Those factions did not dare confront Eva directly. The Empress's strength and influence were plain for all to see; everyone knew what it meant to face her head-on.
But they felt they could still try their hand at dealing with the Clear Sky Sect.
After all, although the Clear Sky Sect was powerful, it was ultimately only a sect, unlike Eva, who held the military and political power of the entire empire.
As long as they handled things properly, left no evidence in the open, and secretly threw a few obstacles in the Clear Sky Sect's path, it was not entirely impossible.
Thus, over the following period, the Clear Sky Sect's businesses across various regions began encountering a series of inexplicable problems.
Several shipments of ore purchased from the Northern Frontier were detained at local checkpoints for a full seven days on the grounds of "incomplete documentation." By the time they were released, they had already missed their scheduled delivery dates.
Two shops under the Clear Sky Sect's name had a few insignificant flaws picked out during routine inspections and were ordered to close for rectification.
One foreign affairs disciple responsible for external liaison had exchanged a few harsh words with several strangers at a local tavern, then was arrested on charges of "causing trouble" and thrown into the local yamen, only to be released two days later.
None of these moves were major. Taken individually, each looked like an ordinary administrative dispute or public security incident. But when they occurred so frequently within the same period, anyone paying attention could tell that something was amiss.
The Fifth Elder sat in the discussion hall of the Clear Sky Sect's headquarters, gripping a briefing that had just arrived. Looking at the few lines detailing the detained ore and inspected shops, his