"So... what do we do now?" the little princess's voice trembled. The bloody scene they had just witnessed kept flashing before her eyes, shaking her to the core, leaving her feet feeling unsteady even now.

Just moments ago, he had suddenly acted—not only murdering the groom who was about to become a Prince of the Gaan Empire, but also, with lightning speed, wiping out every single member of the three great families present.

With Zhong Yun having just ascended to the strength of a Seventh-Level Grandmaster, no one could evade his attack during a full-power sneak assault. Before those present could even react, a swath of bodies had already fallen.

They were all stunned by the sudden turn of events, and when they finally saw clearly who had been slain, their terror was absolute: every single one of the dead belonged to the three great families.

Before they could gather their wits, Zhong Yun was already standing on the high platform, pulling the little princess to his side. He recited the five great sins of the three families, and finally, in the little princess’s name, he proclaimed the imperial decree to execute the traitors.

Most of the crowd below hadn't processed what happened and were momentarily speechless.

Zhong Yun's face was set with righteousness, yet his eyes held a dark, ill intent. Seeing that no one spoke for a long time, the killing intent emanating from him felt almost tangible, pressing down on the crowd until they could barely breathe.

Recalling the ruthless methods he had just used to kill so many, a chill went through everyone. The quickest-witted immediately knelt down, "We respectfully obey the imperial command." With one setting the example, the others followed suit.

"Good." Zhong Yun’s expression softened slightly. "Now, you are commanded to swiftly eliminate the three families—Qiu, Fan, and Wei—who dared to rebel. Let none of them escape. Go now."

In that faint tone lay an endless tide of murderous intent.

The people present felt as if a great amnesty had been granted. They scattered like birds and beasts fleeing danger. In the blink of an eye, the place was empty.

"To the Imperial Palace," Zhong Yun commanded, taking the little princess’s hand and soaring into the sky.

The three great families had wielded immense power, second only to the Imperial Clan. After the Imperial Clan members all died under mysterious circumstances, the three families had effectively ruled the Gaan Empire.

In the period preceding this, those loyal to the throne had been systematically purged and replaced by their own people.

The Qiu family, having long served as the deputy head of the Ministry of War, immediately assumed the top position after the death of the imperial head, thus seizing the greatest authority. This was the primary reason the Qiu family could dominate the other two families and secure the Empress.

During the preceding purges, it was inevitable that members of other clans would be implicated. Coupled with the usual oppression, this amounted to fresh grudges piled upon old ones.

Now that the heads of the three great families were nearly all dead, those with ambition immediately saw their opportunity. This was a rare, once-in-a-lifetime chance; if they could just eliminate the three families, they could naturally rise to power.

When a wall is falling, everyone pushes; it would be an insult to oneself not to kick a few times now. In this book, the three great families had nearly covered the sky with one hand after the Imperial Clan’s demise, but overnight, they were uprooted completely. The group that contributed the most to this effort was the Royal Fleet.

The Gaan Imperial Clan had managed the empire for thousands of years; the three families could not compare. If they had managed to keep controlling the Empress long-term, they might have succeeded in usurpation. But now, their foundation was far from sufficient.

The Ten Great Royal Fleets, as the most stable force protecting the throne, were absolutely loyal to the Royal Clan. Although nearly half of the fleet commanders had been killed and replaced by the three families’ men, the grassroots forces remained absolutely loyal to the throne.

Upon entering the Imperial Palace, the little princess issued a nationwide decree, causing the Ten Great Royal Fleets to simultaneously switch allegiance and apprehend the commanders sent by the three families. Following this, the rest of the military forces also began to move.

As those in power, they naturally understood the paramount importance of control: the greatest maxim is that the warship is supreme. Therefore, the control a nation exerts over its military is always extremely stringent. As long as the military is controlled, anything can be settled.

All warships possessed numerous backdoors, the passwords to which were held by the supreme ruler. Should a military commander attempt treason or self-proclamation, the command authority of the warship could be seized directly.

This was the foundation of their rule, and the Gaan Empire was no exception.

As the last remaining member of the Imperial Clan, the little princess easily accessed the empire's nerve center, formally inheriting the nation’s supreme authority. Simultaneously, she activated the backdoors for all military fleets and announced the decree dismissing all officials from the three great families, promoting the next in line for each highest military post.

Through swift, decisive action, all personnel associated with the three families were purged from the military.

Subsequently, the little princess, in her capacity as Empress, issued her first supreme decree to the entire nation, branding the three great families as traitors.

Thus, overnight, the three great families were utterly eradicated. All their assets, save for a portion reclaimed by the Royal Clan, were divided among various other families, large and small.

With the overall situation stabilized, the next task was to consolidate the order and fill the political vacuum left by the demise of the three families.

Politics is the wisdom of balance. Although the Royalist faction had contributed the most to the action against the three families, Zhong Yun had no intention of allowing them sole control of power.

For every Royalist figure he promoted, he appointed a non-Royalist figure to balance them.

