Night fell, and the entire Heaven Dou Imperial City went under lockdown.
Yang Hai, commander of the Imperial Guard, led the generals controlled by Heavenly Illusion and replaced every gate's guard detail.
No one was allowed in or out. Anyone who dared approach the gates would be killed without mercy.
The people huddled in their homes, trembling.
They had no idea what was happening.
They only knew that at dusk, squads of Imperial Guards in black armor had surged into the streets,
the scrape of iron armor, the thud of boots, and the ring of drawn swords echoing through the city.
"What's going on?"
"Why is there suddenly a curfew?"
"What are they doing out there?"
The people peered through cracks in their windows and saw the Imperial Guards holding torches, sealing off street after street.
When someone tried to go out and find out what was happening, they had barely stuck their head out before being shouted down:
"Get back inside! Curfew tonight! No one is allowed out!"
A moment later, the clash of blades rang out in the distance.
"Clang, clang—"
"Ah—!"
Screams tore through the night.
Firelight flared in the eastern part of the city.
That was where the nobles' estates were clustered.
"They're raiding the estates... The Imperial Guards are heading for the nobles' quarter!"
An old man cried out under his breath. His family clapped a hand over his mouth and dragged him back inside.
All night, Heaven Dou City trembled.
In the east of the city, the Marquis's estate had its gates smashed open.
The Imperial Guards poured inside. Before the household guards could resist, an arrow pinned one of them to the wall.
The Marquis woke from his sleep and ran barefoot into the courtyard. Seeing it filled with torches, his face went deathly pale.
"You... What are you doing?"
"By the Empress's command, this estate is to be searched and seized." The Imperial Guard officer in the lead waved a hand, his expressionless face betraying nothing. "Take him."
The Marquis stared in bewilderment.
The Empress? What Empress?
Did the Heaven Dou Empire even have an empress?
But the guards quickly pinned him to the ground, shackled him, and dragged him out of the estate.
He saw flames rising from the Earl's estate next door, and heard cries coming from the Viscount's estate farther away.
In a single night, the estates of dozens of nobles were searched and seized.
Private soldiers who resisted were cut down on the spot.
Those who tried to flee had arrows shot through their thighs.
Those who cried and begged for mercy had their mouths gagged and were dragged away.
The stench of blood spread on the night wind.
The people of Heaven Dou City huddled in their homes, listening to the commotion outside and staying awake all night.
They had no idea what had happened to the Heaven Dou Empire, but they sensed that the city was about to undergo a drastic change.
The next morning.
Deep in the imperial palace, inside a hall.
Morning light filtered through the gauzy curtains and fell across the disheveled bed.
Na'er's body suddenly shuddered. She let out a scream, rolled her eyes, and sank into a deep sleep.
Her silver-white hair spread across the pillow. Her pink eyes were tightly shut, her lashes still trembling faintly.
Yan Lingji and Xiaomeng knelt before the bed, bent forward until their torsos were nearly parallel to the floor.
Their round, pert bottoms were raised high, covered in red cinnabar marks.
Each mark was a stamp of the Treasure of the Heaven Dou Emperor.
Beside them, a pitch-black tentacle coiled around the Heaven Dou Emperor's seal and swayed it gently.
His voice held a hint of lazy, imperial majesty.
"Red seals like blood, skin as smooth as jade—these are Our imperial treasures. Without Our express permission, none may use them."
He paused and stamped another mark on Xiaomeng's bottom.
"So decreed!"
Xiaomeng lowered her head and looked at the densely packed tally marks on her thigh, grinding her teeth.
"You bastard..."
"Does My beloved consort dislike it?"
"Shall I keep drawing the bow and nocking the arrow at your waist?"
Jiang Ce's voice sounded in her mind, carrying a hint of mischief and smugness.
Xiaomeng gritted her teeth.
That bastard had said she could lend him her body, but he was treating it like this.
"Master~"
Yan Lingji crawled over from the side, her nine snowy-white fox tails swaying gently behind her. Her peach-blossom eyes glistened, and her red lips parted, her voice so soft it could melt.
"Did I serve you well?"
She leaned toward Jiang Ce, alluring and charming, like a cat begging for a reward.
