The northerly wind whipped up powdered snow like grit, lashing against the vermilion palace walls of the Forbidden City with a soft, rustling patter. Shen Mingyue stood before the white marble steps outside the Imperial Study, her fingertips digging deep into her palms, leaving crescent-shaped red marks on her skin as she tried to use the stinging pain to suppress the surging tension and excitement within her. Fine ice crystals clung to her eyelashes, trembling slightly with every blink. The secret letters and account books hidden in her sleeves pressed heavily against her palms—not only weighty evidence, but the sharp edge of vengeance she had forged through months of lying low, under the watchful eyes of the Blood Fiend Alliance operatives and within the gloomy cellars of Jishi Hall, trading countless sleepless hours and terrifying close calls for this moment. Looking up, she saw the plaque bearing the characters for "Upright and Honorable" looming faintly through the wind and snow, its gilded characters blurred by a hazy mist, a mocking reflection of the dark conspiracy she was about to expose. In this moment, she felt as though she had been cast back to that rainy night when her mother died in bitterness, the sensation of her mother's bloodstained fingertips brushing against her cheek intertwining with the biting chill of the current wind, fueling the raging fire of revenge in her heart.
"Lady Shen, the Dowager Empress summons you for an audience." The shrill voice of an eunuch drifted from behind the vermilion lacquered doors, startling a few huddled jackdaws perched upon the eaves and sending them fluttering away. Shen Mingyue took a deep breath, her chest aching slightly from the cold. Reaching into the bosom of her dress, she gently touched a fragment of jade—her mother's final keepsake. The icy texture spread from her fingertips, gradually steadying her. Smoothing her robes, she stepped across the threshold, a foot high, and entered the epicenter of this vortex of power.
Warmth filled the Imperial Study. Wisps of dragon-saliva incense curled upward from a gilded beast-shaped censer, yet it could not ward off the frozen stillness hanging in the air. The Dowager Empress sat regally upon the sandalwood throne, her phoenix eyes half-closed, her jade prayer beads clicking softly as she turned them—each collision sounding like the countdown of fate. Jiang Yanbai leaned lazily against a master's chair, gently shaking a folding fan. The ink-wash bamboo painted upon the silk blurred into shadows with his movements. Though he appeared leisurely, the knuckles gripping the frame of his fan were white, betraying his inner vigilance and sinister intent. Nearby, Old Lord Jiang sat stiffly upright, his brow furrowed. His rheumy, aged eyes periodically darted toward the Dowager Empress's expression, his Adam's apple bobbing with nervous swallows as anxiety filled his chest. A faint premonition told him that today's events would likely unleash a monstrous storm.
"Your humble subject, Shen Mingyue, pays her respects to the Dowager Empress." Shen Mingyue curtsied, her voice as steady as a monolith, though only she knew how wildly her heart was hammering against her ribs, threatening to burst from her throat. As she rose, her gaze locked with Jiang Yanbai's. He hooked the corner of his lips into a mocking smile, calculation flashing in his eyes. "Lady Shen is so terribly solemn today; could it be that you're about to stage another grand performance of 'righteousness overcoming family'?"
This contemptuous remark drove into her heart like a silver needle dipped in poison, but she was no longer the weak, defenseless girl of the past. A cold smile curved the corner of her mouth, and she thought to herself, *Jiang Yanbai, you won't be smiling for much longer. Once the truth comes to light, I want to see how arrogant you can still afford to be.*
"Lord Jiang jests." Shen Mingyue gestured for Chuntao to present the wooden box. Chuntao's fingertips trembled slightly, and the box made a soft clatter as it was set down. The instant the lid was lifted, a faint scent of blood mixed with the odor of aged paper rushed outward—a smell that dragged her memory straight back to the cellar of Jishi Hall where she had first unearthed those ledgers. Amidst the rotting stench, she fought down the nausea rising in her stomach and, by the dim candlelight, flipped page by page through the blood-stained records, the miserable images of innocent children flashing once more through her mind. "This humble subject begs an audience at the risk of her life to expose the crimes of Jiang Yanbai, Heir of the Defender-General's Estate, for conspiring with the Blood Fiend Alliance and plotting to subvert the state!" Her voice was firm and powerful, every word striking like a heavy hammer to shatter the silence of the Imperial Study and causing the folding fan in Jiang Yanbai's hand to pause mid-motion.
