The afterglow of the sunset scattered over the gilded tiles of the palace walls in Yong’an City, making the roof shimmer brilliantly under the fading light.
It was already six o’clock, the usual time to finish work.
Yet, Vice Minister of War Guo Qing remained seated at his desk in the Ministry of War’s main hall, his fingers tapping restlessly on the table, his expression troubled.
That morning, the men he had sent out the night before to capture Zhong Chang Gong had not yet returned, which left Guo Qing feeling uneasy.
Reports came in early that the frontline rebellion had been quelled, but those he dispatched were nowhere to be found.
Guo Qing was certain that his men had likely failed their mission, forcing him to contemplate how to handle the aftermath.
Currently, Guo Qing had two theories about their whereabouts: one, they were slain on the spot after failing; two, they were captured.
He jotted down his speculations on a piece of calligraphy paper and began analyzing countermeasures one by one.
After much consideration, Guo Qing concluded that the key issue lay with the person impersonating Zhong Chang Gong—their strength and motive.
Regardless of the situation, Guo Qing decided to strike first and take the offensive.
He took out a blank memorial and wrote a formal accusation against the individual impersonating Zhong Chang Gong.
After finishing the memorial, Guo Qing sent it swiftly into the Imperial Palace.
***
Qin Ling sat on the dragon throne, carefully reviewing the day’s memorials.
Illness had pulled Qin Ling out of his life of indulgence, forcing him to reassess his identity: Emperor of the Chengji Empire and father to Qin Yu.
Gazing at the splendid sunset outside the window, he put down his brush and rubbed his eyes.
Qin Ling had long delegated military and political affairs to the Imperial Secretariat, choosing to enjoy a leisurely life instead.
The Secretariat members bickered endlessly, leading to severe administrative inefficiency; the entire country was in disarray—corruption rampant, officials negligent, the economy in decline, and military preparedness slackening.
Now bedridden and unable to seek pleasures, Qin Ling resumed serious work.
His efforts aimed to pave the way for Qin Yu’s eventual ascension to the throne.
A Yellow Gate Attendant handed over a new memorial.
Qin Ling glanced at it—it was from Vice Minister of War Guo Qing, marked urgent.
Opening it, the memorial accused someone of impersonating Zhong Chang Gong and leading troops.
It seemed necessary to have Qin Yu and Guo Qing clarify the misunderstanding.
Thinking this, Qin Ling penned two imperial edicts, summoning Qin Yu and Guo Qing to Weiyang Palace the next day for a face-to-face discussion.
Oh, and he also wrote an edict summoning Zhong Chang Gong himself to Weiyang Palace to understand the situation.
***
As the night fell and darkness cloaked the horizon, Guo Qing received the Emperor’s edict.
“A discussion at Weiyang Palace tomorrow about the impersonation of Zhong Chang Gong?” Guo Qing sneered after reading it.
“Daring to impersonate an officer and wiping out my men—let’s see how I make sure you die without a grave tomorrow!”
***
When the carriage entered Yong’an City, it was already past midnight.
Qin Yu was drowsily asleep inside.
Luo Shangyu instructed the coachman to stop the carriage outside the Left Yulin Army’s main camp, handing over the troops back to them, before continuing onward toward the Eastern Palace.
The carriage stopped at the gates of the Eastern Palace.
Luo Shangyu opened the door and called for Qin Yu to disembark.
Qin Yu only let out a soft “Mm” in her sleep, shifting position before drifting back into slumber.
Expecting Qin Yu to wake up was futile.
Luo Shangyu carefully lifted her into her arms and headed into the Eastern Palace.
Perhaps feeling the movement, Qin Yu’s eyes fluttered open slightly, and she whispered, “Luo Shangyu…”
“Hmm?” Luo Shangyu looked down at Qin Yu.
Because Luo Shangyu held Qin Yu in a princess carry, their faces were close.
By the faint light filtering through the Eastern Palace windows, Luo Shangyu could even see Qin Yu’s slender, delicate eyebrows quiver faintly.
Qin Yu’s eyes opened a little but did not answer.
“Talking in her sleep?” Luo Shangyu muttered to herself as she quickened her pace, entering the palace.
When Qin Yu opened her eyes again, the sun of the next day had already risen.
Dragging her still-weary body to the dining table, she found Luo Shangyu had long finished breakfast.
“Today His Majesty wants us at Weiyang Palace by 10:30!” Luo Shangyu handed over an imperial edict.
