Before long, Li Yuan slipped into a hidden clearing and fetched one of his whitewood caskets, a little box carved from pale timber.0

Liu Tie’s severed hair went in; the interrogation began.0

There was plenty of hair, and Liu Tie was no great powerhouse, so Li Yuan questioned him for a long while before the strands inside were almost reduced to ash.0

Sunlight broke through the canopy, sprinkling coin‑sized dapples across the forest floor. Chin in hand, the youth lounged against an old tree and stared at the dwindling coffer. Cause and consequence were now clear.0

So, the Emperor, determined to leave nothing to chance, means to marry into Ocean Province’s governorship. Ocean Province guards the main gate to the Jade Capital, and its military strength is monstrous. Any governor who can keep three sects of...0