Before the echoes of her voice had even faded, gasps erupted one after another within the Imperial Study. Old Lord Jiang's expression shifted drastically; his age-spotted hands trembled beyond control, and with a sharp *thud*, the teacup in his hand dropped onto the green brick floor, shattering into shards. The tea spilled out in a winding crimson trail, seeming to portend the impending doom awaiting the Jiang Family. He stared at his son, his clouded eyes filled with shock and sheer disbelief, as the countless days and nights of instruction and expectation crumbled into ashes before his eyes. The Dowager Empress's jade prayer beads jerked to an abrupt halt, and a cold light flashed across her phoenix eyes. "Lady Shen, a charge of this magnitude is no trifling matter. What evidence do you have?" A turbulent storm churned within the Dowager Empress's breast as well. She knew full well that if these allegations proved true, they would shake the foundations of the realm, yet years of political experience kept her outward demeanor composed. Beneath the surface, however, she closely observed everyone's reactions, attempting to discern the truth from the minutest details.
"Naturally." Shen Mingyue produced a stack of secret letters, upon whose edges the red wax seals clearly displayed the fierce insignia of a phoenix. Her fingertips brushed over the raised seals, recalling the perilous moments when she had managed to secure them. It had been a night of torrential rain when she slipped into Jiang Yanbai's study accompanied by Xuanying, every flash of lightning appearing like the judgment of fate. "These are thirty items of correspondence exchanged between Jiang Yanbai and the leader of the Blood Fiend Alliance. Each letter details their plot to collude with the Northern Frontier and scheme an uprising. Will the Dowager Empress deign to look? This particular letter mentions that the Blood Fiend Alliance intends to spread a plague within the Capital to manufacture chaos and pave the way for the southern advance of the Northern Frontier's armies. They planned to deploy a specialized Gu Insect capable of sickening an entire neighborhood within three days, plunging the Capital into panic." As she spoke, she recalled the blood-curdling details recorded within the letters, a thread of anger and revulsion involuntarily creeping into her tone.
Jiang Yanbai's complexion drained of color instantly, as though every drop of blood had been sucked from his body. Panic flooded his chest, but years of practiced pretense forced him to maintain a facade of calm. His folding fan snapped shut with a sharp crack against his palm, though the sound carried a trace of an uncontainable quiver. "Shen Mingyue, this is sheer slander! You must have fabricated these letters! Generations of my Jiang Family have served with unswerving loyalty; how could we ever commit such treasonous acts?" Inside, his mind raced frantically for countermeasures, his eyes darting toward the door as he calculated whether any chance of escape remained. Yet the damning evidence weighed down upon him like a mountain, cutting off his breath as cold sweat trickled slowly down his spine.
"Fabricated?" Shen Mingyue sneered, producing next an account book stained heavily with dried blood—its texture reminding her once more of the blood of those victimized children, sending a sharp pang through her heart. Her hands paused as she flipped the ledger open, as though she were staring once more into those children's eyes of despair. "This is the ledger of witchcraft and Gu-refining from Jishi Hall. It documents in detail how Jiang Yanbai utilized young boys and girls to refine Gu Insects. On the fifteenth of last month, three children were delivered to be used as 'human Gu'!" She opened to a specific page where the handwriting looked as malevolent as a curse under the candlelight. "The names and birth dates of these children, and even the wretched states they were in before death, are meticulously recorded. One child named Afu was merely eight years old when he was thrown alive into a Gu jar. His cries echoed throughout the entire cellar, yet no one could save him." At this, her voice trembled slightly, a glint of tears flashing in her eyes as she grieved for those innocent young lives and burned with rage at Jiang Yanbai's cruelty.
A dead silence gripped the Imperial Study, broken only by the sound of Jiang Yanbai's ragged breathing. Old Lord Jiang stumbled to his feet, his aged voice shaking. "Yanbai, this... what is the meaning of this? Speak!" His voice was laden with despair and agony. He gazed at the son of whom he had been so immensely proud, who now seemed like an utter stranger; the disappointment and pain threatened to drown him entirely.