Qin Yu took the edict and examined it carefully before nodding and setting it aside.
‘Meeting Father was no big deal. Wait, meeting Father?’
Suddenly alert, Qin Yu realized that news of her skipping class to go on a spree had long since reached her father.
Though she had brilliantly quelled the rebellion, her truancy was still wrong, and punishment was inevitable!
Her mind raced: ‘the only way to lessen the penalty was to cover it up with an even bigger matter.’
No need to guess—Qin Yu’s thoughts immediately turned to Vice Minister Guo Qing’s scheme to frame Zhong Chang Gong.
She glanced at the time—8:30, just enough time to organize her materials and evidence.
By the time the 10 o’clock bell rang, Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu were already seated in a carriage, leading their group toward Weiyang Palace.
Qin Yu’s entourage included not only her personal guards and attendants but also Yang Wei and his men captured yesterday, along with the First Special Operations Group’s leader Li Xun and his team, detained from earlier.
In Qin Yu’s hands were the materials she had prepared and the severed head of Yang Dan.
Feeling nervous about the impending accusations against Guo Qing, Qin Yu sipped the tea Luo Shangyu had brought.
Luo Shangyu noticed Qin Yu’s tension and reassured her: “Don’t worry. As long as we tell the truth about what we witnessed, Guo Qing’s conspiracy will surely be exposed.”
“Hmm,” Qin Yu nodded.
She said, “I’m just worried that Guo Qing is so brazen because he must have powerful backing.”
“Even if he has backing, can anyone wield more power than the Crown Princess?”
“True. But what if he tries to eliminate me by force?”
“Who would be so reckless as to move against the Crown Princess here in the capital? Besides, if he dares come, I’ll kick him to death!” Luo Shangyu thumped her chest with conviction.
“Yeah! You have to protect me well!” Qin Yu’s nerves eased noticeably.
Arriving at Weiyang Palace, Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu settled the prisoners in a small room beside the main hall, then strode inside.
Many were already present in the hall.
On the main seat sat Emperor Qin Ling.
Around him, from left to right, were Xu Feng—the Grand Chancellor and lead of the Imperial Secretariat; a young woman with black hair and eyes, about nineteen, handsome-faced, named Shangguan Rong, the Right Vice Minister of the Secretariat; next was Yin An, the Grand Preceptor and Imperial Secretariat minister; and at the far right, Han Youcheng, Right Vice Minister of the Secretariat.
This was clearly the Imperial Secretariat’s core members.
Sitting further from Qin Ling were Vice Minister of War Guo Qing and the Left Yulin Commander.
Qin Yu carefully observed those in the hall, pondering the meaning behind this lineup as she took her seat.
Luo Shangyu sat beside her.
Qin Yu spoke straightforwardly, admitting her fault first: “Father, I was reckless and impersonated Zhong Chang Gong to skip class, which led to the subsequent events.”
Qin Ling laughed heartily: “Tired of classes, that’s normal, but skipping is wrong! Still, you performed excellently in the field—your command was impressive! I already knew your plan but chose not to intervene to train your leadership skills.”
‘Not intervening?’ Qin Yu caught the inconsistency.
“Didn’t you send Li Xun, leader of the First Special Operations Group, to arrest me and bring me back? He even carried your edict!”
Qin Ling was surprised: “I didn’t!”
Qin Yu: (￢‸￢) ?
Qin Ling: (￢‸￢) ?
Guo Qing: (X_X)!!
Guo Qing felt as if struck by lightning—he never imagined the person impersonating Zhong Chang Gong would be the Crown Princess herself, and that he’d have to send men to capture her!
His hands trembled uncontrollably.
He had even forged an imperial edict!
Now, his crimes were undeniable.
Though protected by powerful patrons, a public flogging was inevitable.
Painful as it was, at least his head would remain intact.
Guo Qing glanced at the group of ministers seated before him, hoping his protectors would intervene.
He also prayed that the Crown Princess wouldn’t notice any other incriminating evidence.
If any other scandals surfaced, even the heavens couldn’t save him.
Qin Ling spoke: “Daughter, do you have proof?”
“Yes!”
At Qin Yu’s signal, Luo Shangyu had the Eastern Palace guards bring Li Xun and his squad before the hall.
Li Xun, overwhelmed by the many high officials and the presence of the Emperor, was terrified and spilled all of Guo Qing’s orders verbatim.
