Chapter 29: Past Bonds Part 2

She walked slowly to the table and poured two cups of wine from the jade jug. Holding one in each hand, she returned to Xun Yiran and smiled lightly. “Your Majesty, it’s time for the wine.”

Xun Yiran’s eyes were hazy with desire. With such a beauty before him urging him to drink the nuptial cup, he took the cup from Wei Lingci without deep thought. His wrist crossed hers, his face alight with joy, his heart stirring at her autumn-water eyes. He watched her drink first, then drank his own.

He tossed the cup aside casually; it thudded onto the thick red carpet and silence returned.

Wei Lingci carefully returned her cup to its place, picked up the one from the floor, and pondered with furrowed brows. She removed her heavy phoenix crown, her long hair cascading like a waterfall. She shed the wedding gown, revealing a pure white, elegant silk skirt beneath. Her jade-like face and snowy skin drove one mad with desire, drawing the eye more than the hall’s opulence.

Her eyes like boundless autumn waters rippled. Xun Yiran, who had seen countless rouged and powdered beauties in the palace, brightened at the sight. Wine surged through him, his blood boiling, and he eagerly stepped forward to embrace her.

But Wei Lingci, a few steps away, could no longer hide her disgust. She sidestepped, dodging his hands, and watched the arrogant emperor crash at her feet.

Her watery eyes flowed as she bent down, a clear fragrance wafting in the hall. “Your Majesty, you murdered your father to seize the throne, killed your own brother, and slaughtered loyal ministers’ entire families. Do you think your empire will remain stable?”

Her icy words sobered the drunken Xun Yiran instantly. His wrist trembled, and he fell back onto the carpet. He furrowed his brows, his mind unable to process. “What do you mean? I am the Son of Heaven; Great Qi is eternal for ten thousand years.”

“Xun Yiran, aside from your eldest legitimate status, what virtues do you have? Selfish and willful, you killed loyal generals for your own gain. Yuan Qingming, Gu Liang Gan—they all died by your schemes. With enemies at the borders, you only thought to castrate the fiefs, fearing others’ merits would overshadow yours.”

Struck at his past deeds, Xun Yiran rose in fury and snarled, “They were all traitors, deserving death. Xun Yi grew arrogant due to his merits; reducing the fiefs was my decision. They should obey me. Disobeying the imperial will makes them traitors, deserving death.”

Flames seemed to burn in Wei Lingci’s eyes, scorching her heart. She stepped forward and kicked his chest. Xun Yiran had only been a prince before, his martial arts mere for fitness—far inferior to Wei Lingci, from a martial sect. Drunk as he was, he had no resistance.

The kick sent him flying half a zhang, crashing onto the tiles, his head spinning worse. But his survival instinct persisted; he tried to crawl up and call for help. “Guards… come…”

Since she had taken this step, Wei Lingci was prepared. She grabbed a pillow from the bed and smothered his mouth and nose, silencing him. He couldn’t speak or call out, only flailing his limbs desperately. But Wei Lingci’s strength was terrifying; her watery eyes showed no ripple.

The Eternal Joy Palace of the imperial wedding contrasted the outer revelry with deathly silence. Xun Yiran struggled futilely before Wei Lingci pinned him firmly to the ground. His eyes bulged with unwillingness and hatred… After half a quarter-hour, his hands slowly fell limp, his legs straightened, and he moved no more.

Wei Lingci released her hands. The proud light in her eyes faded, replaced by dull gray haze. The emperor was dead—she had killed him herself…

She spilled wax oil on the bed and lit it. Flames roared instantly, the red gauze bed curtains dancing as fire climbed the beams. Blazing light filled the hall; the lavish palace would soon turn to ashes. But palace servants would see the fire and come to extinguish it. She bolted the door and barricaded it with cabinets, buying time as they broke in.

This gave her time to leap from the window into the surrounding woods. She navigated to the end of Changle Palace, scaled the wall, and vanished into the murky night. No one noticed. She knocked out a guard, donned his clothes, and escaped the palace depths.

The Imperial Capital descended into chaos. With the emperor dead and his heirs mere infants, Empress Dowager Shao Yun decreed the prince too young to rule and took regency. Days later, she proclaimed herself Female Emperor, retaining the country name.

Great Qi fell into turmoil; prefectures and counties rose in rebellion against Female Emperor Shao Yun.

The streets of the Imperial Capital swarmed with more Imperial Guards, house-to-house searches for Wei Lingci. Unbeknownst to them, she hid in the Pingnan Prince’s Mansion. That night, after scaling the wall, she followed memory to Xun Changqing’s old courtyard.

Overgrown with weeds, trees withered, desolate and cold. The mighty Pingnan Prince’s Mansion, glorious for thirty years, had fallen silently into ruin, haunted by countless wronged souls.

The former prosperity, the former glory—gone forever!

Clouds like dreams in the sky, mottled moonlight, chilling air.