Suppressing the Commander, Heaven Dou Imperial City, and the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty.

Everyone present shouted in unison, "Her Majesty the Empress!"

Even Yan Lingji could not help but feel a surge of pleasure.

For the first time, she truly tasted the flavor of power.

It had to be said, being hailed by a mountain of voices as "Her Majesty the Empress" really made one feel as if they were floating on air.

However, she was well aware that her position as Empress had been single-handedly pushed by her master.

Her master enjoyed the thrill of having an Empress wantonly toyed with by him.

A woman of noble status, being kneaded and molded at his whim.

As a spirit, Yan Lingji could naturally understand this feeling.

What man wouldn't like it?

A woman who stood high above, yet was kneaded like a small beast.

This could greatly satisfy their desire for conquest.

Her master was no exception.

Na'er saw this scene and blinked her eyes.

She felt that it was all very strange.

Moreover, Sister Yan Lingji looked truly imposing in this state.

She felt that Sister Lingji was even more charming than before.

She didn't look like the sister who had always been teasing her.

"Na'er, you must learn well from your sister."

Jiang Ce's voice echoed in Na'er's mind.

The black silk bodysuit beneath her dress tightened slightly.

Na'er's cheeks flushed, and she replied in a low voice, "I understand, Brother."

"First order of business."

Yan Lingji sat upon the imperial throne, her nine snow-white fox tails swaying gently behind her as her peach-blossom eyes swept across the crowd in the hall.

"Seal all entrances and exits of the Imperial Palace. Entry is permitted, but exit is forbidden."

"Chief of the Imperial Guards, Zhao Tieyi."

Zhao Tieyi knelt on one knee, his forehead touching the floor: "Present."

"Take your men and seal every gate of the Imperial Palace—the main gates, side gates, and postern gates. No one is allowed to enter or leave. Anyone who dares to pass messages in secret or allow personnel to leave the palace—execute them."

"By your command."

Although Zhao Tieyi was unwilling in his heart, his directives and code of conduct had been rewritten, leaving him no choice but to force himself up and stride away.

He was the Chief of the Imperial Guards, once the protector of the royal family, but now he had been reduced to a puppet.

The enemy was too strong, too terrifying.

He was fundamentally unable to resist.

"Commander of the Royal Knights, Xue Jianfeng."

Xue Jianfeng likewise knelt on the ground: "Present."

"Take your knights and patrol the perimeter of the Imperial Palace, coordinating with the guards to maintain the blockade. Not even a fly is allowed to fly out."

"...By your command."

Xue Jianfeng gritted his teeth and turned to leave.

Yan Lingji looked at the Heaven Dou Emperor kneeling at the very front, the corners of her lips curling upward.

"Heaven Dou Emperor."

The Heaven Dou Emperor trembled all over.

"You know every blade of grass and every tree in this palace better than anyone, don't you?"

"...What do you want?"

The Heaven Dou Emperor raised his head to look at Yan Lingji, his voice low.

"You shall lead the way. Every secret chamber, secret vault, secret passage, the private treasuries of past emperors, and the collections of the Worship Hall—leave nothing behind. Inventory and catalog everything."

The Heaven Dou Emperor's face turned ashen, and his body stood up involuntarily.

"Take a squad of guards and a few civil officials to follow the former Emperor."

Yan Lingji waved her hand at the guards below.

"Move everything of value in the Imperial Palace to the main hall. Not a single item is to be missed."

"Your Majesty, if anything is left behind—" She smiled.

"You know the consequences."

The Heaven Dou Emperor's aged face flushed crimson, his entire body trembling with humiliation, yet he could not utter a single word.

His body refused to obey his will, being forcibly controlled to act against his desires.

He turned around, leading the guards and civil officials as he walked out of the palace hall.

"Commander of the Imperial Guard, Yang Hai."

"This subordinate is here."

Yang Hai knelt on one knee, his head bowed low.

"Take your men and seize control of the four gates of the Heaven Dou Imperial City. The city defense guards, the city defense battalion, and the patrol squads."

"This subordinate obeys."

Yang Hai stood up and walked toward the palace exit.

"Sister, you should go as well."

Yan Lingji spoke once more to one of the clones beside her.

The other woman revealed a charming smile before immediately following Yang Hai away.

Yan Lingji looked toward the remaining seven clones.

"Sisters, split up and take control of all the nobles in the Heaven Dou Imperial City."

After all, when it came to controlling people, her own ability was naturally the strongest.

Innate Divine Ability: Heavenly Illusion.

It directly rewrote their consciousness and mental settings, inserting new memories and weaving dreams.

It was perfectly suited for controlling those filthy, troublemaking, and scheming nobles.

The seven clones responded in unison, their figures flashing instantly as they vanished outside the palace doors.

Yan Lingji then looked at the trembling nobles and court officials remaining in the hall.

"You—and the people from the Finance Department."

"Go, clear out the national treasury and the tax records from previous years. Audit every single entry of income and expenditure."

"I want to know where the Empire's money has been spent all these years."

The ministers in charge of finance turned deathly pale, their bodies rising involuntarily as they walked out of the hall.

The remaining nobles and officials in the hall watched as Yan Lingji issued order after order, their hearts sinking further and further.

This woman was not here to simply grab what she could and run.

She truly intended to take control of the entire Heaven Dou Empire and force it to undergo a complete transformation.

They knew that from this day forward, the Heaven Dou Empire had truly changed.

