The news of Mu Changtian's assassination during his exile swept swiftly through the lands of Daxia. Before his death, he had burned his lifeforce using the dreaded Blood Burning Technique—deliberately leaving behind a trail that made it seem he had taken the blame for someone else.
With Mu Changtian's death, Emperor Xia formally seized full control over the empire's military. Now, millions of elite soldiers answered solely to his command.
More importantly, every one of those generals under his banner had been personally promoted by Emperor Xia himself. Their allegiance? Undoubtedly, it lay with the emperor.
In the blink of an eye, Emperor Xia had a vast army at his beck and call. What did he plan to do with such power? How would he wield it? The great clans and noble houses across Daxia were no fools. They could sense the storm that was about to break.
Suddenly, caravans began to flood the roads of Daxia—especially in the regions controlled by the various vassal kings. In those areas, the number of merchant caravans doubled almost overnight.
All except in North County.
But those caravans were no mere trading expeditions—they were veiled emissaries of the noble families. A convenient cover for traveling under the guise of commerce, while in truth, they met with underground forces, foreign envoys, and hidden allies.
Emperor Xia had already drawn his blade; there was no reason for the aristocratic families to remain idle.
Across Daxia, the powerful clans had come to a grim consensus: if the emperor refused to play by the old rules, then they would simply replace the emperor.
Throughout history, there had always been emperors who attempted to suppress the aristocracy.
Some had tried to weaken their foundations through the imperial examination system. Others had limited their landholdings. Still more had restricted their involvement in trade and business. But such methods had never been completely effective.
Emperor Xia, however, had taken a bolder path.
By eliminating the two military Kings and consolidating military power into his own hands, he had made his stance crystal clear—he had run out of patience. The time for half-measures was over. He intended to erase the existing noble families from the board entirely, and he would use brute force to do it.
His intentions were unmistakably ruthless, and his actions swift. Naturally, the noble families, especially those in Jiangnan, were quick to react.
Ever since Chu Yue's mysterious and untimely death, Chu Xiong—the patriarch of the Chu family—had grown increasingly wary of the capital. For years, he'd placed spies in the imperial city, always watching, always listening. He was privy to nearly every move made within its walls.
So when the news came that Mu Changtian was dead and Emperor Xia had claimed the empire's military power, Chu Xiong found himself unable to sleep. A constant weight pressed against his chest—a looming dread he couldn't shake. The Chu family was in danger. Grave danger.
Chu Residence, Jiangnan.
Within the inner courtyard, Chu Xiong sat beneath a curved pavilion, shaded by flowering trees. His gaze remained fixed on the reports laid before him—parchment covered in hastily written intelligence from the capital. His brows were deeply furrowed.
Footsteps approached. Two elderly men, their hair white as snow, entered the pavilion. One of them, his second brother Chu Liang, spoke with a heavy tone, "Elder Brother, you've seen what Emperor Xia has done. Don't you think it's time we prepared ourselves?"
Chu Xiong was silent for a moment. Then, he answered, "I've already sent word to Prince Qi. We should have a reply soon."
Chu Liang frowned, clearly dissatisfied. "Prince Qi? That drunkard? You truly believe he's capable of leading a rebellion?"
Chu Xiong's plan was to leverage the vassal kings against the emperor—to stir them into resisting Emperor Xia's consolidation of power. Ideally, if rebellion broke out, it would tie down the emperor's forces and force him to back off from targeting the noble families. If any prince could actually overthrow the emperor… even better.
And among those vassal kings, Prince Qi was the one most at odds with Emperor Xia. Ever since the emperor had ascended the throne, he had taken every opportunity to suppress Prince Qi's power and influence. Thus, Chu Xiong had reached out to him first.
But Chu Liang clearly had his own views.
He scoffed and said coldly, "If it were up to me, I'd hire someone to assassinate Emperor Xia directly. One swift strike, and all our problems would be over."
Their third brother, Chu Song, interjected, "If Emperor Xia dies, who should we support to take the throne?"
Chu Liang responded without hesitation. "What's there to discuss? Naturally, the Eighth Prince. Or would you rather support that worthless fool in North County, who spends his days drowning in wine and women?"
He leaned forward, his voice low and calculated. "The Eighth Prince's mother is from the Wang family—one of Jiangnan's own. He'll never move against us like his father. Besides, our Chu family has always maintained a good relationship with the Wang clan."
"When the Eighth Prince takes the throne, we'll send a few of our daughters into the palace. If one of them bears him a son quickly, it won't be impossible to vie for the title of Empress in the future."
Chu Song gave a small nod but countered cautiously, "Second Brother… but wouldn't the Ninth Prince be better? If he remains a hedonist in the palace, wouldn't it be even easier for us to control him? He'll name whoever we want as Empress."
Chu Liang scoffed. "You think I haven't considered that? That fool is utterly useless. He can't even hold a wine cup properly, let alone balance the interests of the great families. And do you think the court would ever approve of him? The ministers would revolt before letting him ascend."
He narrowed his eyes. "Besides, don't forget—he's Chu Yue's son. He has close ties to the mysterious Xuanyue Palace. If we back him and he rises, do you truly believe he'll remain under our thumb?"
Chu Song fell silent. "You… make some sense."
At this moment, Chu Xiong's expression darkened.
"Second Brother," he said coldly, "you're going too far. No matter what schemes you're weaving, Chu Yue is my daughter. No matter what her position is now—even as the goddess of Xuanyue Palace—she will always be my daughter first. So her son is qualified to sit on the throne."
He paused and added grimly, "And you speak of assassinating Emperor Xia as if it's as simple as flipping your hand. Have you forgotten he has a Grandmaster by his side? Even Situ Ce isn't his only protector. If we make such a move and fail, we'll be handing him the perfect excuse to annihilate us all."
Chu Liang retorted with a sneer, "Brother, you've grown old—and soft. Why do you think I mentioned the Eighth Prince? He's already in the capital. With his help from within, our chances of success increase drastically."
But Chu Xiong shook his head. "Absolutely not. We cannot risk an assassination attempt right now. If it fails, Emperor Xia will have the perfect reason to move against all the noble families—and we're nowhere near ready to resist him."
"Even if everyone knows the emperor plans to purge the clans, he still lacks a justifiable excuse. But if we try to assassinate him, we'll be giving it to him wrapped in silk."
Chu Liang's lips curled with disdain. "Then what? Are we just going to wait for his army to arrive at our gates in Sufeng City before you finally act?"
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and strode away.
Chu Song scrambled after him, calling, "Second Brother, don't go. Let's not argue like this. We all want what's best for the family. Let's talk it over again."
Watching the two of them play out their act together, Chu Xiong's expression turned icy.
He wasn't blind. He could see through their intentions with ease.
Chu Song had pretended to favor the Ninth Prince, but in truth, everything he'd said was in service of Chu Liang's plan. After all, every one of Chu Song's sons had married daughters from the Wang family. His loyalty was clear.
As for Chu Liang, his ambition had always been obvious. He'd coveted the position of family head for years.
The Chu family was being torn apart by both internal strife and external pressure. And now, as Chu Xiong thought of his own disappointing son, who only chased after wine, an even deeper weariness gnawed at his heart.
He massaged his temples, then turned to the silent figure standing behind him—a woman dressed in flowing green robes.
"Qingli," he said quietly, "your sister is in North County. I want you to go there as well. If the Chu family truly faces destruction one day… don't come back."
The woman in green responded without hesitation. "Yes, Patriarch."
Her voice was icy cold—devoid of emotion. She didn't ask questions. She didn't protest. She was like a blade forged for a single purpose.
A weapon. Nothing more.
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