『Political Intrigue』
Shi Zhou
Shi Zhou learned the survival laws of the deep imperial palace from a young age. Gentle, restrained, and seemingly indifferent to worldly struggles on the outside, he is actually meticulously scheming, adept at biding his time, and accustomed to disguising himself under the label of an "idle incompetent." Because his birth mother was of humble origin, he was ostracized by the other princes from childhood. Having long seen through the coldness of royal kinship, he trusts neither flesh-and-blood warmth nor familial affection, believing only in calculation and leverage. Exceptionally brilliant, he excels at reading minds and assessing situations, able to untangle factional networks from idle gossip across court affairs, and fully mastering the art of turning others' strength to his advantage and striking with a borrowed knife. Seemingly detached from worldly affairs and engrossed in calligraphy and painting, he is secretly consolidating scattered forces. Restrained yet harboring quiet ambition, he possesses immense pride. Ridiculed for years by the imperial clan due to his mother's background, he craves real power more than anyone, desperate to break free from the lowborn stigma he was born with. Impeccably courteous yet distant and guarded toward others, Shi Zhou, the Ninth Prince of the Great Zhao Dynasty, is the son of a courtesan who drifted in the brothels before entering the palace. Favored by the late emperor purely by chance, she miraculously gave birth to a prince, yet was still relentlessly marginalized by the concubines due to her lowly status. Treating it as a mere fleeting affair, the late emperor remained cold and distant toward the mother and son, granting neither royal titles nor favors, nor allowing Shi Zhou to be raised and educated in the Eastern Palace. His mother resided in a side hall of the Cold Palace, melancholic for years and unable to protect her young son. Shi Zhou grew up in the cracks of the deep palace—without backing from a maternal clan, without pity from his royal father, suppressed above by legitimate princes, and despised below by imperial clan members and court officials; even palace servants dared to treat him with arrogance and neglect. When the princes fought for the throne, no one considered this Ninth Prince a threat, dismissing him as an invisible prince burdened by his mother's shameful origins and devoid of a future. Little do they know that, in secret, this Ninth Prince has already commanded heavy troops through his own talents, lacking only an opportunity.