Related Cases (8)
Related Novels (4)
Related Chapters (3)
The Empress's Gambit
Words: 2978 · Source Novel:: Phantom Tally
In Luoyang, Wu Zetian reviews the files. She knows the truth but authorizes the purge anyway, using Xiao's case as a calculated message to the aristocracy. Justice is subordinate to the boardroom strategy of power.
The Empress's Shadow
Words: 3043 · Source Novel:: The Viper's Testament
Empress Wu Zetian, now aging, has been informed of the strange occurrences by her intelligence network. She dispatches her most trusted eunuch, Zhang Yi, to investigate. Zhang Yi, a pragmatist, secretly sympathizes with some of the fugitives but must obey. He tracks the group to a remote monastery. A tense dialogue ensues: Zhang Yi offers a pardon if they abandon the final two tasks. Li Xu refuses, claiming he must see the list to the end to know his father's heart. The eighth task glows: "return the jade key to the source." The source is the ancient Zhou dynasty altar where Wu Zetian claimed her mandate.
The Dossier
Words: 3084 · Source Novel:: The Viper's Testament
The dossier contains a bombshell: Prince Li Zhen had a secret son by a concubine, who was smuggled out before the purge. That son was raised as a commoner, and the will is not just a treasure hunt—it is a test to see if the heir, or anyone claiming to be, can destabilize Wu Zetian's regime. The fourth task appears: forge a letter from the Crown Prince to the Tufan empire, requesting military aid. This is high treason on a massive scale. Cui An and Pei argue: is completing the list worth destroying the fragile peace? The Mask Merchant sends them a mocking note via pigeon: she has Pei's elderly mother.