A Few Days Later…
The people of Ironmist went to a mourning period for the people that they lost due to the sacrifices of many.
All the refugees attended the funeral of Hong Tao with many crying and making vow to protect what he had.
However, that didn’t stop the enemies from resting just because one problem was solved.
It seems like Minister Duan and his allies were going to make sure that Princess Feilian gets kicked out of her Princess position.
They failed their assassination, so their hope was for those people dissatisfied with Princess Feilian to rise up and then they would show to abdicate the position.
But with the recent performance of hers, the voice of complaints has almost died.
She was the reason why they had guns from bai Zihan, she showed up when the demonic beast invaded and managed to protect the city.
Their previous attempt at smearing her name couldn’t work this time and those who were trying to spread bad rumors got beaten up instead.
Princess Feilian also was busy with reconstruction of the city.
The Inner City, the heart of it all, buzzed with new purpose. Soldiers were now laborers.
Refugees had become bricklayers, carpenters, and haulers.
Princess Feilian had personally arranged for the food stores to be rationed properly, and for tools and supplies to be distributed based on urgency—starting with the broken square and the collapsed west gate.
There was also an effort to reclaim the lost Middle and Outer City, now that most of the Demonic Beasts have been taken care of.
It was a graveyard of twisted corpses, wrecked homes, and shattered memories for refugees.
And yet, they still went back.
Under Princess Feilian’s command, a scouting team cleared the perimeter.
Dozens of stray Demonic Beasts still roamed the ruined streets—leftovers who hadn’t joined the main horde and were still wrecking havoc.
But against soldiers armed with guns?
They didn’t stand a chance.
The moment one reared its head, bang! A burst of thunder echoed through the street, and it dropped like a sack of meat.
Surprisingly, there were still people who had managed to stay alive and were glad to be rescued.
It seems like the Ironmist has finally moved forward towards the future.
And Bai Zihan?
He was wondering just when he can pass this Trial?
He managed to stop the Demonic Beast invasion and saved the City, so he thought that he should have finished the Trial by now.
But he was still stuck here.
Then there was only one more thing to do and that was to kill the enemies of Princess Feilian.
Perhaps unless all of her enemies weren’t killed, Ironmist City was still in danger of being destroyed.
Anyways, it wasn’t too difficult to achieve and perhaps he didn’t even need to lift a single finger.
***
“Unhand me, you peasant!”
Minister Duan yelled.
“Do you know who I am? How dare you treat me like this? I will have you and your family killed off!”
He threatened.
But the soldiers who had handcuffed him and caught him didn’t think much about this.
This was the same for others who had also handcuffed and brought other powerful people like those wealthy merchants, elders and the other ministers.
They all yelled and threatened but all the soldiers were already prepared for this.
They just did their duties and kept them in their place waiting for someone.
Princess Feilian entered followed by Bai Zihan.
She slowly walked towards her throne and then looked at all the people who previously used to hold the real power of Ironmist.
They all looked at her hatefully and even dared to threaten.
“YOU! Are you prepared to face consequences for what you are doing?”
Minister Duan barked.
Princess Feilian didn’t mind his words and continued with what she wanted to do.
“Do you know your crimes?”
Princess Feilian asked coldly.
Minister Duan scoffed, chest puffed up despite the manacles biting into his wrists.
“Hah! What crime? Are you truly this desperate girl? You think you can accuse me—us—without proof and get away with it? You overstep.”
The other detained ministers and merchants nodded along, glaring at her as if they were the ones wronged.
“Is this how you treat those who built this city while you were still suckling on gold spoons?”
Spat one of the elders.
“You can’t do this without evidence!”
Another shouted.
“Wrong,” Princess Feilian said calmly, her voice cutting through the chamber like a cold blade. “I already have.”
She has sent soldiers to capture every person that is associated with Minister Duan.
With the guns that they had, those people’s bodyguards or army for themselves were not a match for them.
They had easily managed to capture every one of them and bring them in handcuffs.
Princess Feilian motioned.
The doors to the throne hall swung open again with a loud creaaaak.
Two soldiers entered, dragging something between them.
A corpse!
