24 Chapter 39: Take Me Back

"I do not confess to this crime."

Su Wei was covered in wounds. Her eyes looked vacantly at the Female Emperor before her, repeating over and over that she was innocent.

Su He was the reigning Female Emperor, also known as a notorious mad tyrant. She had raised a batch of Shadow Guards loyal to her, and she did not tolerate betrayal.

Su Wei, her most capable Shadow Guard, was thrown into the dungeon and framed with a crime. Yet Su He did not kill her, instead keeping her by her side, inseparable.

The Shadow Guard's old wounds had not yet healed when she was sent before the Female Emperor. She knelt on the ground, her eyes pleading, and explained: "I have never betrayed you."

But Su He did not believe her, and instead felt a playful urge. Su Wei did not understand why her Master's temperament had changed, dressing her in clothes she had never worn before, taking her out of the palace for amusement, and even forbidding her from grueling training. She wouldn't even let her pour tea or water. For a time, this made the Shadow Guard deeply immersed in the illusion.

It wasn't until Su Wei truly developed feelings and tried to offer her sincere heart that Su He belittled her as utterly worthless.

"You are a Shadow Guard, of lowly status. Has a mere few months made you think you could climb to a high position?"

"Your martial arts were long ago crippled, and your body is riddled with the Gu poison administered over these days—"

Su He lifted Su Wei's chin, and said softly: "You will not have an easy time."

Only then did the Shadow Guard awaken as if from a dream. Her Master had never believed her. It had all been her own delusion.

Su Wei's face was pale. She gave a bitter smile and ultimately said nothing more.

.

The Shadow Guard lay on the bed, her form gaunt. She was tormented daily by the Gu insects, yet refused to drink the antidote Su He offered.

Su Wei turned on her side. Her vision was already blurred, and the vitality she once had was long gone. She smiled weakly and whispered:

"Master, I confess my crimes. Let me go."

A wife-chasing crematorium, melodramatic story.