The training ground was like a pot of boiling oil.
Blades flashed and shadows crossed. Shouts, screams, and the clash of weapons blended into a single deafening roar.
The Mighty Army, the defected Jiangnan Navy soldiers, and the remaining loyal Jiangnan Navy troops were locked in a chaotic melee, flesh and blood flying.
The Imperial Guard soldiers, who belonged to neither side, stood dumbfounded, gripping their weapons stiffly, daring not move—obedient spectators to the carnage.
Xie Yu stood on the viewing platform, looking past the swirling smoke and flashing blades toward the white figure atop a distant tower ship.
Shen Changyin was also looking at her.
Their gazes met coldly above the roaring battlefield.
Both understood, without words, that a massive confrontation was about to come.
But Xie Yu was the first to look away.
She slowly raised her hand and rubbed hard at the bloodstain on her temple—blood that had already cooled slightly.
Shen Liuzhen's blood.
She pulled a specially made signal flare from her robes, yanked out the fuse without hesitation, and aimed it at the sky.
Whoosh—Bang!
A blinding red flare tore through the blood-scented air above the training ground and exploded high in the clear sky.
Within seconds of the flare's ascent, countless corners of the capital seemed to ripple, like stones dropped into still water.
At the Southern Special Battalion, Jiang Fang lowered her gaze from the signal flare and scanned the sea of heads before her.
"Those who eat the sovereign's grain must serve the sovereign's cause. The Third Princess's signal has arrived. It's time to shed blood."
She barked sharply, "Move out!"
The fully prepared special battalion split into countless small teams, dispersing like water seeping into sand, silently vanishing into the streets and alleys of the capital.
Not only Xie Yu's forces—Shen Changyin's spies were also mobilized in full, watching developments from every corner.
The two sides brushed past each other in the crowds, instinctively locking onto one another. After a few heartbeats of mutual scrutiny, confirming each other's identities, they tacitly looked away and rushed toward their respective targets.
Dark currents surged beneath the capital.
Not all elite Jiangnan Navy forces were present at the training ground.
Many senior officers remained behind—some handling military affairs at their residences, some dining and networking in restaurants, some still sleeping soundly in gentle embraces—unaware that a deadly shadow had already descended.
The special battalion embodied silence and speed to the extreme. They did not shout or announce themselves. They showed the Crown Princess's token to anyone who tried to block them. If the person refused to comply, they were knocked unconscious. If they dared resist, blood was drawn.
Then, they would gently push open a door and smile at the bewildered officer inside.
"General, Her Highness the Crown Princess requests your presence."
At General Shen's residence, the famed Jiangnan naval commander received news faster than most. She had just learned of the upheaval at the training ground and was about to muster her personal guards to investigate.
Before she could act, the gates were violently breached by a group of swift, oddly equipped figures.
Jiang Fang personally led the team. Expressionless, she displayed the Crown Princess's command token.
"By order of Her Highness the Crown Princess, General Shen is requested to visit the Eastern Palace."
The personal guards immediately clashed with the special battalion, but in such narrow, close-quarters combat, almost no one could stand against soldiers originally trained as assassins and death warriors.
In the end, staring at the cold crossbow bolts aimed at her and Jiang Fang's unruffled face, General Shen's expression turned ashen. She finally let her sword fall.
At the same time, similar scenes unfolded at the residences, favored restaurants, and even hidden villas of other Jiangnan Navy commanders.
The special battalion moved through the capital like spiders across a vast web—targets clear, movements swift. Caught off guard, the commanders were subdued or controlled with barely any meaningful resistance.
Everything happened in eerie silence.
Inside the palace, the Empress had just finished her daily rituals and was rubbing her temples in boredom.
She knew nothing yet of the chaos outside, but suddenly felt restless. She summoned her attendants.
"Prepare my horse. We'll go to the training ground again today. Remember to send for General Shen."
The attendant nodded and went out, but soon returned with a trembling voice.
"Your Majesty… Your Majesty…"
Sensing something was wrong, the Empress rushed out of her study and saw two groups waiting quietly at the courtyard gate.
Old Jin led a squad of elite Mighty Army soldiers, clad in iron armor, red cloth tied around their arms.
Jiang Fang arrived soon after, having secured General Shen. Her special battalion wore only cloth armor, dressed head to toe in black, faces masked, blades in hand gleaming with deadly sharpness.
They had arrived at the palace almost simultaneously.
