The Feast of Hongmen at Daimyo Manor

Sandalwood incense drifted through the study.

Chiba Ran leaned back in his chair, resting with his eyes closed.

Qing Yueye knelt at his side, clumsily preparing tea for him.

She had changed into a plain maid's outfit. Her former splendor and pride had vanished completely, leaving only a pale, bare face and lifeless eyes.

Boiling water poured into the teapot, steam rising with a faint fragrance of tea.

She discarded the first infusion, refilled the pot, then carefully poured the tea into a cup and presented it with both hands.

Throughout the entire process, she did not say a word. Her silence was frightening.

Chiba Ran did not open his eyes.

"Minamoto."

"Your servant is here."

Minamoto, who stood at the doorway, immediately replied.

"Go. Summon Lord Tanaka from the Ministry of Finance, Lord Ito from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as Kawai no Kami, the Governor of Yamashiro... Bring them all here."

Chiba Ran listed a string of names.

Qing Yueye, still kneeling, trembled slightly as she held the teacup.

These were all long-established nobles and key ministers of the Land of Fire Capital.

During the previous succession struggle, most of them had maintained an ambiguous neutrality. A few had even secretly offered conveniences to her future husband—who was also Chiba Ran's elder brother.

Was this... a reckoning after the fact?

"Yes, my lord."

Minamoto accepted the order and withdrew.

Only then did Chiba Ran open his eyes. He lifted the teacup and gently blew on it.

"The tea is good."

Chiba Ran glanced at her and offered that assessment.

Qing Yueye's body tensed further, and she lowered her head even more.

Half an hour later.

Daimyo Manor, council hall.

More than a dozen high-ranking ministers and nobles in official robes had gathered there. Every face was grave, and the atmosphere was stifling.

They all remained standing. No one dared sit.

Whispers spread through the crowd, every face filled with unease.

"Why did the Daimyo suddenly summon us?"

"I don't know... The people on this list all seem to..."

"Shut up! Don't talk nonsense!"

Tanaka Shigeru, the Finance Minister, stood at the front, fine sweat beading on his forehead.

More than anyone, he knew just how ruthless this New Daimyo could be.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approached.

All discussion came to an abrupt halt.

Surrounded by guards, Chiba Ran slowly entered the council hall.

Today, he wore a black casual robe embroidered with intricate golden patterns, lending his handsome face an added air of authority.

He did not take the main seat. Instead, he stopped in the center of the hall and calmly swept his gaze over everyone present.

Anyone his eyes fell upon felt their heart skip a beat and hurriedly lowered their head.

"My lords, you are all pillars of the Land of Fire."

Chiba Ran spoke. His voice was not loud, yet it landed heavily on every heart.

"I invited everyone here today because I would like your help dealing with a few things."

He clapped his hands.

Minamoto entered with a bow, leading two guards as they carried in a heavy wooden chest.

The chest was set down heavily on the floor with a dull thud.

Everyone's heart twitched at the sound.

"Open it."

At the command, the chest lid was lifted.

The chest was packed full of scrolls and account books.

At first, the ministers merely looked on with curiosity.

But when the top few scrolls were shaken loose by the lid and revealed familiar handwriting and family crests, the air instantly froze.

Tanaka Shigeru's breathing stopped!

He stared fixedly at a blue-covered ledger. At one corner of the cover was a tea stain—the mark on the falsified accounts he had personally made!

Beside him, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ito, saw a handwritten letter he had written to the Eldest Young Master. Ito remembered its contents clearly: he had promised to provide the greatest possible support in the allocation of supplies.

Kawai no Kami's legs went weak, and he could barely remain standing.

He saw records from his own territory that falsely reported a mine vein's output. The figures recorded there were irrefutable proof that he had shared the spoils with the Eldest Young Master's confidant, who had already been executed!

One, two, three...

Everyone standing here found evidence in the wooden chest that was enough to doom them beyond redemption!

