A Game of Vengeance

My fiancé returned from his travels, accompanied by a woman.

That woman was bold and radiant, laughing as she said, "So this is your betrothed? She looks dreadfully dull."

He scoffed. "She can't compare to you."

1

Sebastian Ashford had been away for three years and finally returned to the Capital City on the eve of our wedding.

Mother led me to the outskirts to welcome him, but he sat arrogantly on his horse, a strikingly beautiful woman in foreign attire cradled in his arms. He didn't even spare me a glance.

He gave my mother a curt nod before spurring his horse into the city.

Mother was furious, but I held her back.

The woman's laughter drifted over like silver bells.

"So this is your fiancée? She really does look terribly dull."

Sebastian smirked, bending down to kiss her neck. "She can't compare to you."

"You'd better know it. I'm an eagle chasing the wind and sun across the grasslands, not one of your Han Chinese rabbits, cowering in their boudoirs, too timid to live except by clinging to a man."

They laughed together, a perfect pair, trampling my dignity underfoot with utter disregard for the years of friendship between our families.

2

The Ashford and Xie families had been close for generations. Sebastian and I had been betrothed since childhood.

Sebastian's return to the Capital with a foreign woman spread through the city like wildfire within half a day.

Three years ago, my father and elder brother had fallen in battle, leaving me as the sole surviving child of the General's estate.

When people spoke of me, it was mostly with pity and sympathy.

So when my betrothed humiliated me so publicly, the common folk rallied to my defense instead.

3

I was distributing porridge to the poor when I encountered the foreign woman named Una.

She wore a purple gauze dress, her slender waist exposed, a crescent-shaped scimitar hanging at her side. She was both heroic and alluring—a beauty beyond compare.

But the next moment, she cracked her whip at an old man who had set up his stall outside the General's mansion, shrieking, "I am heaven's true match for Sebastian! What is this Evelyn Xie? She's not even fit to hold my shoes! And you, you old bastard, how dare you say I stole her betrothal!"

My eyes turned cold. I strode forward and seized her whip mid-strike, yanking it hard.

Her pupils contracted. She stumbled forward, nearly falling.

Regaining her balance, she stared at me in disbelief, as if she couldn't fathom that a "rabbit raised in a boudoir" like me could snatch her whip away.

"Do you know who I am? Give me back the whip Sebastian found for me!" she demanded petulantly.

"Apologize!" I helped the old man to his feet and pointed at the scattered fruits and melons on the ground. "Pick them up."

A foreigner, daring to bully one of our people in broad daylight on Vermilion Bird Avenue in the Capital—how insolent!

The surrounding crowd seethed with anger, but fear of the Ashford family's official power kept them silent.

"Apologize? Ha! This old bastard disrespected me. I'm being merciful by not tearing him limb from limb!" She stomped on the old man's wares, grinding them into the dirt, then lifted her foot to kick him. "Filthy!"

I shielded the old man, my patience at an end, and lashed her across the face with the whip.

She dodged quickly, blocking with her arm, but a bloody welt appeared on her skin.

Enraged, she drew her scimitar and lunged at me. "How dare a lowly Han like you wound me! I'll cut off your head and throw it into the Han pit!"

At the words "Han pit," I barely restrained my murderous intent.

Sebastian appeared from nowhere, wrapping his arms around her protectively and glaring at me. "How can you be so vicious! What right do you have to hit her!"

I threw the whip at him, my eyes red, playing the part of a pitiable woman betrayed and bullied by her fiancé.

I met his gaze defiantly, forcing back tears, my voice choked with accusation. "Why do you only see me hitting her? Didn't you see her attack an old man?!"

He was so furious he spoke without thinking. "He's just a commoner! How can he compare to Una!"

At those words, even the commoners who had been receiving porridge and grain could no longer stay silent.

Sebastian and Una were surrounded. The crowd's condemnation was like a flood, nearly drowning them in scorn.

I wiped the nonexistent tears from my eyes and helped the old man away.

If I stayed any longer, I was afraid I'd laugh.

Una shrieked, "I'll kill all you filthy commoners! I'll kill you all! Don't touch me!!!"

Behind me, Sebastian roared in frustration, "I am the legitimate son of the Chancellor's household! Get out of my way!"

I paused mid-step and couldn't help cursing under my breath. Fool.

4

The next morning, Sebastian, for reasons unknown, showed up at my doorstep.

His back covered in whip marks, he knelt shirtless before the General's mansion, carrying a bundle of thorny branches in an act of penance.

I found it rather amusing as I looked at the branches strapped to his back. He craned his neck, refusing to meet my eyes, his face and neck flushed red.

So even he could feel shame for once.

His father knelt beside him, his face a picture of disgrace.

I quickly helped the elder Ashford to his feet.

Tears streaming down his face, he said, "I have failed your father and the entire Xie family! The Xie family gave their all for the nation. In the battle against the Uighurs three years ago, seventeen of your family's sons fell, securing the peace of our Great Chu. And I raised this unfilial son who has wronged you!"

I remained silent.

Elder Ashford swore to me repeatedly that Una would never set foot in their household.

