The Emperor knew well enough the situation with the Commander of the Nine Gates and the Imperial City Guards, but having their crimes exposed so publicly left him humiliated—these men were his own, after all.
Intent on shielding them, the Emperor tried to downplay the scandal, but Lord Censor was stubborn to the end. When the Emperor tried to smooth things over, the old official smashed his head against the throne hall floor and died on the spot, using his death as a final, desperate plea for the Emperor to punish these corrupt men.
Furious, the Emperor wanted nothing more than to flay the Lord Censor alive, but he couldn’t—if he did, he’d be branded a tyrant, and his throne would be at risk…
Ninth Royal Uncle watched from the sidelines, eyes cold and predatory; his own son was now of age. Gritting his teeth, the Emperor ordered the Bloodcloak Guard to investigate.
Commander Lucan Lu, head of the Bloodcloak Guard, was one of the Emperor’s men. By assigning Lucan Lu to the case, the Emperor was clearly trying to cover up the scandal while also signaling his trust in Lucan Lu.
Though the Bloodcloak Guard was also targeted by impeachment, Commander Lucan Lu was shrewd—he kept himself so clean he didn’t even visit brothels. As for the Guard’s brutal punishments, those were all sanctioned by the Emperor; no official, however bold, dared criticize the throne directly.
Lucan Lu accepted the order, secretly wiping cold sweat from his brow. Lucky for him, he’d once sold Serena Feng a favor; otherwise, his name would surely have been among those condemned to death by the Lord Censor today.
He may never have bullied the common folk, but he’d done plenty of office-buying and selling. In the past, when he couldn’t excel in other ways, he threw himself into making money, hoping to prove his worth as a man. Fortunately, he met Serena Feng and escaped disaster this time.
The Emperor wanted to protect both the Commander of the Nine Gates and the Imperial Guard commander, but neither man proved worthy. Before Lucan Lu could even start his investigation, the Commander’s estate for sheltering young girls was raided—hundreds of mutilated bodies of little girls were lined up at the city gate for all to see.
It was a public slap in the face—humiliating the Emperor, the Empress, and Prince Rowan. The Emperor was forced to order their arrest on the spot; the Empress fainted from rage, and Prince Rowan, though desperate to help, was powerless against the mountain of evidence and rising public fury.
The Imperial Guard commander fared no better. When a sudden fire broke out at his house, rescuers rushed in—only to discover that every wall was lined with gold bricks. The revelation infuriated not just the commoners, but even the Emperor himself.
Damn it, the national treasury was running dry, yet this minor commander was richer than the state itself. The Emperor wasted no time—confiscate everything, confiscate it all!
Just like that, the Emperor lost two of his most trusted generals. Frantic and overwhelmed, he was still struggling to choose replacements when yet another disaster struck…
Secret ledgers from the Jiangnan region somehow leaked, and soon every official in Eastlyn’s richest heartland was implicated. Most were either the Emperor’s own appointees or backed by various princes.
By this point, even a fool could see—the great aristocratic houses were making their move. The Emperor was furious: how dare they challenge him directly? He struck back at once, finding a pretext to wipe out several smaller noble clans.
Nine days—just nine days—and the court was ablaze with political warfare. Who had time to worry about Serena Feng’s life or death? Every official was terrified of becoming the next scapegoat.
All of Eastlyn’s bureaucracy was thrown into chaos. The bold tried to fish in troubled waters; the timid locked their doors and kept out of the struggle.
The Bloodcloak Guard prison was packed to bursting. Commander Lucan Lu barely had a moment to breathe—he was now the most powerful man in the capital. The great houses couldn’t catch him out, and his work earned the Emperor’s full trust.
Lucan Lu knew perfectly well that his current status was thanks to Serena Feng’s support behind the scenes. Now, to repay her, he quietly closed Lord Sun’s corruption case amid the chaos and released him from prison.
Corrupt officials were everywhere, and under normal circumstances, someone would have kept an eye on Lord Sun’s case. But now, no one dared provoke Commander Lucan Lu—falling into his hands would be a disaster.
Though Lord Sun hadn’t suffered in the Bloodcloak Guard prison, he’d never dreamed he’d walk out alive. Emerging from the darkness, he burst into tears.
Lord Sun knew he owed his life to Serena Feng, and Serena only intervened because of his daughter, Sun Yijin. Perhaps Sun Yijin would never believe that her selfless act would one day bring such a reward.
Nine days later, Lord Sun was released, and the turmoil in the bureaucracy began to settle. Everyone tacitly agreed to stop attacking, and most importantly, Serena Feng finally received what she’d been waiting for—she was ready to end things.
“Serena Feng, is this the mirror you wanted?” Vincent Su personally delivered the custom mirrors Serena had commissioned.
Crystal clear and perfectly flat, the mirror reflected Serena Feng’s image sharply. She stepped outside, angled the mirror toward the sunlight, and watched as the beam refracted across the doorway.
“Excellent work. How many did you make?” Serena Feng nodded in satisfaction. Tomorrow was the prophesied day—time to strike, time to kill.
“A thousand. But you promised that if I could manufacture them, the rights would be mine to sell.” Vincent Su, ever the merchant, knew the mirror’s value and pressed her nervously.
Serena Feng shot him a look. “Relax, I’m not you—I’m not obsessed with money. Lend me these thousand mirrors and a thousand of your people, just for now.”
“What are you planning?” Vincent Su asked uneasily. The Nine Ministers had ordered him to cooperate fully with Serena Feng, but her intentions were clearly far from charitable, and he wanted no part of it.
Too late. Serena Feng bared her teeth in a smile. "Kill."
Serena Feng flicked the mirror, sending a blade of sunlight across Vincent Su’s face…