Jiang Ce's tentacle reached over and gently patted her head.
"Not bad."
Yan Lingji smiled with satisfaction, her fox tails swishing even more eagerly.
"Then will Master reward me with a few more stamps?"
"Greedy."
He said it, but his tentacle still curled around the seal and stamped another mark on her bottom.
Yan Lingji gave a soft "Mm~," her cheeks flushing pink.
Xiaomeng watched coldly, then turned her head away.
"Should I give you another stamp?" Jiang Ce asked.
"Get lost."
Jiang Ce laughed. His tentacle reached over and added another tally mark to her thigh.
Xiaomeng gritted her teeth, but the tips of her ears turned red.
The hall fell quiet for a moment. Then the three of them began to get dressed.
Black Venom surged over their bodies, quickly wrapping around their graceful forms.
It attached two more black tails to each of them.
A black-and-red dress took shape on Yan Lingji. Nine fox tails emerged from beneath its hem, and the fox ears atop her head twitched, her bewitching beauty unchanged.
A flowing ink-wash dress appeared on Xiaomeng, lending her an aloof, otherworldly air. The Qiuli Sword hung at her waist.
Na'er was still asleep, her body covered in a thin layer of Venom, her breathing even.
Yan Lingji glanced at Na'er and smiled. "The little girl wore herself out last night."
"Let her sleep," Jiang Ce said.
Xiaomeng finished adjusting her dress and walked toward the hall's exit with an expressionless face.
Yan Lingji followed behind her, her nine fox tails swaying gently, her steps light.
"Sister Xiaomeng, why are you walking so fast?"
Xiaomeng ignored her.
"You weren't like this last night~" Yan Lingji said with a teasing smile, leaning closer.
Xiaomeng stopped and glared at her over her shoulder.
"Shut up."
Yan Lingji only laughed harder.
The imperial palace's main hall.
The doors stood wide open, and morning light spilled inside, falling across the red carpet.
The hall was crowded with people on their knees.
Nobles, court officials, and imperial relatives filled the hall, their foreheads pressed to the floor as they trembled.
The Heaven Dou Emperor knelt at the very front, his old face flushed red and his whole body shaking.
He still wore his imperial dragon robe, but it was rumpled like a rag that had been twisted up.
Imperial Guards stood on either side, ranks of blades and spears gleaming coldly.
The center of the hall was piled with things—gold and silver vessels, jewels and jade, antiques and calligraphy, fine silks and brocades... They were heaped in row upon row, piled up like hills.
They had been seized from hidden places in the imperial palace the night before.
"Tap, tap, tap—"
The sound of heels striking stone came from beyond the hall doors.
Each step landed like a knock on everyone's heart.
Heads bowed even lower.
Two figures entered gracefully from behind a screen.
Yan Lingji walked in front, her black-and-red dress trailing over the carpet,
her nine snowy-white fox tails swaying gently behind her,
her fox ears twitching faintly, peach-blossom eyes slightly raised, the corners of her lips curled in a faint, teasing smile.
Xiaomeng followed behind her. Her ink-wash dress stirred without a breeze. The Qiuli Sword remained sheathed, yet its sword intent already enveloped the entire hall.
Yan Lingji climbed the steps, turned, and sat on the throne.
The golden throne gleamed coldly in the morning light. She leaned back, crossed one leg over the other, and lightly tapped the armrest with her fingers.
"Rise."
Her voice was not loud, yet it carried the unquestionable majesty of an empress.
The people who had been kneeling rose in fear, but none dared lift their heads.
Only the Heaven Dou Emperor remained on his knees.
His legs had already given out.
All night, he had been made to inventory the palace, search every hidden compartment, and record everything.
Even if he had wanted to hide anything or falsify the records, he could not have done so.
The will in his mind had forced him to reveal every last secret.
Yan Lingji glanced at the mountains of treasure piled in the center of the hall, then looked at the nobles trembling before her.
"Are all these things what the Emperor found in the palace?"
The hall fell utterly silent.
"I..." Yan Lingji paused, changing how she addressed herself. "I'm very curious."
"How much have you nobles stolen over the years?"
Before you continue