"Your Majesty," Old Jin bowed slightly, his tone leaving no room for refusal, "Master Shen orders that the capital's situation remains unstable. Please remain in the palace for your safety."
Jiang Fang added bluntly, "Her Highness the Crown Princess asks that Your Majesty rest easy. Affairs of state will be handled by her, to ease her mother's burdens."
The Empress felt a chill rush from her feet straight to her head.
Her face darkened as she stood frozen for a long time, before finally forcing a smile.
"Very well. I'll wait here for good news from the two of them."
With all key figures under control, Shen Changyin's and Xie Yu's people no longer needed secrecy. They began acting openly.
Escorted detainees were marched through the streets by brightly armored squads, hoofbeats shattering the capital's usual calm.
Tension swept through every street and alley.
Commoners shut their doors and windows tight, peering out only through narrow cracks.
Occasionally, a brave whisper could be heard, pressed low—
"What's happening? Is there a war?"
"I heard the Jiangnan Navy rebelled at the training ground!"
"And the Crown Princess and Lady Shen took them all down?"
"Who knows… affairs of the imperial family… stop talking, stop talking—the officials are coming!"
Panic spread through the silent streets like an invisible plague.
Inside the training ground, the fighting was nearing its end.
The Jiangnan Navy surrendered.
They were ordered to squat in the center of the training ground, disarmed, hands clasped over their heads, forming a dense black square.
The Imperial Guard soldiers who had watched everything from beginning to end had palms slick with cold sweat as they gripped their weapons. They didn't move an inch, their gazes darting back and forth between the tower ship and the viewing platform.
Neither of the two figures standing high above was particularly imposing in stature, yet they inspired an indescribable sense of awe and fear.
Xie Yu and Shen Changyin finally descended from their respective heights, crossing the wreckage of the battlefield as they walked toward one another.
Countless soldiers followed them with their eyes, yet no one dared approach either of them.
They met in an open space.
The air was thick with the stench of blood and the silent residue of battle. Their gazes were like calm lake surfaces, beneath which violent undercurrents churned.
Xie Yu needed an explanation.
Shen Changyin knew she needed to give one.
They both knew an argument was inevitable.
Yet neither questioned the other.
"Internal affairs in the capital, pacifying court officials, calming the populace and public opinion, counting prisoners, restructuring the camps, taking over the Jiangnan Navy's capital outposts…"
Xie Yu's voice was flat as she looked at Shen Changyin.
"How do we divide it?"
"I'll handle internal affairs, court officials, and control of the royal nobility," Shen Changyin said gently. "But I'll need your cooperation."
Xie Yu nodded. "I'll take care of the rest. But notify the Mighty Army—they're to obey me."
Shen Changyin nodded.
There was no unnecessary exchange. After one final, deep look at each other, they turned away and plunged into the mountain of follow-up work.
For the next two days and two nights, the capital operated like a massive machine running at full speed.
Xie Yu and Shen Changyin were both so busy they barely touched the ground.
They often brushed past each other at palace gates, government offices, and military camps.
Their eyes occasionally met briefly in midair—tired, complicated—before both silently looked away.
Time was sliced into fragments by endless affairs, stretching unbearably long.
On the afternoon of the third day, Xie Yu sat in a carriage heading for the Court of Judicial Review, where she was to interrogate capital officials who had accepted bribes from General Shen.
Extreme exhaustion made her close her eyes for a moment, plunging the world into brief darkness.
Memories struck like snakes—the soft puchi sound, the warm blood splashing onto her face, Shen Liuzhen's wide, disbelieving dark eyes, the moon-white figure collapsing heavily to the ground…
The images replayed again and again in her mind.
She snapped her eyes open, chest heaving violently, a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. She had barely slept these past two days—cold sweats were hardly surprising.
She took a deep breath.
The situation had mostly stabilized. The arguments that had been postponed could no longer be avoided. She had to speak with Shen Changyin clearly. She had to get an explanation.
Tonight, then. Everything she and Shen Changyin were handling should finally be wrapped up tonight. She could finally return to the princess residence and rest.
By evening, all the clamor finally settled.
The Empress and the court would resume sessions starting tomorrow. The spies patrolling every corner of the capital were withdrawn. All sides stabilized.
Xie Yu returned to the Princess residence exhausted, fully prepared for a massive argument.
The residence was brightly lit, yet eerily quiet. Shen Changyin had not returned.
