Take Princess Ling's Manor, for example. When the emperor was gravely ill, Lord Lucian suddenly appeared in the palace, Tiger Tally in hand, and commanded the army to surround the entire royal compound, forcing the old emperor to write an edict naming Prince Quentin as crown prince.
Not long after the old emperor passed away, Prince Adrian was sent to his fief and forbidden to return to the capital without imperial decree.
Then, Prince Cedric's tuberculosis suddenly improved, and he started appearing in court to assist Prince Quentin with government affairs.
Prince Julian was granted a royal title, but was effectively placed under house arrest in the capital.
And Princess Ling's Manor, once deserted, is now the most powerful place in the entire capital region.
Yes, on his twentieth birthday, Lucian Fox became the most powerful man in the empire after the emperor himself.
To honor Lucian Fox's unwavering support, the current emperor personally granted him the title of Duke, naming him Duke Fox.
Yet all of this has nothing to do with Zara Yun anymore.
Now, Zara Yun is simply the proprietress of a small tavern in Peace County, a thousand miles from the capital.
She leaned against the counter, listening to travelers from all directions gossip about the world outside.
"Hey, did you hear? The emperor is recruiting maidens from all over to find a bride for Duke Fox! They say Duke Fox is truly outstanding, a real dragon among men!"
"I heard that too! The emperor and Duke Fox are actually cousins—close since childhood. Not only did he get the dukedom, but a ton of land as well. Peace County is one of Duke Fox's territories! Tsk tsk, if he hadn't helped the emperor rise to power, I wouldn't believe it for a second!"
"Shh, keep your voice down! Do you want to lose your head, talking about Duke Fox like that? Back during the coup... I heard... Duke Fox severed—" The speaker's voice dropped lower and lower, and even Zara Yun couldn't catch the rest.
Even though she'd left all that chaos behind, Zara Yun could easily imagine how brutal the coup must have been.
She'd led troops herself, after all, so she knew just how cruel war could be.
But really, what did any of it have to do with her?
He wasn't Keith Quinn, so she had no reason to help him—right?
Lost in thought, Zara Yun was startled when someone called out loudly beside her: "Boss lady! Boss lady!"
Zara Yun snapped back to reality. "Huh? What is it?"
"Boss lady, here's the deposit—my master wants to book the whole tavern." A man with a raspy duck-like voice spoke up, dropping a ten-tael gold ingot on the counter.