"Father, don't listen to her lies!" Jiang Yanbai erupted suddenly, snatching the guard's waist saber. The cold steel flashed directly toward Shen Mingyue. In that fraction of a second, his mind held only a single thought: to kill the woman who had destroyed everything he possessed, even if it meant perishing together. His eyes were bloodshot, his twisted expression a picture of madness that stripped away every shred of his usual composure.
At the very edge of the precipice, Xuanying materialized like a phantom. His soft sword cleared its scabbard with a crisp *clang*, parrying the fatal strike. Sparks flew from the clashing metal, illuminating Jiang Yanbai's distorted face—a face reflecting both manic desperation and a grin of gruesome defiance as he made his final struggle.
"Attempting murder in the presence of the Dowager Empress—does the young lord mean to rebel?" Shen Mingyue stood unflinching, her eyes filled with utter contempt, though beneath her robes, her spine was drenched in cold sweat and her knees trembled faintly. She drew out another scroll, its surface densely covered with thumbprints. "This is the joint testimony of twenty-three apothecaries from Jishi Hall, all of whom witnessed Jiang Yanbai's atrocities with their own eyes. With both human witnesses and physical evidence present, what else has the young lord to say for himself? One of the apothecaries, Old Wang, nearly lost his life to Jiang Yanbai's hired assassins while gathering this proof; had we not arrived in time, he would already be dead." Silently, she thanked those courageous apothecaries whose sense of justice had given her the backbone to bring Jiang Yanbai down, while a wave of concern for their safety gripped her heart.
The Dowager Empress struck the table with a sudden slam, shattering her jade fingernail guards into sharp, splintered fragments with a crisp snap. "Guards! Seize Jiang Yanbai! Seal the Jiang Estate immediately!" Several guards surged forward like ravenous wolves, pinning Jiang Yanbai firmly to the floor. He thrashed wildly, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Shen Mingyue! You'll die a horrific death! The Blood Fiend Alliance won't let you go!" At that moment, his heart was consumed by hatred and bitter resentment; he hated Shen Mingyue for ruining everything he had built, yet he also dreaded the retribution of the Alliance. Terror and fury had stripped away his remaining sanity.
"Silence!" the Dowager Empress rebuked sternly. "For the Jiang Family to produce such an unfilial scion is a catastrophe indeed! Defender-General, you have failed in your duty to rear your son; you cannot shirk the blame!"
Old Lord Jiang's face turned the color of ash. He dropped heavily to his knees, old tears streaming down his face. "This aging subject failed in his discipline; I beg the Dowager Empress to bestow punishment!" His heart was filled with remorse—remorse that he had failed to uncover his son's crimes in time, bringing ruin not only upon the Jiang Family but betraying the court and the common people. Pain and self-reproach etched every line of his weathered face.
Seizing the moment, Shen Mingyue sank to her knees, her voice resolute. "Dowager Empress, Jiang Yanbai and I were bound by a betrothal. Now that he has committed such monstrous crimes, the Shen Family refuses to remain allied with a traitor. This subject earnestly implores the Dowager Empress to issue an imperial decree annulling our engagement!" At last, she could cast off the shackles that had bound her for so long. Relief washed over her, light and liberating, alongside eager anticipation for the future and the grim determination to pursue her vengeance to the end.
The Dowager Empress regarded her with a scrutinizing gaze. After a long moment, a flicker of appreciation crossed her eyes. "Lady Shen is a woman of great righteousness, loyalty, and valor. Granted! From this day forth, you have no further ties to the Jiang Family. I grant you special permission to enter and leave the Imperial Palace freely; should any other critical matters arise, you may report them at any time."
"My thanks to the Dowager Empress for this grace!" Shen Mingyue pressed her forehead against the icy green bricks, well aware that this was only the beginning. Stepping out through the palace gates, she was met by a howling gale. Wrapping her cloak tightly around herself, she stared up at the ashen sky and clenched her fists. News of the Jiang Family's downfall would soon sweep through the Capital, and she would inevitably become the primary target of both the Blood Fiend Alliance and the Crown Prince. A far greater tempest lay ahead.
