However, there was one thing she could never understand: what did those words from Tian Lin truly mean?

What secret lay in his background?

Why was he so convinced that he and the Deputy were the true allies, to the extent of being so cold and ruthless to his own mother and siblings?

Shen Tang couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard she thought.

The system pondered for a moment and then suddenly reminded her, [Does the host remember the Empress of Rosenia?]

Shen Tang recalled, "I remember that old Emperor was over fifty years old, yet the Empress was young and beautiful, clearly not his original wife, probably married later."

Her tone deepened, "And the origin of that Empress was indeed not simple. She was a spy inserted by the Alien beside the old Emperor. It’s likely she was whispering in his ear, fueling his hostility towards the Night Glow Empire with repetitive troubles."

The system continued, [That’s where the problem lies! Think about it, why would the Alien want to plant a spy next to the old Emperor of Rosenia?]

"Of course, it’s to control him. The Beauty Strategy never goes out of style," Shen Tang answered without hesitation. "Smaller, weaker nations are easiest to control, whether with money, power, or even threats and coercion. Although Rosenia isn’t a top-tier Empire, it has some strength. Coercion isn’t effective, so it’s better to place a clever and obedient beauty beside a foolish old Emperor. Even if they can’t turn him, they can still use him."

[The host is correct, but the Beauty Strategy only works on foolish emperors, not everyone.] The system added meaningfully, [The Alien has an even better way to control the Royal Family.]

Shen Tang had a flash of inspiration, a huge shock in her heart, and she unconsciously spoke aloud, "That’s right! Instead of painstakingly turning an emperor, why not directly raise an obedient one!"

If the Emperor was already one of their own, wouldn’t that be easier?

Lu Xiao and the Sky King looked at Shen Tang in surprise.

Lu Xiao asked in confusion, "Female Master, what are you thinking?"

Shen Tang nodded, a bit excited, "I got it!"

If the Alien wanted complete control over the Imperial Family, they could easily send their own person to the Emperor’s side. As soon as this "beauty" has a child, and they find a way for the child to inherit the throne, the Empire naturally falls into their hands.

Hell.

This method is both simple and despicable!

It saves time and effort compared to launching a war.

Thinking about this, the last words of Tian Lin were no longer difficult to understand.

He must have learned his true identity from the Alien.

This means Tian Lin’s father, Bi Yu, was the spy planted by the Alien beside the Sky King.

But Bi Yu was indeed the legitimate young master of the Bi family; either he was replaced partway, or his parents or more distant ancestors were Aliens.

The Sky King and others listened to her inference, too shocked to speak.

Such an absurd matter, yet no flaws could be found, the more they thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

Followed by another dilemma: if this was true, how to identify these mixed-blood Beastmen?

Pure Deputies are easier to recognize; although they’re all Beastmen, their aura is different from local Beastmen, and they have patterns similar to experimental codes on their bodies, making them relatively easy to identify.

But mixed-blood Beastmen and ordinary people look no different; it’s hard to detect any anomalies.

Just like Tian Lin and his father, who stayed beside the Sky King for so many years, the Sky King and Tian Xi never noticed anything amiss.

This is truly impossible to guard against!

Tian Xi, silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, "Actually, there is something different; big brother has a mark like a birthmark on him."

"A birthmark?" Shen Tang looked up at her.

"Yes, on the inside of his thigh, it’s a red mark with very faint, small patterns, not easily noticeable."

Shen Tang’s mouth twitched, "Wait a minute... how do you know that?"

Lu Xiao, Tian Chen, and the Sky King also looked at her in shock.

The Sky King even thought of a possibility, his face darkened, almost wanting to take action.

Tian Xi realized she had misspoken, quickly covering her mouth, her face flushing red, "Oh no! It’s not what you’re thinking! I have no particular fetish! It’s just that a female who was in a relationship with my big brother got along well with me, and she mentioned it casually during our chat!"

Only then did the Sky King visibly relax, relieved that nothing contrary to ethics occurred.

Shen Tang also chuckled internally, thinking she had overthought it, awkwardly saying, "Please continue, like what does that birthmark look like, do you know?"

Tian Xi recalled and said, "If I’m not mistaken, she said... the shape resembles a hand, yes, a hand!"

She gestured with her hands slightly, "Like this, the palm slightly curved, as if tied with invisible strings on each finger, controlling a puppet... because the shape was so unique, she remembered it clearly and told me."

Shen Tang’s expression immediately changed.

If it was just an ordinary hand-shaped birthmark, it wouldn’t be anything unusual.

But the gesture Tian Xi described was precisely identical to the "Hand of Creation" depicted on the Blood Clan’s fresco!

And at that moment, the Sky King also realized, "Now that you mention it, I remember Bi Yu also has a similar mark."

She fell into recollection, "It was many years ago, I accidentally saw a small birthmark on his back, something I’d never seen before, and I took a couple of extra glances."

"Bi Yu quickly noticed and seemed a bit annoyed, although he didn’t dare to confront me, I could tell he was somewhat nervous and unhappy... I’ve never seen that birthmark since, probably because he covered it with powder."

"Back then, I thought he was self-conscious about the birthmark, unwilling to let me see it, and didn’t ask much to spare his feelings. Now that I think about it, this was the real reason..." she laughed self-mockingly.

After all, as someone who had been close to her for many years and their son, although the Sky King didn’t show sadness, how could her heart be completely untouched?

But as things stood, anger wouldn’t help. After experiencing many storms on the throne, she quickly adjusted her emotions.

Now, the facts are clear.

Tian Lin and his father were indeed spies sent by the Alien!

And the way to identify spies is to look for "Hand of Creation" pattern birthmarks on them!