The Imperial Guards' training ground was vast and severe, bordering the river. Two enormous, towering warships were moored on the river's surface.
The early summer sunlight poured down unobstructed, baking the yellow earth until it radiated heat and shimmered faintly.
On the east and west sides of the training ground stood two elite forces, clearly divided.
On the east side, the Imperial Guards wore black light armor. The red plumes on their helmets didn't move at all in the hot wind. Their formation was precise, soldiers holding their breath, like a frozen steel current.
On the west side, the Jiangnan Fleet wore uniform deep-blue outfits with lightweight leather armor over them. Their skin, long exposed to river winds, was dark like black iron—like reefs washed by river water for thousands of years—standing in silent ranks.
The air was filled with the mixed scent of leather, sweat, and dust, faintly carrying the cold metallic tang of weapons.
On the north side of the training ground, a three-story viewing tower rose from the ground.
Xie Yu climbed the steps. Her Crown Princess attire shimmered with a soft pale-gold glow in the sunlight.
When she reached the top platform, the view suddenly opened up—thousands of troops spread out beneath her gaze.
The Empress and General Shen were already seated in the main position, speaking in low voices.
Xie Yu swept her gaze over them and walked straight toward Shen Liuzhen, who was standing alone by the railing, looking into the distance.
Today, Shen Liuzhen wore a moon-white dress. The scar on her face had been carefully concealed with high-quality makeup, leaving only a faint pink trace.
Her figure was slender, appearing even more pale and fragile under the blazing sun. Against the backdrop of the massive military formation, she looked strangely out of place, utterly incompatible with the atmosphere of the training ground.
"Miss Shen really knows how to choose a spot. The view here is the best for watching the drills."
Xie Yu stood beside her, looking down at the grim ranks below.
Shen Liuzhen was still harboring resentment toward her. She didn't reply, only raised her hand and seemingly casually brushed her fingers across the faint mark on her cheek.
Xie Yu pretended not to notice the intention behind the gesture. Her gaze stayed on the training ground, though her mind, peripheral vision, and thoughts all revolved around the three people beside her.
The Empress, General Shen, and Shen Liuzhen—these three now surrounded the Jiangnan Fleet, forming an alliance as airtight as an iron barrel.
But there had never been an unbreakable alliance in this world. She just needed to find the crack.
Her thoughts spun endlessly, yet aloud she drew closer to Shen Liuzhen. "How is your wound? Before it fully heals, it's better not to use makeup. It can interfere with recovery."
Shen Liuzhen looked at her with quiet grievance. "Interfere with recovery? It doesn't matter. No one cares about me anyway."
"After all, I saved someone who repays kindness with ingratitude."
Even now, Xie Yu remained confused about Shen Liuzhen's true personality.
Setting aside whether her actions were good or bad, Shen Liuzhen could sometimes be startlingly straightforward—so much so that it gave Xie Yu a sense of safety.
"I admit I plotted against you," Xie Yu said, "but I never harmed you, did I?"
Shen Liuzhen stared straight into Xie Yu's eyes. "Have you ever been injured because of me? Had your reputation been damaged?"
"On the contrary, I'm the one who got hurt."
"On what grounds do you hate me?"
Xie Yu had not yet answered when—
from the center of the temporarily erected arena on the drill ground below, a thunderous burst of cheers and applause suddenly exploded!
The two of them turned to look at the same time.
On the platform, a female soldier from the Jiangnan Navy, dressed in deep blue fitted combat wear, stood proudly with her fist raised high!
Her skin was a deep bronze, her frame lean and wiry. A wound on her left arm was still bleeding heavily, staining half her sleeve red, yet there was not the slightest trace of pain on her face—only exhilaration.
Her opponent, a noticeably larger and more burly Imperial Guard soldier, had been slammed hard to the ground by a clean shoulder throw. She struggled a few times but couldn't get back up.
"Good!!"
"Beautiful!!"
"Lady Wang is amazing!!"
The Jiangnan Navy soldiers excitedly pounded their comrades' shoulders, roaring with deafening shouts that nearly lifted the drill ground itself.
