Blades of Preemption

In the wake of Lord Chunshen's assassination, the Chu court crumbles. A shadow faction known as the Rectifiers rises, wielding a stolen method of reading criminal intent in the heart. They publicly execute anyone whose secret thoughts show a future transgression. As neighbor turns against neighbor, a disgraced royal archivist discovers the truth: the Rectifiers are led by the new king's puppet-master, Li Yuan, who uses the terror not to erase crime, but to annihilate any who might challenge his rule. The horror is not the executioner's blade, but the moment you realize your own family fears you most.