Qin Ling looked at the forged edict and then at the kneeling Li Xun.
With both witness and evidence present, he made his judgment swiftly: “Guo Qing forged an imperial edict and deserves death. But since the Crown Princess returned victorious, killing is inappropriate. Moreover, Guo Qing acted under urgent national circumstances, aiming to capture the imposter—his guilt may be forgiven.”
Hearing this, Guo Qing realized his crimes were pardoned and knelt deeply: “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your keen insight!”
After this interlude came the presentation of prisoners.
Yang Wei and his men, along with Yang Dan’s severed head, were brought before Qin Ling for inspection.
Qin Ling glanced over them and decreed that Yang Wei and his men would be executed by beheading and displayed publicly, and Yang Dan’s head would also be displayed.
Following the ceremony, Qin Yu began recounting the process of quelling the rebellion.
Throughout her account, the officials nodded in approval, praising her actions.
Soon after, she finished.
Qin Ling gave a brief summary and words of encouragement before preparing to dismiss the assembly.
At that moment, Qin Yu called out loudly, “Wait! I still have something to say!”
She produced the document ordering her to lead troops: “According to Ministry of War regulations, the Yulin Army does not send off-duty generals on campaign unless necessary. Why then was the off-duty Zhong Chang Gong sent?”
Guo Qing looked baffled.
In his mind, the Crown Princess was incompetent and uninterested in court affairs—she wouldn’t challenge him.
What Guo Qing didn’t know was that Grand Preceptor Yin had been tutoring Qin Yu extensively on court procedures.
Such regulations were second nature to her.
Seeing Guo Qing stammer, Qin Yu pressed on, comparing the document’s content with her own account, highlighting discrepancies.
Then she presented intelligence collected this morning about the Jingyuan rebellion.
The report aligned closely with Qin Yu’s experience: the Jingyuan Governor’s army had an elite unit equipped with Magic-conducting Guns; Governor Yang Wei had a Mage as his bodyguard.
The officials murmured in confusion: “Why was this information concealed in the deployment orders?”
Qin Yu slammed her hand on the table: “The Ministry of War hid critical intelligence and deployed far fewer soldiers than the historically minimum one-to-one enemy ratio. Such an arrangement was tantamount to sending generals to their deaths!”
Her voice boomed throughout the hall.
“If it weren’t for me and Luo Shangyu being Mages, no one could say who would win or lose the rebellion—let alone whether we would even return!”
The officials silently nodded; Qin Yu’s argument was sound.
“Guo Qing, you violated regulations by sending Zhong Chang Gong on campaign and deliberately sabotaged him, placing him in a death trap. Could there be personal grudges behind this?”
Qin Yu’s relentless questioning caught Guo Qing off guard—the Crown Princess had indeed uncovered his schemes!
He tried to defend himself: “It was merely my misjudgment of the opponent and Zhong Chang Gong’s strength!”
Qin Yu sneered: “Misjudgment? I doubt that.”
She tossed out another document.
It detailed the funding allocation for the Left and Right Yulin Armies, showing expenses for every meal clearly.
This was Guo Qing’s Achilles’ heel: he had embezzled funds from the Right Yulin Army, but the Left Yulin Army, protected by the honest Zhong Chang Gong, remained untouched.
The embezzlement was well concealed, so far undetected.
The only evidence was testimony from members of both Yulin Armies and the detailed army funding records, managed by the Censorate and outside Guo Qing’s control.
Guo Qing’s method was to bribe military officers and Censorate officials to hide the crime.
He assumed Emperor Qin Ling, being negligent, would not personally verify these matters.
Guo Qing believed he could deceive everyone but did not expect Qin Yu to uncover the truth.
Everyone present, including Qin Ling, reviewed the files Qin Yu submitted and naturally understood Guo Qing’s corruption.
“Guo Qing, you are the Vice Minister of War, yet so corrupt. How can you manage the Ministry of War? How can you face the trust the people have placed in you?” Qin Yu scolded sharply.
“I didn’t!” Guo Qing panicked, jumping to his feet and pointing at the documents, shouting, “They’re fake! You’re slandering me!”
Qin Yu sat to Qin Ling’s left; Guo Qing sat to Qin Ling’s right, farther back.
As Guo Qing stood to argue, the two faced each other from opposite sides, locked in a tense standoff.
Their dispute grew heated when one of the Imperial Secretariat ministers stood and spoke: “Your Highness, please do not be so hasty!”