The Empress has abandoned me? I'll support a new emperor and destroy your kingdom!

The sky at dawn was not dark. At least, under the sky of the imperial capital, Linjing, the afternoon sun was still blazing, baking the bluestone-paved imperial streets and sending up waves of heat. But this scorching light could not dispel the invisible, suffocating chill that permeated the entire city.

"Bang bang bang—!"

The urgent and muffled sound of gongs abruptly tore through the bustling noise of Zhuque Avenue. Squads of imperial guards in gleaming armor, under the stern orders of their junior officers, roughly pushed aside the crowd crammed in front of the Imperial Edict Wall and slammed several proclamations, their ink still dripping and stamped with the bright red imperial seal, onto the wall.

"Make way! Make way, all of you! The imperial court has posted a notice!"

The people gathered around in astonishment and suspicion, craning their necks to try and decipher the dense list of crimes and the chilling wording.

"...The traitor Su Che was originally a wild demon from the mountains. Fortunately, he received the Emperor's favor, but instead of repaying it, he became arrogant and domineering, forming cliques for personal gain, controlling the government, and persecuting loyal officials... Moreover, he harbored treacherous intentions and secretly colluded with enemy countries, and the evidence is conclusive... Recently, when the incident came to light, he brazenly killed and wounded the imperial army, looted military equipment, coerced officials, and defected to the enemy territory of Jiang Qiong... He is truly guilty of ten heinous crimes and arouses the wrath of both gods and men..."

"...He shall be stripped of all his official titles and ranks, and his surname shall be confiscated. The whole world shall unite to condemn him! Whoever captures or kills this scoundrel shall be rewarded with 100,000 taels of gold and be enfeoffed as a marquis of ten thousand households! Whoever reports his whereabouts shall be rewarded with 10,000 taels of gold and promoted three ranks! His accomplices Zhao Jianing, Pang Xiaopan, and others shall be listed as wanted criminals. Anyone who harbors or protects him shall be punished as an accomplice!"

"Is it Mr. Su...Lord Su?" someone whispered incredulously.

"What marquis! Didn't you see? Traitor! He has betrayed his country!" Someone immediately retorted, their eyes gleaming.

"This...Isn't Mr. Su the number one meritorious official who assisted His Majesty in ascending the throne? How could this be..."

"You can know a person's face but not their heart! General Gao is the true loyal minister! I saw through him long ago!"

A buzz of discussion arose, a mixture of shock, bewilderment, confusion, schadenfreude, and agreement among the crowd. Su Che's reputation was too great, his achievements too immense; his sudden fall from grace, branded with the heinous crime of "treason," had a tremendous impact. Most people instinctively chose to believe the imperial edict, to believe the court. After all, it was a decree personally issued by His Majesty, bearing the Imperial Seal.

Soon, even more imperial guards and yamen runners pounced on various parts of the city like wolves and tigers.

In the west of the city, the imperial mansion that originally belonged to "Marquis Anning" Su Che had long been sealed off. The vermilion gate was covered with menacing cross-shaped seals, and the once tidy courtyard was now a mess, as if it had been ravaged by a flood.

In the south of the city, the largest branch of Pang Xiaopan's "Huitong" was also tightly shut, the seal glaringly obvious. The valuable goods inside had long been emptied, leaving only smashed counters and scattered fragments of account books. Several merchants who had close ties with Pang Xiaopan were dragged from their homes by ruthless constables, shackled, and their cries startled half the street.

The atmosphere in the western military camp was even more somber. Gao Tianci's trusted generals, armed with documents from the Ministry of War, under the pretext of "identifying traitors and rectifying military discipline," summoned low- and mid-ranking officers from a pre-prepared list and arrested them without explanation. Those who hesitated or tried to defend themselves were immediately labeled as "disobeying orders" or "sympathizing with traitors," and some were even killed on the spot. Blood stained the sand of the drill ground, and the heavy stench of blood and fear enveloped the entire camp.

Zhao Jianing's residence was naturally not spared either; it was already deserted and ransacked. His distant relatives, former subordinates, and even colleagues with whom he had only had a few normal official dealings in Beijing were all summoned and detained. For a time, everyone associated with the names "Su," "Zhao," and "Pang" lived in fear.

The Imperial Palace, Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Lin Chu dismissed all the palace servants and sat alone by the window. The sunlight outside was bright, but she felt a chill run through her body and unconsciously wrapped her thin silk robe tighter around herself. On the imperial desk lay a preliminary report from Gao Tianci regarding the "investigation of traitors," filled with familiar and unfamiliar names, followed by cold, vermilion annotations such as "captured," "at large," and "those who resisted were executed."

Her gaze fell unfocused on the void. The resounding, ruthless words she had spoken at court still seemed to echo in her ears. Those words, less addressed to the officials and more to herself, were a final, decisive severing of the last ties to the past and to that person. In doing so, she was forcing herself to believe—Su Che was indeed that kind of villain, and that she had done absolutely nothing wrong.

But why does my heart still feel so uneasy? So empty?

"Your Majesty," Eunuch Chen's cautious voice rang out from outside the hall, "General Gao requests an audience, saying he has important matters to report regarding... the progress in the pursuit of the traitor."

Lin Chu snapped back to his senses, took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed his turbulent emotions, and restored his imperial majesty and indifference to his face: "Summon them."

Gao Tianci strode in, his armor clanking, his face displaying a mixture of excitement and ruthlessness. He clasped his hands in a salute: "Your Majesty, the city's investigation has yielded initial results. A total of 137 of Su's overt and covert accomplices have been captured, and 21 who resisted were killed. The confiscated property is currently being tallied, and preliminary estimates suggest that the value of gold, silver, and land is no less than a million! This demonstrates the sheer scale of this villain's corruption!"

He paused, observed Lin Chu's expression, and continued, "Also, Jiang Qiong has already responded."

Lin Chu's eyes narrowed: "Speak."

"The King of Jiangqiong replied vaguely, only saying that he was aware of the matter and would order the border generals to keep an eye out, but also stating... Su Che and his party did not officially appear in the border towns, their whereabouts are difficult to trace, and that within Jiangqiong... bandits are rampant, the area is unclean, and it may be difficult to fully cooperate in the investigation." Gao Tianci said indignantly, "Clearly, it's just an excuse! Perhaps Su Che has already secretly colluded with Jiangqiong!"

Lin Chu remained silent. Jiang Qiong's reply was exactly what she expected. The southern neighboring country was weak and chaotic, and the imperial court's control over the local area was probably limited. It was not necessarily that they were really protecting Su Che, but more likely that they did not want to cause trouble, or that they simply did not have the ability to hunt down a Su Che who was deliberately hiding in their own territory.

"Furthermore," Gao Tianci lowered his voice and stepped forward, "Your Majesty, the people I placed in Su Ni's old residence discovered some... things while cleaning the secret room in his study."

"What is it?" Lin Chu's heart tightened.