Even some of the watching Imperial Guard soldiers couldn't help showing admiration, joining in the cheers.
Amid the uproar, the female soldier looked like a lion that had just completed a successful hunt, radiating raw violence and vitality.
A spark of excitement flashed through Xie Yu's eyes as well—she felt restless, eager to try. She had only caught the final counterattack by Lady Wang, but the move had been unbelievably sharp and clean.
If there weren't more important matters at hand, she would have rushed down to spar with her for several rounds.
Still riding that excitement, she casually glanced at Shen Liuzhen.
Shen Liuzhen's brows were tightly knit, her carefully drawn willow-leaf eyebrows nearly twisted into a knot.
She clenched her fist and held it in front of her mouth and nose, as if trying to block out the sweat and blood scent hanging in the air—even though they were far from the arena and couldn't actually smell anything.
There was no appreciation or excitement in her eyes at all—only a barely suppressed, yet still leaking… disgust.
Xie Yu didn't miss it. Her expression remained calm, but she quietly engraved this detail into her mind and continued observing Shen Liuzhen.
During the next formation-drill segment, the Jiangnan Navy demonstrated rapid amphibious formations and formation changes in small units.
Under the blazing sun, soldiers ran, shouted, slammed shields together. Sweat soaked through their clothes; their movements were swift and powerful, filled with strength and the beauty of coordination.
Even commanders from the opposing Imperial Guard couldn't help but praise them. The empress loudly commended General Shen for her excellent command, saying her soldiers were extremely brave.
But Xie Yu saw the deep contempt in Shen Liuzhen's eyes.
The Jiangnan Navy was the force Shen Liuzhen was meant to inherit one day—created by her mother's own hands, practically her home. Yet her attitude toward these soldiers, who pursued valor, muscle, and strength, was strangely warped.
It was as if she hated them…
A spark of insight flashed through Xie Yu's mind.
During the crossbow shooting segment, a female crossbow soldier from the Imperial Guard, astonishingly strong-armed, hit the bullseye repeatedly and was publicly praised by her superior. She grinned honestly and let out an excited, triumphant howl.
Shen Liuzhen's face remained expressionless, but her fingertips had already been pinched red by her own nails—she was forcing herself to endure her disgust.
Xie Yu took everything in.
Her hypothesis was confirmed.
She now knew how to dismantle the alliance between these three women.
—
At the same time, in the northern outskirts at the Valiant Army armory—
Shen Changyin stood in the center of the ransacked warehouse, her face even paler than usual, yet terrifyingly calm.
The warehouse doors had been violently forced open; the lock was smashed clean off.
Half the warehouse, once packed to the brim, was now completely empty. The floor was spotless, without a speck of dust—no footprints, no traces that could be used as clues.
"Clean and efficient," Shen Changyin said, her tone betraying no emotion.
She touched the lock, precisely locating the barely visible pry marks.
"They picked the lock to get in, but smashed it when they left—to mislead us."
"Picking the lock, transporting the goods, erasing all traces… all in one go. Professionals." She straightened and scanned the surroundings.
"And the targets were clear. They only took the finest standardized weapons and the account books—the most critical items."
Old Jin's face was iron-dark. "My fault, my lady! They knew our warehouse layout and guard rotations inside and out!"
"It's practically an inside job!"
Shen Changyin said nothing. She walked into the pried-open accounting room. It had also been thoroughly rummaged through, yet all the silver remained untouched—only the most important ledgers were gone.
"Add manpower. Seal off the news. Investigate all suspicious leads in secret—especially anyone who's recently entered the warehouse or shown interest in it. Suspect everyone, whether enemy or ally."
Her tone allowed no argument.
"Yes!" Old Jin replied immediately.
Shen Changyin turned to leave. "Prepare the horses. We're going to the Imperial Guard drill ground."
The armory theft was serious, but Shen Changyin was long accustomed to multiple crises unfolding at once. She wouldn't let one matter interfere with another.
She had to see the Jiangnan Navy's strength with her own eyes—and she had to see Xie Yu standing beside Shen Liuzhen.