Minister Duan paled the moment he saw the twisted remnants of the man’s uniform—his personal bodyguard, the same man who was tasked with killing Princess Feilian.
“The assassin who tried to kill me,” Feilian said, stepping down the stairs one by one, her gaze never leaving Duan’s face.
“Aren’t he your guard, Minister Duan?”
Princess Feilian asked, her voice cold.
“I-It proves nothing,” he snapped.
“So what if he had worked as my guard? He must have his personal reason. You’re making a grave mistake, Feilian. I’ve served this city longer than you’ve been in politics—”
“Yes,” Feilian interrupted, voice sharpening, “you’ve served it well. By hoarding food during a famine. By letting merchants bribe your guards at the gates. By trying to sell weapons to outside forces. And now—by trying to kill me in the middle of a war.”
“LIES!”
“You can’t just execute nobles on a whim!”
“This is treason!”
They all started shouting over each other, voices echoing in the great hall like a pack of cornered rats.
“I didn’t want it to end this way,” she said softly, almost mournful.
“But it’s clear now… this city will never be safe as long as people like you sit in high places.”
Then she turned to them.
“However, If any of you can prove your innocence or state your crime, you might be spared of facing the same fate as him. Otherwise, you will be considered in cahoot with him.”
This made many of them think.
Many of them weren’t friends of Minister Duan, Rather most of them were siding with Minister Duan because it was benefiting them.
If it was no longer the case, they wouldn’t hesitate to betray him at all.
Moreover, with the real power being once again held by Princess Feilian with support of soldiers and Bai Zihan who is said to be Cultivator, they didn’t dare to think that they could do anything to Princess Feilian.
If they were to also be the one to try to kill Princess Feilian, their sentence could only be death.
It didn’t take long.
“I—I have letters!”
Cried One of the MerchantS, stumbling forward.
“Letters from Minister Duan’s aides asking me to fund certain… covert actions! I didn’t know it was treason, I swear! I thought it was just smuggling!”
Another followed suit.
“I can confirm that! I was approached by his clerk to arrange a secret meeting with a group of mercenaries three weeks ago. They said it was for protection during the chaos, but I knew something felt wrong!”
Suddenly, they were all scrambling.
“I saw him meet with that same bodyguard the day before the assassination attempt—behind the food granary!”
“He forged signatures of other ministers to approve illegal troop withdrawals from the West Gate!”
“He delayed forces from our places during the invasion citing various reasons. Now that I think about it, it must have been plotting the assassination. I was too stupid to see that.
Piece by piece, the crimes unfolded.
“You all–!”
Minister Duan angrily glared at the people who betrayed him.
They didn’t care much. Now, with Duan’s head already rolling, there was no incentive to protect the dead.
Princess Feilian stood silent as the confessions piled up, her expression unreadable. Her guards began jotting down names, incidents, dates.
Then, finally, she raised her hand.
“That’s enough!”
She turned to Bai Zihan, who had been leaning lazily against a column this whole time, arms crossed, watching the elders and merchants betray each other with quiet amusement.
“Thoughts?”
She asked him.
Bai Zihan smirked, then looked toward the weasels still kneeling on the floor.
“Typical rats. First sign of a sinking ship and everyone’s a whistleblower.”
He stepped forward.
“I say you strip their titles, seize their estates, and let them live out their days rebuilding the ruins with their own hands. Let them serve the people they used to step on.”
They all looked horrified.
Princess Feilian tilted her head, considering.
Then she nodded.
“Those who confessed and provided valid evidence will be spared the blade,” she declared. “But from this day forward, you are just a prisoner of Ironmist. ”
“For the crime of high treason, conspiracy to assassinate a royal, and endangering the lives of Ironmist’s people during wartime…”
She looked back at Duan and the rest, face blank and unyielding.
“You are hereby sentenced to death.”
“Y-You wouldn’t!”
“And you too, Minister Ren. You are also equally involved and sentenced to death.”
Princess Feilian said to Minister Ren who has been eerily quiet for some time.
But instead of being scared or denying like Minister Duan, he smiled and laughed.
“Hahaha… Pitiful girl, do you think that you can take this old man’s life? You must be quite delusional!”