In another wing of the sprawling palace, tension thickened the air like fog on a winter morning. The Empress Dowager sat regally at the head of an ornate table. To her right was the Commissioner, a man whose loyalty to her was as constant as the North Star. Facing them were several high-ranking officials, their faces flushed, their eyes ablaze with an emotion bordering on rebellion.
"Your Majesty, the Empress has gone too far this time," the first official, a portly man named Lord Wentworth, began. "She's eradicating our... enterprises. Our investments are at risk!"
The Commissioner sneered. "Lord Wentworth, those 'enterprises' you speak of are illegal. Did you expect the Empress to turn a blind eye?"
Lord Wentworth's face turned a shade redder. "Illegal or not, those ventures have line
