Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence - Chapter 466 - 294: The Imperial Capital Trembles
Chapter 466: Chapter 294: The Imperial Capital Trembles
At the Blue Jade Pavilion at the end of the noble district, Eleanor Calvin leaned back on the soft chair behind the sandalwood screen, gently swirling the wine glass in her hand.
The amber Imperial pear wine reflected shimmering waves in the crystal glass, illuminating indifferent brows and eyes.
She was listening to someone quietly discuss the Northern Territory.
“Is it true that the young Lord from the Calvin Clan has gone to the Burial Gorge?”
“Did he personally lead the troops, or did he send the Knight Order? Can he really turn the tide in such a battle?”
“Ha, who knows? News from the Northern Territory always arrives as slow and unreliable as a frozen river.”
She didn’t speak, only slightly curled her lips to reveal a faint, elusive smile.
That was her nephew, the Duke’s least noticed eighth son, exiled to the Northern Territory, where he forcibly carved out a piece of land, and now seemingly scored another great achievement.
Even recently, he became a frequent topic in the Imperial Capital’s noble circles.
This Louis Calvin, truly a… troublesome yet interesting presence.
Eleanor lowered her gaze, looking at the unsealed letter on the desk.
She had half-written it, planning to send it to the Northern Territory immediately after the battle, to remind her brother Duke Calvin.
It’s time to leverage that “heroic” son for another contribution to the family, even if only to share some military glory in the Noble Council.
Just then, a series of hurried and unsettling footsteps broke her contemplation.
“Madam… A message from the Ministry of Military Affairs… His Majesty has been missing for five days since leaving the Imperial Capital.”
A buzzing filled Eleanor’s mind: “…What?”
“Moreover, the three legions accompanying His Majesty have also vanished into thin air.”
She stood up, though her movements were slow: “Is it an official announcement?”
“No… It leaked from the Ministry of Military Affairs, and the whole Imperial Capital knows.”
Eleanor slowly inhaled.
The battlefield, the family, her nephew’s military exploits, the Northern Territory’s fate, the next round of Dragon Throne Council seats, the fiscal reform act soon to be announced by the Empire…
All of this, seemed scattered by a whirlwind at this moment.
The Emperor has disappeared.
An existence that has held the reins at the pinnacle of the Empire for decades is missing.
Even worse, it wasn’t just him who left, but he also took away his three sharpest spears.
The First Legion is the Imperial Capital’s local garrison, the Imperial City’s direct troops, permanently stationed outside the Forbidden City’s outer circle, the fastest-reacting elite legion within the Empire.
Its commander and deputy commander are both royal direct lineage, guarding the last barrier of the Imperial Capital.
And the Imperial Guard, the Emperor’s personal guard unit, though small in size, has the most Extraordinary Knights.
It’s the legendary “blade of the king” that “a thousand can defeat ten thousand.”
And the soul of the Empire—the Dragon Blood Legion, with extremely stringent selection standards, only sons of the Eight Great Clans in the Imperial Capital qualify, others require “three generations of military merit” lineage.
It is not only a symbol of strength but also a political hostage, used by the Emperor to bind the hearts of all nobles.
They have all vanished.
It wasn’t one or two knights, not scouts, but the Emperor and his governing colleagues disappearing in thin air.
In mere hours, the core of the Empire seemed to have its spine withdrawn.
The major ministers closed doors in silence, the only things visible were knights constantly leaving the city and more Gale Birds dispatching.
And in the noble mansion district of the Imperial Capital, candles never ceased throughout the night.
Eleanor Calvin, draped in a black satin robe, stood under the eave of the Blue Jade Pavilion, gazing at the rare moonless night in the Imperial Capital, coldness spreading down her spine.
She could no longer carry out the initial plans of today.
After all, no matter how fierce the battle in the Northern Territory, it pales in comparison to the fear of His Majesty and the three legions simultaneously going missing.
Eleanor ordered to prepare a carriage, urgently returning to the Kite Tower estate located in the seventh council district, the Calvin Clan’s most central intelligence hub in the Imperial Capital.
……
The night rain in the Imperial Capital fell like curtains.
Eleanor stood before the candle-stained message desk, inhaling deeply, suppressing the meticulous agitation while writing the letter.
She had organized all the intelligence, the secret letter contained no redundant words, only a brief three pages, converging the most crucial truths of the current Imperial Capital.
“His Majesty’s disappearance isn’t just turmoil. It’s a precursor to the collapse of the Empire’s core.”
She narrowed her eyes slightly, recalling the past three days, her subordinates spread one pile of secret messages after another on the desk.
No fancy means, only the most traditional ears and eyes.
All from spies, insiders, and servants in noble mansions and official offices across the Imperial Capital.
The superficial opulence of the court and council hall, in reality, was like a frozen lake in deep winter, calm yet could crumble entirely with one stone.
Just like her judgment in the letter to her brother Duke Calvin:
The Emperor’s disappearance this time is unlikely to be “foreign invaders,” but some sort of forbidden magic.
And the collective disappearance of the three legions symbolizes the Emperor’s remaining “iron fist” losing power, the entire upper echelon of the Imperial Capital lost its final fear bond.
In other words, no one can control anyone now.
If a regent candidate isn’t established soon, the Empire will inevitably plunge into fissure.
With the summary of Calvin Clan’s intelligence network, the Empire’s upper nobility already shows clear “four faction divisions”:
The apprehensive faction, like the Navin Clan, has begun secretly transferring assets to the Jade Federation, and transporting direct family through sea routes.
The conservative faction, the council’s new noble group, appeals “The Imperial Power isn’t vacant, wait for the Sacred Judgement,” essentially stalling for time, avoiding igniting conflicts.
