The night deepened.
But not a single lantern in the Shangshi Bureau was extinguished.
Qing Tian sat in the main hall, three ledgers spread open before her. Their covers were different colors—
Procurement.
Storage.
Distribution.
This was the new system she had established tonight.
Three parallel accounts.
Each cross-checking the other.
If even one entry failed to match—if even a single sheng of rice was missing—it would be traced back to a name.
Below the steps stood more than a dozen night-duty kitchen workers and young eunuchs.
No one dared speak.
The only sound in the room was the faint crackle of the lamp wick.
"I will say this once more."
Her voice was not loud.
But it landed in every ear like a stone dropped into still water.
"From tonight onward, the Shangshi Bureau recognizes neither 'old practice' nor 'personal favor.'"
"We recognize only the ledger."
Her gaze swept across their faces one by one.
"Some of you think this is troublesome."
"Some think it unnecessary."
"And some think—"
She paused lightly.
"—that I will not last more than a few days."
At those words, a few breaths faltered.
She noticed.
She did not expose them.
"But from this moment forward," she continued calmly, closing one ledger with deliberate care,
"every mouthful you eat is backed by someone's life."
"If anyone dares to reach into it—"
Her tone did not rise.
"I will cut off the hand that leads there."
The hall fell into absolute silence.
Chuntao stood at her side, a chill creeping down her spine.
For the first time, she understood—
Qing Tian was not merely gentle.
She simply kept her blade hidden.
"Dismissed. Follow the new rotation schedule."
They answered in unison and withdrew.
Only after the doors shut did Chuntao release a quiet breath.
"My Lady… isn't this too fast?"
Qing Tian resealed the three ledgers with cord, pressing the Shangshi seal onto each herself.
"It must be fast," she replied.
"They expect me to move slowly. That is the pace they know how to manipulate."
She lifted her gaze.
"I want them unsettled."
It was nearly the hour of the Ox.
The rear courtyard of the Shangshi Bureau was eerily quiet.
Lanterns drifted under the corridors as patrol eunuchs made their rounds.
Then—
A faint sound.
Not wind.
Wood being pried.
One patrol eunuch froze.
"Who's there?"
No answer.
He tightened his grip on the lantern pole and stepped forward—
A hand lunged from the darkness, clamping over his mouth.
The lantern crashed to the ground.
Flames rolled across the stone.
A shadow hissed in frustration.
"Idiot! Weren't you told to watch the timing?!"
The eunuch struggled, muffled cries trapped in his throat.
"H–help—"
A dull, heavy strike.
His body went limp.
Blood seeped into the cracks of the bluestone floor.
Almost simultaneously—
The doors to the main hall burst open.
"Director Qing!"
Chuntao's face was drained white.
"There's trouble!"
Qing Tian was already standing.
She did not ask what had happened.
Because she could smell it.
Blood.
The courtyard lights were relit.
The body was carried beneath the corridor.
It was the patrol eunuch.
A blunt wound to the back of his neck—not fatal.
What killed him was being shoved face-first into the drainage channel beside the grain store.
He had drowned.
Alive.
Chuntao turned away, eyes reddening.
"My Lady… they… they—"
"Killed the chicken to warn the monkey."
Qing Tian finished quietly.
Her voice was colder than the well water at midnight.
She stepped closer and crouched beside the corpse.
One hand was clenched tightly.
She pried the fingers open.
Inside—
A torn scrap of cloth.
Deep purple.
Finely embroidered.
Not from the Shangshi Bureau.
Not standard Ministry attire.
Qing Tian studied it for a long moment.
Then she stood and faced the guards who had arrived.
"Do not make this public."
The captain blinked. "Director Qing… this is a murder—"
"I know."
Her eyes did not leave the body.
"But this is not the moment to overturn the table."
She turned, her voice leaving no room for argument.
"The body goes to the Ministry of Justice."
"The Shangshi Bureau conducts its own internal review."
"From this moment forward, every grain store—"
She paused.
"One lock."
"Three keys."
"One with me."
"One with the Imperial Guard."
"And the last—"
Her gaze hardened.
"Placed before His Majesty."
The implication was unmistakable.
She was not retreating.
She was pushing this directly into the Emperor's sight.
Dawn approached.
Qing Tian stood alone beneath the corridor.
The wind tugged at her sleeves.
Chuntao stepped beside her.
"My Lady… are you afraid?"
Qing Tian did not answer immediately.
She watched the eastern sky begin to pale.
"Yes," she said at last.
"But I am more afraid that if I step back now, more will die."
Chuntao bit her lip.
"Will they come again?"
Qing Tian smiled faintly.
There was no warmth in it.
"They will."
"And soon."
She turned.
Her eyes were steady—already several moves ahead.
"But they have forgotten one thing."
"The first drop of blood has already been spilled."
She looked toward the brightening horizon.
"From here on, they no longer control the tempo."