Chapter 92

This official roster had been protected very well by Gao Qiong. The bamboo slips around it were worn smooth from being handled so often, clearly showing how much he had studied them before.

But of course, he didn't do it to select officials for Elara's territory. Instead, he treated each government position like a product, waiting to sell it at a high price to rich people who wanted power.

The roster Elara held in her hand now had each post clearly marked with its price in small handwriting by Gao Qiong.

She couldn't help but laugh as she read it. Then she picked up a brush and drew a line through the names behind each of those positions, meaning those corrupt officials had either already been dealt with or were about to be removed.

However, the officials in this area were so rotten that she ended up crossing out over half the names on the roster. This meant about ninety percent of all official positions in her territory were now vacant.

Elara's region wasn't huge, but it definitely wasn't small either.

Losing ninety percent of the officials at once meant she urgently needed to fill the spots. But she had only just arrived today, so there was no way she could find so many suitable people right away.

After thinking for a moment, she turned and said to a servant nearby, "Go call Scholar Fu for me."

To keep the promise made to Emory, she had brought Scholar Fu with her on this trip, since he had helped her plan the route.

She had chosen him because he was the last top scorer in the Plumera Kingdom's history, someone with talents equal to Mathias.

Now that she had executed most of the local officials, she was in desperate need of capable people to replace them. She certainly wouldn't overlook Scholar Fu.

She had brought him from the capital exactly for this reason.

As the second strongest candidate for her secret force, Elara planned to let Scholar Fu try the position of regional governor for a few months first.

Something big happened in Marigold City today.

Early this morning, a massive force of over a hundred thousand soldiers and horses suddenly entered the city. This unknown and powerful group marched straight into the governor's mansion. After taking over the entire place, the troops sealed off the city so tightly that not even a mosquito could fly out.

The people in the city were frightened by this sudden display. Although General Qi's army was well-known, Marigold City was in the far southern part of Plumera Kingdom. Its neighboring countries, Xuhua and Fanxi, were peaceful third-rate states. There hadn't been any war for nearly a hundred years except for some internal refugee issues, so the people of Marigold City had never seen General Qi's army before and didn't recognize them.

In the east and north of the city, those who could recognize the army or Elara's carriage hadn't even had time to react before they were struck down. She acted without hesitation, immediately executing a group of Marigold City's officials and wealthy merchants, leaving those watching stunned.

They saw the heads hanging high in the city center and thought about running away. But General Qi's army had already locked down all the exits of the city. No one was allowed to leave through the gates.

So whether they knew the reason or not, everyone in the city had no choice but to suppress their fear and spent most of the day in a state of anxiety.

By the afternoon, Elara sent out death notices and had her people publicly announce the reasons for punishing the officials and rich merchants in every district. Only then did the people begin to understand the situation, and their panic slightly calmed.

But it was only slight. These people had suffered under abuse for too long. Even though those who had bullied them were finally punished, they couldn't feel true joy. Their fear and suppressed nature had already taken deep root.

After all, one corrupt official was gone. Who could say the next one would be better?

A long time ago, they might have had hope. But after years of chaos in Plumera Kingdom and the constant abuse from greedy officials, they had given up completely.

They had already learned not to rely on the government.

After one greedy official, there would always be more. If they dared to hope, all they would get in return was more suffering and pain.

So even though the whole city was shaken by the heads displayed in the center, not one citizen dared show any emotion.

They remained alert, hiding, staying tucked away in every dark corner they could find, bracing for whatever disaster might come next.

But not everyone failed to understand what those dozens of heads meant.

Those who sat calmly in the city's secret spots, who had wider views and better information, had already noticed that something was unusual about this sudden bloodshed.

In a pleasure house on the main eastern street, two young men had been watching the whole day. They too had sensed that something was off about this violent event.

The one in blue frowned slightly. With his strong inner power, he could clearly see the heads hanging from the city's tallest building. He also heard every word of the criminal charges announced on the east street.

"This situation is not what I expected. The Crown Princess of Plumera Kingdom is said to be a madwoman who abuses men. Any good-looking man who crosses her path is taken into her mansion and tortured to death. People say she's so cruel that even children stop crying when they hear her name. So how come, the moment she arrives in Marigold City, she suddenly changes? She swiftly executed the corrupt officials and even published detailed charges, siding with the people. It's as if she's trying to comfort the citizens in a very proper way. But this method… are we sure the person protected by General Qi's army today really was the Crown Princess of Plumera Kingdom?"

The man in white was also looking out the window. After a moment, he said softly, "It's definitely strange. But people can change."

The man in blue raised his brows and looked back at the one in white.

"Leif, we can leave aside whether she's truly changed. But haven't you heard about how she treated men before? In your past life, if a man met such a woman, his life would become a living nightmare. And yet, from your words, if she were a woman from your place, you seem like you could quickly forgive her? Even though she used to be a nightmare to all men?"

Leif lowered his eyes. His pale fingers gently rubbed the edge of the teacup. His dim gaze held a deep sorrow that made the flower pattern on his forehead seem to fade a little.

"It's exactly because of that nightmare that we wish the ones who caused the pain would change, even if just a little. Even a small change is enough to decide life or death for the men who live their whole lives for a woman."

The man in blue watched Leif's lowered gaze and pressed his lips together without saying more.

He didn't want to stir up painful memories for his friend. After a moment of silence, he picked up his teacup again and turned back to look out the window.

"Whether it's a world of male power or female power, if we want to live well, we have to rely on ourselves. Still, if this Crown Princess really has changed for the sake of Marigold City's people, I hope what you said is true."