bloodline after the treaty, but… through marriage, it returns to yours."
Li's expression remained still, but her silence grew heavy. The inheritance. The one her grandfather had called The Jade Vault, a hidden research estate sealed under layers of legal codes — a key to the military's forgotten legacy.
Her gaze hardened.
"Arrange another meeting with Professor Jiang," she ordered. "No publicity. Private terms only."
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LATER — SHANGHAI
The rain had followed her south. When General Li entered the university again, the students had already learned to keep their distance — awed but wary. This time, there were no guards at her sides, only purpose in her steps.
Jiang was in his studio, surrounded by unfinished paintings when she appeared at the door. He sighed, lowering his brush.
"General Li. Again?"
She met his gaze evenly. "Circumstances have changed. The law prevents us from dissolving the contract. The middleman is missing." she uttered coolly, stepping closer.
"So we're both prisoners of tradition," Jiang muttered. "How poetic."
Li ignored the comment. "And there's something else. Your family holds property that once belonged to mine. It appears… accessible only through legitimate union."
At that, Jiang frowned, realization dawning. "So that's what this is. You want the deed."
"I want what belongs to my lineage," she said simply. "And the simplest way to secure it is through the marriage neither of us wanted."
He laughed, soft but sharp. "So now I'm your strategy?"
"You were always part of the map, Professor," she replied, calm as ever. "I'm only redrawing the borders."
The silence between them thickened — heavy, personal, and coldly pragmatic. Then, before he could respond, she added:
"I'll move into the Red Lotus Mansion tomorrow."
Jiang blinked. "To live with me?"
She nodded. "It was prepared years ago for our union."
"My bad, but there are no servants to serve your Majesty" he said warily, crossing his arms. "And you can't just—"
"Until the law changes, we are annoyingly bound," she interrupted softly. " I'll ensure it benefits us both."
With that, she turned to leave. Her voice, cool and precise, echoed against the painted walls:
"I'll see to the residence."
Jiang stood there long after she left, the scent of her still lingering in the air — faint metal and rain. His jaw tightened.
"The Iron Lotus," he murmured bitterly. "She doesn't marry men… she conquers them." He turned away, intimidated by her temperate.
Outside, thunder rolled across the city, as if echoing the strange new storm that was only beginning between them.
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