Meanwhile, in the dim alleys of the Capital, a squad of dark-clad secret agents moved like phantoms. They were operatives dispatched by the Crown Prince to monitor Shen Mingyue. Their leader possessed a sinister gaze and a jagged scar across his face that writhed slightly as he spoke. "Keep a close watch on Shen Mingyue. Report the moment there is any movement. His Highness the Crown Prince has made it clear: she must not be allowed to ruin our plans again. That Xuanying by her side is formidable; exercise utmost caution during operations. If an opportunity presents itself, eliminate him first." The appearance of these agents added an undercurrent of tension to the narrative, signaling the mounting perils Shen Mingyue would face as they lurked in the shadows like vipers, waiting for a chance to strike a fatal blow.
Over at the secret stronghold of the Blood Fiend Alliance, damp moss crawled across grey walls while candlelight flickered over bizarre, grotesque totoms. Wearing a bronze mask that revealed only a pair of sinister eyes, the Alliance Master listened to his subordinate's report. "Shen Mingyue... an interesting woman indeed. Yet, those who dare touch our people must pay the price. Pass down the order: dispatch the Black Crow squad to infiltrate the Shen Estate and teach her a lesson! This operation is not merely to let her know the consequences of crossing the Blood Fiend Alliance, but also to scout the defensive layout of the Shen Estate to pave the way for our subsequent moves." Within the hideout, members of the Black Crow squad were actively preparing for the assassination. They checked their weapons, their faces twisted into cruel smiles. One member polished a poison-tipped dagger and sneered, "I hear Shen Mingyue has quite a few martial experts around her. They'll make the perfect testing ground for my new poison—let's see if they can survive three strikes."
As the night deepened, the Shen Estate blazed with light from top to bottom. Shen Mingyue sat in her study, her brow furrowed as she pored over the maps and intelligence reports blanketing her desk. The candlelight cast heavy shadows beneath her eyes, accentuating her exhaustion and iron resolve. Chuntao brought in a cup of hot tea and said with a worried expression, "My lady, though the Jiang Family has fallen, the Crown Prince and the Blood Fiend Alliance will certainly not let this rest. You must be careful. This servant has heard that the Blood Fiend Alliance's Black Crow squad are utterly ruthless and stop at nothing."
Shen Mingyue nodded, her gaze resolute. "I anticipated as much. The more anxious they become, the easier it is for them to expose their flaws. Inform Xuanying to tighten security throughout the estate. Furthermore, have the Tianji Pavilion closely monitor the movements of the Crown Prince and Lu Huaijin. The upcoming birthday banquet will be our next battlefield. We must make preparations in advance and disrupt their plans before they make their move." Already she was formulating strategies within her mind to counter the impending crisis. Every detail was weighed and tested over and over, her fingers tracing unconsciously across the map as she deliberated the optimal defensive and counter-offensive tactics.
Outside the window, the wind and snow grew fiercer. Staring out at the blanket of falling snow, Shen Mingyue's thoughts drifted back to the past. Her mother's dying injunctions and the countless nights she had endured in the dark served as a constant reminder that she could not stop. No matter how many hardships and obstacles lay ahead, she had to eradicate these enemies one by one—to avenge her mother and demand justice for the innocent dead. Gently stroking the portrait of her mother resting on her desk, her eyes filled with yearning and resolve, she murmured softly, "Mother, rest easy. Your daughter will ensure those villains receive the punishment they are due."
"My lady, Nanny Liu says a few new kitchen maids have arrived, all strictly vetted." Chuntao's voice pulled her back to reality.
"Mm. Ensure the security of the estate is airtight. Not a single detail can be overlooked; the Blood Fiend Alliance and the Crown Prince could strike at any moment," Shen Mingyue said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Right, make a trip to Jishi Hall tomorrow to comfort those apothecaries. They risked their lives to testify; we cannot let their hearts grow cold. Also, have the shadow guards protect their families in secret so they suffer no harm for helping us. And send a sum of silver to each of them as a token of my appreciation."
Late into the night, the Shen Estate gradually quieted down, leaving only a solitary lamp burning brightly within Shen Mingyue's study, appearing steadfast amidst the wind and snow. She knew that this clash with the forces of darkness had only just begun. Yet she was already fully prepared to meet every challenge head-on, even if it meant leaping willingly into an abyss, until every vestige of evil was thoroughly rooted out. By the flickering candlelight, she picked up her pen and began drafting a new plan, her brushstrokes vigorous and powerful as though issuing a declaration of war against fate itself.