The die was cast. Lotus's allegiance, broken and reforged in the span of a single afternoon, now belonged entirely to the boy on the Dragon Throne. He had confessed the secrets of his past and, in doing so, had irrevocably severed the bonds with his former masters. He was now an agent of a new power, a double agent embedded at the highest, most intimate level of the court. His survival depended on his ability to play this new, terrifying role with flawless precision.
Ying Zheng sat at his desk, his small form radiating an aura of immense, ancient authority. He looked at the young assassin, who stood before him with the nervous, eager attentiveness of a fresh recruit. It was time to give his new operative his first mission.
"Your role has not changed, Lotus," Ying Zheng began, his voice calm and instructive, like a master craftsman explaining the use of a delicate tool. "You will continue to be my companion. You will play games with me in the garden. You will sit quietly during my lessons. And you will continue to make your nightly reports to Li Lianying. To do otherwise would arouse immediate suspicion. You must be the same charming, obedient boy they believe you to be."
Lotus nodded, his face a mask of concentration.
"But the content of your reports," Ying Zheng continued, his eyes glinting with cold, strategic light, "will now be mine to command. You are no longer their eyes and ears. You are my voice, whispering the words I choose into their ears."
He began to lay out the new narrative, a carefully constructed web of disinformation designed to lull Cixi into a state of overconfidence and misdirect her ever-present paranoia.
"You will no longer report any interest I show in military matters, in ships, or in the West," he instructed. "That line of inquiry has served its purpose, but to continue it would make them suspicious, especially with the new tutors. From this day forward, you will report that their indoctrination is working. Tell them that I am growing more withdrawn, more sullen. Tell them the lessons of Wo Ren are having their intended effect. That I speak only of the classics and complain often of the tediousness of my duties."
He paused, letting the first layer of the deception sink in. "And you will report that I am plagued by headaches and nightmares. That I am becoming more frail, more… unstable. Cixi believes my moments of 'insight' are a symptom of a fevered brain. We will encourage that belief. A weak, sickly emperor is a manageable emperor."
Next, he addressed the issue of Meng Tian. "Her spies already believe your 'accident' in the rockery was a sign of Meng Ao's brutish strength. We will reinforce this. You will report that you are terrified of him, but that I, in my childish way, have developed a dependency on his presence. Tell them I cling to him because his immense size and strength make me feel safe from the shadows in my own mind. You will paint my protector not as a strategic asset, but as a simple-minded beast, a loyal dog that I use as a security blanket. Let them underestimate him. Let them see him as a muscle-bound fool. It will make them careless."
This new narrative was a masterpiece of psychological warfare. It was designed to confirm all of Cixi's existing biases. It would make her believe her plan to "re-educate" the Emperor was succeeding, that the boy was being successfully molded into a weak, manageable, and intellectually neutered puppet. An overconfident enemy is a sloppy enemy.
Having established the new overarching strategy, Ying Zheng gave Lotus his specific piece of disinformation for that evening's report. This was the first active strike, a move designed to send Cixi's spies chasing ghosts.
"Tonight," he said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "you will tell Li Lianying something new. You will tell him that you were watching me as I napped this afternoon. You will say that I was tossing and turning, and that I began to talk in my sleep."
Lotus leaned in, his full attention on his new master.
"You will tell him you 'overheard' me mumbling a few distinct words," Ying Zheng instructed. "You will say that I was mumbling about 'a fire in the archives'… and that I repeated the name 'Weng Tonghe' several times." He looked at Lotus, a cold smile touching his lips. "Let them believe my 'prophetic dreams' are continuing. Let them think Heaven is still sending me visions."
This was a brilliant piece of misdirection. It would immediately focus Cixi's paranoia on the disgraced Weng Tonghe, the man she already believed was part of a conspiracy against her. She would now suspect that he was plotting something new from his place of exile in the Imperial Archives—perhaps an act of arson to destroy evidence or create chaos. It would send Li Lianying's spies on a frantic, useless investigation of a complete dead end. It would waste their time and resources, and more importantly, it would draw their attention away from Ying Zheng's real activities: his new intelligence operations with Shen Ke, his plans for the navy, and his secret alliance with Prince Gong.
Lotus absorbed the instructions, his mind, trained for deception, marveling at the intricate layers of the plan. He had been trained to be a liar, but this was a level of manipulation he had never imagined.
"I understand, Your Majesty," he said, bowing deeply. "The Empress Dowager will hear of your… troubled dreams."
"Good," Ying Zheng said, dismissing him with a slight nod. "Go now. Be the good, loyal servant she believes you to be."
The young assassin left the chamber, his steps now filled with a new and terrible purpose. His entire being had been reforged. He was no longer Cixi's serpent, sent to charm and betray. He was now Ying Zheng's whispering puppet, a hollow vessel sent back to his old masters to speak the lines his new master had written for him. He was the first active agent, a dagger planted directly in the heart of the enemy's camp. He would sow the confusion, spread the lies, and help dismantle the web of power that held his true Emperor captive, one whispered falsehood at a time. The real work had just begun.