No one spoke.

A deathly silence blanketed the council chamber.

Only harsh breathing and chattering teeth could be heard.

Cold sweat soaked through their luxurious official robes, leaving the fabric clammy against their skin.

That wooden chest was no longer a chest. It seemed more like a coffin prepared for them!

Amid the suffocating atmosphere, Chiba Ran's voice sounded once more, carrying just the right hint of confusion.

"My lords, what is wrong?"

He looked around, his brows faintly furrowed, appearing as though he were genuinely concerned for them. "Why do you all look so pale? Are you feeling unwell?"

Those words of concern were like invisible blades stabbing into everyone's hearts, then viciously twisting!

He knew everything! He had come just to watch them make fools of themselves!

Tanaka Shigeru could no longer hold on. He dropped to his knees with a thud, his entire body shaking uncontrollably.

"This minister... this minister is guilty!"

His collapse was like the first domino falling.

"Daimyo, spare us!"

"This minister was foolish for a moment! Please show mercy, my lord!"

Cries and pleas for mercy erupted as everyone fell to their knees, desperately kowtowing to Chiba Ran.

The council chamber was in complete disarray.

Chiba Ran looked down at the kneeling crowd, mockery in his eyes, but said nothing.

Minamoto shouted from the side, "Silence!"

The cries immediately ceased, and everyone buried their heads low.

"Rise."

Chiba Ran's voice was utterly flat. "These were all found in the residences of my dear brothers during the suppression of the rebellion."

He walked over to the wooden chest, casually picked up a scroll, and weighed it in his hand.

"I have not had the chance to read them yet. I imagine... they are nothing important."

He turned and casually tossed the scroll back into the chest.

"Minamoto, bring a brazier."

"Yes."

A massive bronze brazier was carried in.

Under everyone's stunned and suspicious gazes, Chiba Ran ordered the guards to carry the wooden chest before the brazier.

Then he gave the command.

"Pour it in and burn it!"

The guards tipped the chest.

Clatter—

All the evidence, all the secrets, were dumped at once into the roaring flames.

The fire surged skyward, illuminating his handsome yet indifferent face.

"I am not someone who likes to dredge up old accounts."

Chiba Ran's voice rang out through the crackling flames, clear and firm.

"Let what happened in the past burn away cleanly, like this fire."

"I have never seen what was inside, and no one will mention it again in the future."

"And I hope such things will never happen again!"

He turned and looked once more at the ministers, who stood frozen in shock.

"All I want is your future. From today onward, your loyalty need answer to me alone."

"Whoever can create value for me will receive everything they desire."

"Do you all understand?"

As his words fell.

Tanaka Shigeru's face erupted with the wild joy and reverence of a survivor. He slammed his head against the floor again, his voice hoarse and fervent.

"Your servant, Tanaka Shigeru, swears to serve Daimyo-sama unto death! I will give my heart and brain, without hesitation!"

"Your servants swear to serve Daimyo-sama unto death! We will give our hearts and brains, without hesitation!"

Their vows of loyalty merged into a tidal wave that thundered through the entire council hall.

At that moment, there was no longer any doubt or wishful thinking in the way they looked at Chiba Ran.

Only reverence remained.

With a single fire, this young Daimyo had burned away their sins and granted them new life.

From this day onward, their lives belonged to the Daimyo.

Chiba Ran watched the scene with satisfaction, while the pitifully short list of trusted confidants flashed through his mind.

He wanted to deal with these bastards cleanly and decisively too.

But if he killed off these experienced old dogs, who would govern the country for him?

Should he let a bunch of brutes who only knew how to fight and kill manage the treasury and the people's livelihoods?

The Land of Fire would descend into chaos within three months.

So, they had to live—and they had to work properly for him.

Once the talents among his trusted followers had been cultivated, these old dogs would no longer have any value.

So, at this stage...

Killing was the inferior option.

Breaking their spirits was the true kingly path.

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