Yan Lingji leaned back against the imperial throne, her fingers tapping lightly on the armrest as her peach-blossom eyes swept over the trembling figures.

"Now..."

She smiled radiantly.

"It is time to settle your accounts."

"Speak. Who among you has committed acts that incite the wrath of heaven and men, engaged in evil, trafficked humans, or committed countless atrocities?"

"Speak for yourselves."

In the hall, The controlled nobles' faces twisted, their eyes filled with terror.

They knew that Yan Lingji was about to settle the score.

Their consciousnesses struggled frantically, wanting to control their bodies, wanting to shut their mouths, wanting to flee—

But their bodies simply would not listen to them.

Their mouths opened, beyond their control.

The voice of the first marquis squeezed out from his throat, laced with a sobbing tone.

"I... I am Zhao Shirong, Chief of Staff to Duke Xue Lingshan..."

"Over the past fifteen years, I have handled the transport of thirty-seven batches of 'materials' for the Duke..."

"Each batch ranged from fifty to one hundred people, all of them civilians abducted from border villages..."

"The elderly, the weak, women, and children... all sent to the alchemy furnaces of the Dark Blood Alliance..."

The hall erupted in an uproar.

The second count's mouth opened as well.

"I... in my own territory, twenty to thirty people 'disappeared' every month... all sold to the Black Cloud Chamber of Commerce..."

"To meet the quotas... I once ordered the complete clearing of all orphanages in my territory... three thousand five hundred children, the youngest only two years old..."

The third viscount.

"I... in my manor, there were dozens of maidservants... after I toyed with them, I threw them into the well..."

The fourth one.

"I... I helped Duke Xue Lingshan launder money... the ledgers for the Black Cloud Chamber of Commerce were done by me..."

One noble after another had their mouths forced open against their will.

One heinous crime after another was laid bare to the public.

Human trafficking.

Seizing civilian farmland.

Establishing private torture chambers.

Colluding with Evil Soul Masters.

Buying and selling official positions.

Embezzling from the national treasury.

Every single item was shocking to the core.

The nobles in the hall turned deathly pale, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

They knew—it would be their turn next.

Because they knew better than anyone else what they had done.

Sure enough, the mouths of those nobles who had yet to speak also began to open against their will.

"I... I participated as well..."

"I... I helped Xue Lingshan transport 'materials'..."

"I... I accepted bribes from the Black Cloud Chamber of Commerce..."

One after another, they confessed everything.

The few upright officials and common nobles in the hall watched this scene in disbelief.

They knew that few nobles regarded commoners as human beings.

But they never expected—that it would be evil to such an extent.

Only one person had eyes shimmering with light.

Wang Hai.

The minister who rose from commoner status through military merit.

He stood in the crowd, watching Yan Lingji issue order after order, watching those wicked nobles confess their crimes one by one, his heart growing increasingly stirred.

His eyes were bright.

This Empress—was truly acting for the good of the entire empire.

She was not here to vie for power, nor was she here to overthrow the dynasty and seize territory.

She was truly purging those parasites, truly ridding the people of pests.

From this day forward, the Heaven Dou Empire had a true ruler.

Yan Lingji swept a glance over the nobles who had finished confessing their crimes; there were dozens of them.

She slowly stood up, looking down from above.

"The crimes you have committed, according to the Heaven Dou laws..."

"No, according to the new laws."

"Those who traffic in human beings, beheaded."

"Those who collude with Evil Soul Masters, beheaded."

"Those who seize civilian farmland, establish private torture chambers, or embezzle from the national treasury, beheaded."

"For multiple crimes, the punishment is cumulative."

She paused.

"You shall face the ultimate penalty."

Those dozens of nobles trembled violently.

They wanted to beg for mercy, wanted to speak, wanted to kowtow.

But their mouths would not open.

Their heads would not bow.

Their bodies were completely disobedient.

They could only kneel there, watching helplessly as their doom descended.

"However..."

Yan Lingji's tone shifted, a bloodthirsty arc curling at the corners of her lips.

"Killing you directly would be letting you off too easily."

"My master said..."

As these words fell, the hall erupted in an uproar.

Master?

Everyone looked up, staring at Yan Lingji in disbelief.

A woman this powerful, who forcibly stormed the Imperial City and subdued them all, even forcing the Heaven Dou Emperor to kneel at her feet, actually had a master?

A greater sense of dread surged in everyone's hearts.

Who exactly was her master?

And what kind of terrifying existence must they be?

Yan Lingji paid no heed to their shock.

She raised a hand, her peach-blossom eyes filled with mockery.

"The Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty—we shall go through them one by one."

"Take your time."

Though the nobles did not know what the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty were, they felt instinctively that they would suffer greatly, and their faces turned deathly pale.

"Spare us! Your Majesty, please spare us! We will never dare to do it again!"

"I beg you, give us a quick death! No torture! Anything but that!"

"Your Majesty! I am willing to surrender all my family wealth! I only ask for death!"

"Your Majesty! I will give you whatever you want! Just please, don't let me suffer those tortures!"

The new book is now live; I humbly ask for your continued readership.

Future updates will be at midnight. I trouble you, dear readers, to use your prosperous fingers to click to the latest chapter, hit the "urge for more" button, and spare some free tickets.

I beg you to provide some data; letting a book sit in the library will truly kill it. The data for this book is currently very poor.

I am counting on you, dear readers.

[A water-logged giant salamander to hold down the fort!]