
Emperor Caelan of Grand Xia learned of corrupt officials when an envoy died. Caelan traveled south in disguise, witnessing Prefect Lynch and Wendell Preston (Chancellor Preston's adopted son) selling posts and brutalizing people. Mistaken for an 'emperor's double,' Caelan played along, feigning cooperation with their treasonous plot, then returned to the Capital. He revealed his identity to Chancellor Preston, uprooting the corrupt officials and restoring justice.