A receiving hall in the capital. Yan Jiu sits at a low table. Servants bring gifts — jade, silk, a ceremonial blade. His expression is politely attentive, his ledger open on the table.

Yan Jiu examines the gifts one by one, making notes in his ledger. Each gift represents a faction's bid for his loyalty.

A shadowed meeting place. A figure in silk — the buyer — confronts Yan Jiu. The atmosphere is tense, contractual.

The buyer presses Yan Jiu about the original contract. The tension escalates as the buyer demands completion.

Yan Jiu speaks to the buyer, agreeing to complete the contract. His face is unreadable.

Yan Jiu alone in his room, preparing. The poisoner's recipe — extracted from a corpse in chapter 3 — is spread before him.

Yan Jiu mixes the poison into the wine. The flask takes on a faint golden sheen, then returns to normal.

The banquet hall. A grand chamber with a long table. Yan Jiu enters, carrying the flagon.

The faction leaders watch Yan Jiu approach. The tension is palpable — these are rivals who would destroy each other given the chance.

Yan Jiu begins to pour. First cup — for the second prince's faction. The wine flows like liquid shadow.

Yan Jiu continues pouring. The cup for the buyer. The cup for the third prince's representative.

The flagon empties. Every cup has been poured. Every faction leader holds wine. Yan Jiu raises his own cup — filled with plain wine.

The toast. Every faction leader drinks. For a moment, the hall is united in ceremony.

The first signs. The general in armor clutches his chest. His face goes pale.

Chaos. The faction leaders begin to fall, one by one. The poison works with terrible efficiency.

The buyer. They have realized. They clutch the table edge, fighting the poison.

Yan Jiu responds to the buyer. The god inside him stirs.

The last of the faction leaders falls. Silence. Yan Jiu stands alone in a hall of corpses.

Yan Jiu walks among the dead. He pauses at the buyer's body.

Yan Jiu stands. The god's presence is strong. He is no longer mourning — he is claiming.

Guards enter the hall. They see the carnage. They see Yan Jiu standing untouched.

Yan Jiu addresses the guards. His voice is calm, measured, like a eulogy.

The guards accept his story. The regency is his. The empire will mourn — and he will lead the mourning.

Yan Jiu alone. The god inside him purrs. His shadow moves wrong. The chapter ends on this image of terrible power.