As she stood outside the camp waiting for her horse, a breathless guard sprinted over.
"My lady! Stop! Warehouse No. 3 for grain supplies caught fire!"
Shen Changyin frowned immediately. "Fire? How bad? Cause?"
"Just started, not big—looks like someone deliberately ignited the outer hay piles! People are already putting it out!"
"Lead the way." Shen Changyin turned without hesitation.
They had just finished extinguishing the not-small-not-large "accidental fire" at the grain warehouse. As she stepped out of the smoke-filled area, another steward rushed over, drenched in sweat.
"My lady! My lady! Over at the military reclamation fields—the tenant farmers are fighting! Two villages clashed over the irrigation canal, grabbed weapons, blood's already been spilled! We can't stop them!"
Shen Changyin took a deep breath. Anger churned in her chest, but her face remained calm.
"Prepare the horses. We're going."
When they reached the reclamation fields, it became clear the fight wasn't really about water—it was a clash between two gang factions.
Shen Changyin's generous terms for tenant farmers had attracted many idle drifters with no homes or livelihoods.
She hadn't minded—she had even subtly encouraged it. Once hooligans had legitimate work, they were less likely to steal and cause trouble in the streets.
But this time, the fighters weren't ordinary drifters. They were members of established street gangs, not far from organized crime.
Finding former gang sisters in the tenant camps, they naturally re-formed small cliques and began competing for benefits.
This was a brawl between two larger factions. Their former gangs had long been enemies, and after entering the tenant camps, the conflict only intensified.
These gangs had always been a hidden risk—now it had simply been triggered.
Shen Changyin led her guards on horseback, forcefully suppressing the large-scale, bloody melee and dealing harshly with several ringleaders.
By the time everything was resolved, the sun had clearly begun to set.
Over at the drill ground, the exercises were likely already nearing their end.
Old Jin looked at the dust- and blood-stained hem of his lady's robes, and the fatigue and chill that lingered between her brows. He couldn't help muttering quietly:
"This day's cursed… first the armory theft, then the grain warehouse fire, then the tenants causing trouble… one thing after another. It's almost like—like someone's deliberately stopping you, my lady, from going to the drill ground!"
Shen Changyin was wiping a smear of blood from her hand with a clean cloth. At those words, her movement stopped abruptly.
She slowly raised her head and looked toward the direction of the Imperial Guard drill ground, her gaze unfathomably deep.
All the clues rapidly linked together in her mind—Xie Yu's unusually easy agreement that morning, even volunteering to go to the drill ground in her place; this perfectly timed chain of "accidents."
A clear answer, icy to the touch, surfaced in her heart.
It was Xie Yu.
Her wife had planned all of this.
Stealing weapons and ledgers to draw her here, then precisely triggering follow-up troubles, one link after another—just to keep her trapped in the northern outskirts, unable to appear at the drill ground.
Was she afraid Shen Changyin would interrupt her time alone with Shen Liuzhen?
A faint, cold curve appeared at Shen Changyin's lips.
She was even a little impressed.
Very cleanly done, Little Xie. You've really grown sharper.
She decisively abandoned the plan to rush to the drill ground. Returning to the main camp, she summoned her confidants.
Inside the tent, it was densely packed, every face grim and cold.
Shen Changyin sat behind the main table. Even seated, she exuded an unmistakable sense of dominance.
After Old Jin distributed the documents to the commanders, he said, "What you're holding is top secret. Read it, then destroy it on the spot. There's a fire brazier at the door. Once you leave, seal your mouths shut."
The commanders read in silence. Initial confusion quickly gave way to understanding—and then resolve.
One by one, they placed the thin sheets of paper into the brazier, burning them completely, then returned to their positions, standing at attention like a silent forest of blades.
"All finished?"
After a long while, Shen Changyin slowly lifted her gaze to them.
Her index finger tapped lightly on the tabletop.
"These months in the capital, with no wars, have been good days."
"But it's time to rein it in. Starting tonight, the entire army goes on high alert. Remain on standby at all times."
"It's time to see some blood."
—
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