Three days later.
In the Great Zhou Imperial City, inside the Taihe Hall.
Civil and military officials lined both sides of the grand hall, their expressions solemn and tense.
Outside, the sound of steady footsteps echoed.
Yang Cheng, dressed in the Crown Prince's python-embroidered robe, stepped calmly into the hall and stood before the Nine-Five Supreme's dragon throne. His gaze swept coldly across the assembled ministers.
It wasn't his first time attending court as the Crown Prince of Great Zhou—but this was the first time he presided over the imperial meeting himself.
Grand Secretariat Head Xu Yan and the other senior ministers wore grim faces.
Yang Cheng's sudden return had caught them completely off guard.
Still, there was no true panic among them.
They admitted Yang Cheng's strength was terrifying—capable of repelling external enemies—but governing an empire, they believed, required strategy, manipulation, and balance, not brute force.
In their minds, no matter how strong the royal family was, it could never maintain stability without the support of the great clans and noble families.
Yang Cheng took in all their expressions, the corner of his lips curving into a cold smirk.
These men still underestimated him far too much.
When one lacked strength, compromise was necessary. But when one's power was absolute—then so-called political scheming was nothing more than a joke.
"Where are the Blood Shadow Guards?"
Yang Cheng's low, commanding voice filled the hall.
"At your command, Your Highness!"
Zheng Guanbao strode in, leading dozens of Blood Shadow Guards. Each exuded a fierce aura and eyes sharp as blades.
"Arrest all those who colluded with the Ning clan and leaked the Empress's whereabouts!"
Before Yang Cheng's words even faded, Zheng Guanbao unfurled a scroll and shouted out names one by one:
"Minister of Personnel Zhang Qian! Deputy Minister of War Li Mo! General Zhao Kun of the Town-Guarding Army…"
As each name was called, the Blood Shadow Guards surged forward like a pack of wolves, seizing the accused ministers before they could react.
The captured officials staggered and cried out in panic, "Injustice! We are innocent! Your Highness, please investigate clearly!"
Xu Yan stepped forward, fury flashing in his eyes. "Your Highness, how can you act so recklessly? These men have served Great Zhou faithfully for years! Such actions will shake the very foundations of the realm!"
Several nobles from powerful clans echoed his words, their protests rising into chaos.
But Yang Cheng didn't even glance their way. His eyes remained icy as he watched Zheng Guanbao methodically drag each traitor from the hall.
In mere moments, nearly half the officials in the Taihe Hall were taken away. Silence fell, heavy and suffocating.
Among those arrested were several key figures from the Xu and Zhuang clans.
Xu Yan's face turned ashen. He pointed a trembling finger at Yang Cheng and roared, "Yang Cheng! Your actions are no different from those of a tyrant! Under your rule, Great Zhou will surely fall into ruin!"
Yang Cheng slowly turned, meeting Xu Yan's glare. His tone was calm, yet carried an unshakable authority.
"Xu Yan, the reason I haven't ordered your arrest isn't because you're innocent—it's because I want you to see with your own eyes that as long as I live, this world will never fall into chaos."
The news spread like wildfire across the realm, shaking the entire nation.
What Yang Cheng did that day made it clear—the royal family was officially declaring war on the great clans.
But the noble families of Great Zhou were no docile lambs waiting for slaughter.
They wouldn't sit and await their fate.
After all, this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened. Even the late emperor had once entertained similar thoughts.
Later, when the court session ended, Yang Cheng had planned to head to the Splendid Radiance Hall—but before he could, a palace maid blocked his path.
"Your Highness, the Empress Dowager requests your presence."
Deep within the imperial city…
Tranquil Longevity Palace.
Empress Dowager Meng sat upright on her phoenix chair, her expression dark enough to drip water.
The moment Yang Cheng stepped through the palace gates, the teacup in her hand slammed heavily onto the table, shattering the silence as tea splashed across the jade surface.
"Crown Prince," she snapped, her tone seething with restrained fury, "do you even realize what kind of disaster you've brought upon yourself?"
Her voice trembled with anger. "You've only just returned to the Imperial City, and already you're purging the court—executing officials and daring to touch the great clans like the Xu and Zhuang families! Have you gone mad?"