"When Shen Changyin comes back, wake me," she instructed the steward.
The steward nodded cautiously.
But even after Xie Yu slept, ate something, and regained some energy, Shen Changyin still hadn't returned.
The sky shifted from misty blue to deep black. The scouts sent out to inquire reported that Lady Shen had already left the government office, had not gone to the military camps outside the capital, and that Old Jin, Zhu Ting, and the others had all gone home to rest—proof that nothing else should be holding her up.
So she was deliberately not coming back.
As night deepened, rain suddenly began to patter against the windows, fat droplets slamming into the lattice and quickly merging into a curtain of rain.
Xie Yu sat alone in the empty hall. The meal prepared for Shen Changyin grew cold on the long table. She stared at the endless rain outside, the anger in her chest climbing inch by inch.
She almost laughed from anger.
The rain gradually weakened and finally stopped. The street scouts eventually reported back, "Lady Shen seems to have gone to the Seventh Ward area—possibly drinking alone at some tavern."
"Prepare a horse. I'll go myself."
Xie Yu left the Princess residence swiftly, riding all the way to the Seventh Ward, the wind leaving her damp with lingering rain-cold.
She tied her horse at the ward gate and continued on foot.
Pooled rainwater on the street reflected the bright moon above and the silent buildings lining both sides.
The night sky, washed clean by rain, was exceptionally clear. A full moon broke free of the clouds, casting cool light over the wet streets.
The air was fresh and chilly. The capital fell into a rare stillness.
Xie Yu walked along the slick stone road, the anger in her heart condensing into resolve under the cool night wind.
It was already late. There couldn't be many taverns still open. She knew she would find her soon.
But as she passed through a quiet side alley, she heard a faint yet oddly fierce "meow."
By moonlight, she saw a small, soaked bundle curled up in the corner—a tiny lion-cat kitten.
Barely one or two months old, its fur plastered to its body by rain, frail to the extreme.
It had heterochromatic eyes—one pure amber, the other a deep blue.
Pitifully crying everywhere, and not even very pleasantly.
Xie Yu stopped. She hesitated, then squatted in front of it, staring.
The kitten immediately arched its skinny back, fluffed its sparse fur, hissed nonstop, and stretched out a muddy little paw, sharp claws fully extended, ready to scratch her at any moment.
Xie Yu reached out and, lightning-fast, grabbed it by the scruff.
The fierce little cat instantly froze, limbs dangling limp, tail tucked tight. It let out thin, pitiful whimpers, watery mismatched eyes staring up at her.
Xie Yu couldn't help but sneer.
"So now you know how to act pitiful? Now you know to retreat? When you reached out to claw me, I didn't see you hesitate at all."
Why are people and cats the same?
She sighed angrily, softened her movements, wiped the mud from the kitten with a handkerchief, and pulled it into her arms.
The kitten trembled, then felt her body heat and quickly clung to her, pressing close.
Holding the cat, Xie Yu continued onward.
Before long, she spotted the only tavern on the street still lit.
At a glance, she saw the open carved wooden window on the third floor. A familiar figure leaned against the frame.
Shen Changyin hadn't tied her hair. Her black hair fell loosely over her shoulders. She wore plain, light-colored clothing and held a delicate wine cup.
Moonlight reflected off her face. Her forehead was pale to the point of bloodlessness, yet her cheeks carried an unhealthy flush—she had clearly drunk quite a bit.
Her gaze was hazy, damp like the post-rain air, the sharp coldness she usually carried seemingly melted by alcohol.
Xie Yu looked up. Shen Changyin seemed to sense it and swept her gaze downward.
The moment their eyes met, Shen Changyin immediately looked away.
She raised her cup and drained it in one gulp, fast and harsh, then began coughing violently. Her thin shoulders shook, enough to make anyone anxious—but she refused to look at Xie Yu.
Xie Yu stood beside the pooled rainwater. The kitten in her arms suddenly let out a pitiful meow, soft and deliberate.
Xie Yu laughed despite herself, helpless. This anger felt different from before.
She sighed, shifted the kitten in her arms, and looked up at Shen Changyin, muttering to herself,
"Everyone, I picked up a cat."
But if she let Shen Changyin brush this off so easily, wouldn't that make her seem far too easy to handle?
Holding the cat, she walked directly beneath the open window, tilted her head up, cleared her throat, and spoke—not loudly, but clearly, unquestionable, cutting through the night:
"Shen Changyin, come down."
—
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