The corridor outside the hospital ward was bathed in pale, sterile light.
Tinia leaned against the wall like he had no bones, toying with a solid gold lighter. A flame shot up, illuminating his young, brash face.
The elevator doors opened.
A group of elderly men in high-ranking Imperial uniforms filed out. At the front was the Chief Cabinet Secretary, gripping a black wooden cane, his heels striking the ground with urgent, heavy steps.
"The young master of the Cloudsurge Group, this is Central Hospital, not a playground for merchants. Get out of the way." The Chief Secretary stopped three paces away, his tone hostile.
Tinia raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to straighten up. He tossed the lighter into the air and caught it smoothly.
"The Chief Secretary throws his weight around quite a bit," Tinia sneered, his blue eyes full of mockery. "Without my permission, not even a fly can get through this floor. Who do you think you are?"
"How dare you!" The Chief Secretary's beard trembled with rage as he thumped his cane hard on the ground.
The cabinet ministers behind him exchanged glances, their faces dark as iron. Imperial Inspection Corps soldiers rested their hands on the particle guns at their waists and stepped forward.
Tinia wasn't afraid at all. As a 3S-class male, if he released his pressure, everyone on this floor except for Chiron and Jiang Lijin would be on their knees.
Click. The metal isolation door of the ward slid open.
The chaotic noise in the corridor came to an abrupt halt.
Jiang Lijin walked out carrying the Third Prince. Rowan buried his face in the crook of her neck, his small hands gripping the lapels of her trench coat. Chiron trailed half a step behind her, the hem of his white lab coat swaying slightly with his steps.
Everyone's gaze snapped to this suddenly appearing young female.
"Jiang Lijin!" The Chief Secretary recognized her, startled, pointing a trembling finger. "You're suspected of treason, yet you dare to show up here! Seize her!"
Several Imperial Inspection Corps soldiers drew their particle guns. They had just taken a single step.
"Who dares," Chiron spoke.
His usual voice was warm and gentle, but this time it carried a bone-chilling coldness. The mental pressure of a 3S-class male was released without warning, compressing the air in the corridor. The soldiers' legs gave out. With a thud, they fell to their knees on the metal floor, unable even to hold their guns.
The Chief Secretary was also forced back two steps by the pressure. He barely managed to steady himself against the wall, his face pale.
Jiang Lijin supported Rowan's leg with one hand and walked step by step in front of the Chief Secretary.
"Treason?" She gave a light, leisurely laugh. "Chief Secretary, you can eat your words carelessly, but you can't speak them carelessly. I just went on a vacation to a deserted planet. How is that treason?"
"You colluded with the black market and the Federation..." the Chief Secretary struggled to grit out.
"The Federation?" Jiang Lijin interrupted him. "What a coincidence. I just had a call with the Commander-in-Chief of the First Federal Fleet. Commander Barr said if anyone in the Empire dares to falsely accuse me, he wouldn't mind aiming the main cannon at the Cabinet Building. Chief Secretary, should I patch a communication through right now and let you two confront each other?"
The corridor was dead silent.
The Chief Secretary's pale and purple face flushed into the color of pig liver. He couldn't squeeze out a single word for a long time.
Jiang Lijin didn't bother with him anymore. Her gaze swept over every cabinet minister present.
"His Majesty has already drawn up his will." She raised her voice, each word clear and distinct. "The Third Prince will succeed the throne. Until the Third Prince comes of age, I, as his guardian, shall assume the position of Regent Imperial Prince, acting with the Empire's highest decision-making authority."
As soon as she said this, a wave of noise rippled through the corridor.
"Absurd!" the Chief Secretary roared, spittle flying. "You, a female of unknown origin, what right do you have to interfere in Imperial affairs! This will must be fake!"
"Fake?" Jiang Lijin set the Third Prince down and took his small hand.
Chiron stepped forward at the right moment, raising his wrist. Light brain projected a holographic document stamped with the Imperial Jade Seal, densely covered with the Empire's highest encryption runes swirling in midair.
"This is the highest-level document personally signed by His Majesty," Chiron narrated calmly. "Anyone who questions the authenticity of this document is equivalent to committing treason."