This was why the three great families had existed in the Gaan Empire previously: the last emperor, feeling that the Imperial Clan’s power was becoming unmanageable and a stumbling block to national development, had fostered the three families to balance the throne. Although this nearly led to usurpation by the three families, it was an unforeseen accident, not a failure of strategy.

Now, with only the little princess remaining of the Imperial Clan, she was isolated and alone. Though the Royalists supported her now, if they amassed too much power, there was no guarantee they wouldn't evolve into a force more terrifying than the three families in the future.

Therefore, Zhong Yun was certain that she would dare to strike this bargain with him without fearing his eventual betrayal. She was just one person; ruling this vast nation was impossible without relying on others—either the other families who had defected, or him.

Zhong Yun would ensure she had no other choice.

One month after the fall of the three great families, Her Majesty the Empress held another wedding. The groom of this ceremony was Zhong Yun, who had rendered the greatest service in quelling the rebellion and was ennobled as the Grand Duke of the Galaxy.

After the wedding, the Grand Duke of the Galaxy was elevated once more, becoming the Prince of the Galaxy, responsible for military affairs and commanding the entire armed force.

Any politically astute person could grasp the level of power this Prince of the Galaxy would wield in the Gaan Empire in the days to come.

Instantly, those who had pledged allegiance to him nearly battered down the doors of the Prince’s Mansion.

Zhong Yun had never been particularly interested in political administration. For the time being, he promoted a neutral figure from the existing talent pool to serve as Prime Minister, responsible for the day-to-day affairs of the government.

"I am entrusting you with all the power of the Gaan Empire, but you must agree to three conditions," the little princess said, her expression grave and her tone resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

Zhong Yun’s gaze shifted from the bright moon outside the window. He looked at the unyielding little princess staring back at him, knowing the crucial part of the play had arrived.

"First, you must not, in any form, directly or indirectly, endanger my personal safety."

"I agree," Zhong Yun replied without hesitation.

"Second, you must never strip me of my title as Empress, except upon my death."

"I agree."

"Third, the throne of the Gaan Empire must pass to the child I bear," the little princess bit her lip, watching Zhong Yun anxiously.

Zhong Yun raised an eyebrow. "I agree."

The little princess visibly relaxed. This was her bottom line. If Zhong Yun had dared not agree to these three conditions, she would rather die than hand the Gaan Empire over to an outsider. This was the only way to ensure the continuation of the Gaan Imperial lineage.

"However, you must also agree to two conditions of mine," Zhong Yun stared at her.

"Tell me," the little princess's heart tensed again.

"First, since you are my wife, you are my woman. If you are my woman for one day, you are my woman for life," Zhong Yun stated with proud assurance.

"I promise you, I will never have relations with any other man," the little princess breathed a sigh of relief; this condition was not difficult to meet.

Seeing her assent, Zhong Yun slowly voiced his second condition, "Second, you must not, in any form, directly or indirectly, harm my parents, wife, sons, or any of my relatives."

"I agree."

After speaking, a wry smile touched the little princess's lips. This was their wedding night, yet there was no sweet talk, no tender intimacy, only cold, naked exchanges of interest and conditions.

She only cursed the fate of being born into the Imperial Family.

In that instant, the little princess sighed this lament in her heart.

Just as Zhong Yun was enjoying his triumph, controlling a Second Stage Advanced Civilization nation, bad news arrived.

The Moxi Empire and the Yitan Federation launched a joint attack against the Gaan Empire; the front lines were in dire straits.

Both the Moxi Empire and the Yitan Federation were First Stage Advanced Civilizations. Although they were a full tier weaker than the Gaan Empire, the Gaan Empire had just emerged from massive internal chaos and was at its weakest point.

Especially the military; having cycled through two sets of commanders meant that despite the Gaan Empire’s talent reserves, while they weren't entirely devoid of competent commanders, their combat effectiveness was undoubtedly greatly diminished.

It could only be said that the Moxi Empire and the Yitan Federation had chosen their timing perfectly.

Zhong Yun truly did not want this war. The internal situation in the Gaan Empire was unstable, and morale wavering. If the war effort faltered, it was impossible to predict what chaos might erupt. The hard-won favorable situation risked dissolving into nothingness.

But not fighting was impossible. Not only was the Moxi Empire the little princess's bitter enemy, desiring nothing less than to raze this nation, but his passive resistance would also severely damage military morale.

Ultimately, Zhong Yun made a decision. He appointed the commander of the First Royal Fleet as the Supreme Marshal and dispatched the First, Second, and Third Royal Fleets, coordinating with the fleet from the Northwest War Zone, and drawing two more fleets from the remaining fifteen war zones to meet the enemy.

Zhong Yun himself would remain in the central region, stabilizing the rear to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos to act rashly, thus rendering all his efforts void.

Whether he would flee the Gaan Empire in disgrace or rise to dominate the Omi Star System depended entirely on this battle.

Victory meant soaring to the heavens; defeat meant starting all over again.

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