Yang Cheng stood in the center of the hall, his expression calm and steady. "Please calm your anger, Imperial Grandmother. Those men colluded with foreign enemies and plotted against my mother, the Empress. According to Great Zhou law, their entire clans should be executed by lingchi—slow dismemberment. I have merely acted according to the law."
"According to the law?"
Empress Dowager Meng abruptly stood up, her voice trembling. "Do you even know how your Imperial Grandfather died?"
Yang Cheng frowned slightly. "Imperial Grandfather died during the northern campaign against Northern Yan, struck by a poisoned arrow and succumbing to the venom."
"That's only what was told to the world!"
A cold laugh escaped the Empress Dowager's lips, her eyes flashing with grief and rage. "The truth is, your grandfather once had the same idea—to suppress the great clans. He secretly conspired with a few trusted ministers to weaken their power. But just a few days later, he 'accidentally' took a poisoned arrow."
She drew in a deep breath, her tone heavy with warning. "Those clans are deeply rooted across the empire. Their influence and the forces backing them are terrifying. Don't forget, the Yang family itself was once a noble house like theirs.
Your grandfather was a wise and decisive ruler, yet even he ended up dead because of it. And you—do you think you can wipe them out with your current means?"
Yang Cheng's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected there to be such a secret behind his grandfather's death.
But instead of shaking him, the revelation only made his resolve firmer. "If that's the case, then the menace of the great clans must be eradicated completely."
"You—!" Empress Dowager Meng was momentarily speechless, choked by his unyielding words. It took her a long while before she managed to speak again. "Do you think it's that simple? Those clans have ruled their regions for decades. Their disciples and allies fill every corner of the empire. By moving against them, you're stirring up a storm across the world. I guarantee it—within half a month, chaos will erupt!"
Yang Cheng raised his head and met her gaze. His tone was calm, but his words carried a weight that could not be questioned. "I believe chaos will come. But Imperial Grandmother, please believe me—so long as I live, this world will not fall."
Empress Dowager Meng looked into his eyes. The calm, the confidence—it silenced her anger, replacing it with something far more complex.
She had never seen Yang Cheng like this before—so steady, so unshakable, as if even the collapse of heaven and earth could not move him.
At last, she sighed and sank back into her phoenix chair. "Enough. Your mind is made up. Nothing I say will change it."
She lifted a fresh cup of tea, took a small sip, and said quietly, her voice softening ever so slightly, "Since you're so confident, then I'll wait and see. But remember what I've said today—do not let the people of Great Zhou suffer in war."
"I understand." Yang Cheng bowed deeply. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
The Empress Dowager waved her hand dismissively, watching him turn to go. Her gaze lingered on his back—calm yet complicated, like a storm beneath still waters.
As if to prove her fears right, chaos soon broke out.
Led by the Xu clan behind Grand Secretariat Head Xu Yan and the powerful Zhuang family of the Empress's kin, many great clans rose in rebellion. Under the banner of "cleansing the court for the emperor," they declared Yang Cheng tyrannical and lawless, claiming they would "restore the dynasty's virtue."
In an instant, flames of war erupted across the provinces of Great Zhou. Rebellion spread like wildfire, unstoppable and fierce.
Within the Zhuang clan's ancestral hall, Zhuang Gumo, the patriarch, sneered coldly. "That brat Yang Cheng—does he really think killing a few ministers will frighten the noble houses?"
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes gleaming with disdain. "He's still too young. He doesn't understand that the foundation of this world lies with us—the clans who've built it generation after generation."
One of his advisors chuckled. "It won't be long before he learns that the power of the throne has never relied on strength alone."
But they were destined to be disappointed.
Yang Cheng had already woven his net long ago.
With the Blood Shadow Guards as his eyes, the Dragon Spear Army as his blade, and the Divine Machinery Battalion as his shield—and supported by years of accumulated wealth and resources—he had forged in secret an elite force of unparalleled might.
This army was one of a kind—its intelligence, combat power, weaponry, and logistics stood at the pinnacle of the Great Zhou.
It was not merely an army. It was a machine of war. A steel flood ready to crush everything in its path.