The Chief Secretary stared at the holographic projection, breathing heavily. They had schemed for so long, expecting to seize control of the imperial power the moment the old Emperor died. But then Jiang Lijin had appeared out of nowhere.
Worse still, behind this woman stood the financial power of the Cloudsurge Group, the technology of Central Hospital and the Academy of Sciences, and even Federation fleet.
Jiang Lijin leisurely bent down and stroked Rowan's red hair. The little boy was well-behaved, neither crying nor making a fuss. He just tilted his androgynous, delicate little face up to look at her.
She straightened up and looked at those furious politicians, her tone calm enough to enrage people. "Now, you have two choices. Either kneel and swear allegiance to the new Emperor, or take your families and get out of the capital star."
She paused, then added a final sentence: "In one week, the new Emperor's coronation ceremony will be held. If you don't show up, you'll bear the consequences."
Tinia gave a loud whistle from the side and clapped his hands in approval. "Sister, that was awesome!"
The cabinet members exchanged glances, none daring to step forward. The Empire's political winds, from this moment on, had completely shifted.
Jiang Lijin took Rowan's hand, then turned to look at Chiron and Tinia.
"Let's go. Let's take the new Emperor home."
...
The hovercar departed smoothly from Central Hospital.
Inside the cabin, Rowan sat next to Jiang Lijin, holding a box of premium nutritional soft candies that Tinia had shoved into his hands. He didn't eat them, just hugged the candy box carefully and stole glances at Jiang Lijin from time to time.
Tinia sat across from them, his long legs crossed. His gaze swept over Rowan before landing back on Jiang Lijin's face.
"Sister, are you really planning to raise that brat?" Tinia pouted. "The imperial family's mess isn't easy to clean up. Those old geezers are definitely going to cause trouble behind the scenes."
"We'll handle it as it comes." Jiang Lijin leaned back against her seat and rubbed her temples.
Chiron was in the driver's seat, glancing at her through the rearview mirror.
"The Cabinet's military power is mainly concentrated in the Third Fleet and the Fifth Fleet. Barr's forces are mostly on the border; far water can't quench a nearby fire." Chiron analyzed calmly. "If they get desperate enough to break the rules, the Capital Defense Force will be a problem."
Jiang Lijin opened her eyes. "So we need to gain control of the Defense Force before the coronation ceremony."
Tinia raised his hand. "That's easy. The Defense Force commander is a gambling addict who owes a huge sum of money to the Cloudsurge Group's underground casino. I'll send someone to collect the debt tomorrow. If he doesn't cooperate, I'll cut off his hand."
Jiang Lijin glanced at him. This kid was usually clingy, but when it came to real business, his black-hearted merchant nature was fully exposed.
"Don't talk about that in front of the child," she scolded, giving him a look.
Rowan leaned closer to Jiang Lijin and called out softly, "Sister."
"What is it?" Jiang Lijin looked down.
"Will they kill me?" Rowan asked directly, completely unlike a six-year-old child.
Jiang Lijin stroked his red hair. The texture was nice, like the fur of a small animal.
“No,” she said, her tone softening unconsciously. “As long as I’m here, no one can touch you.”
Rowan nodded, unwrapped a soft candy, and stuffed it into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out.
The car drove into the villa district.
The gate opened, and Tianyan and Tianque were already standing in the yard, waiting.
Tianyan saw Jiang Lijin stepping out of the car holding a red-haired child, raised an eyebrow, and walked over.
“Boss, you go out for a bit and come back with a kid? That hair, those eyes—some imperial royal bloodline?” Tianyan bent down, scrutinizing Rowan up close.
Rowan wasn’t shy. He stared back at Tianyan with his golden eyes.
“This is Rowan, the new Emperor of the empire,” Jiang Lijin said, pulling Rowan behind her to block Tianyan’s roguish look. “He’ll be staying here from now on. You two are responsible for his safety. Whether you two can turn over a new leaf depends on him.”
Tianyan straightened up and rubbed his chin. “You want me, the head of the underworld, to play bodyguard for a little brat? That’ll cost extra.”
Tianque walked over, shot a cold glance at his brother, then turned to Jiang Lijin and said, “Alright.”