Sebastian, too, changed his attitude toward me, becoming warm and affectionate.

"Una means nothing to me. I saved her during my travels. I only see her as a close friend. If it bothers you, after we're married, I'll never see her again—"

Lies.

I couldn't be bothered to look at his hypocritical face any longer, calculating the time instead. The person I was waiting for should be arriving soon.

And finally, as I'd hoped, she came—

Una ran over, red-eyed, dragging a boy and a girl by the hand.

She burst into tears. "How dare you refuse to see me! If you don't see me, I'll die here with the children!"

5

Elder Ashford trembled with rage.

Sebastian abandoned his kneeling posture, scrambling up to pull her aside, lowering his voice to placate her. "What are you saying? I told you, this is just a temporary measure!"

Elder Ashford was hopping mad. As a member of the civil service, reputation was everything to him.

Now, with the surrounding commoners whispering among themselves, he felt the sting of shame acutely. He roared, "If she wants to die, let her take those two bastards with her! Kneel down and apologize to Evelyn this instant! Let go of her hand! If you don't care about your reputation, I care about mine! The people are watching!"

Una glared at me with venom. "Evelyn Xie, I'll have you know, I've already given Sebastian a potion that will make him sterile! If you want to marry him, you'll never bear children!"

I put on a wounded expression while delivering a cutting blow. "Don't worry, sister. Your children will be mine. Once I'm the legitimate wife, I'll treat them well."

My words enraged Una. Red-eyed and crying, she charged at me like a madwoman, threatening to kill me, but Sebastian held her back.

Seizing the moment, I fell to the ground as the crowd grew larger.

I simply closed my eyes and pretended to faint.

Silence spoke louder than words.

Mother quickly had the maids pick me up.

Following our prearranged plan, she spat in Sebastian's and his father's faces, sobbing, "Ungrateful dogs! Your family bullies us because all the Xie men died on the battlefield! You think you can trample all over us, a widow and an orphan! You'll rot in hell for this!"

Sebastian and his father flushed crimson, trying to appease my mother, while Una, unwilling to be outdone, wailed along with her two children.

What a farce.

I cracked my eyes open just a slit, watching the angry faces of the commoners, and closed them again with satisfaction.

The real show was only just beginning.

6

After the Ashford family learned that Sebastian had indeed been given a sterility potion, they took Una's children into their care, completely forgetting the promises they'd made outside the General's mansion.

Mother smashed several priceless antiques in her fury.

"Better to know now than after we're married into that family."

"You grew up with him. Aren't you sad?" she asked, her eyes full of concern.

I tapped the "horse" piece on the chessboard, picked it up, and smiled as I took her "general." "Check."

"And you can still smile! His Majesty has summoned you to the palace tomorrow. Who would have thought that Una is actually a Uighur princess, sent here for a political marriage?"

I looked at the captured piece through the sunlight streaming in through the window and murmured softly, "Don't worry, Mother. Your daughter is no rabbit raised in a boudoir. I'm a vengeful spirit crawling back from hell..."

Heaven had taken pity on my suffering and allowed me to be reborn on the day Sebastian returned to the Capital. There was no way I would let history repeat itself and see the Xie family annihilated again.

7

Sebastian and I had known each other since we were young.

How could there be no love between childhood sweethearts?

I had embroidered my wedding veil beneath the western window.

I had lost sleep over a single word from him, my heart utterly captivated.

But all of that turned to smoke and ash when he conspired with Una to destroy my family.

I would rather he had died while compiling his geographical records, died in the Han pit in Uighur territory, died in the year I loved him most.

Anything would have been better than him betraying his country three years ago and orchestrating the massacre of seventeen of the Xie family's iron-boned sons.

The youngest, Seventeenth Brother, was only fifteen. Before he left for battle three years ago, he had grabbed my hand and given me a bag of sugar. "Sister, this is sweet! Wait for me to come back, and I'll buy you more!"

But he never came back.

Because of Sebastian's betrayal, every member of the Xie family died, their bodies never recovered.

My father and brother's heads still hang on the banners at the Uighur Han pit, never able to return to their homeland.

Hatred burns deep in my heart.

Only the blood of my enemies can quench the fire.

8

On the day I entered the palace, Una waited for me at a side gate.

She was a different person from the shrew I'd seen before.

Now, she was dressed in fine silks, her demeanor dignified.

She stood before me, brimming with pride, looking down at me from above.

"Evelyn Xie, you never expected this, did you? I am a princess. I am your mistress." She lifted my chin, studying me, then curled her lip. "You Han people are so boring. On the grasslands, the captured Han women and children just cry. I threw them into a wolf pack, and they didn't even dare to move."

She studied my eyes, searching for fear and terror.

I met her gaze coldly. She suddenly laughed, her blood-red lipstick glistening in the sunlight.

"The only interesting one was a mother who held her child so tightly that even when the wolves tore at her, she wouldn't let go. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Amazing."

Her smile deepened with pleasure. "That mother was named Sylvia Zhou. I heard your third sister-in-law was also named Sylvia Zhou, wasn't she? What a pity. She couldn't protect your nephew in the end. The wolves ate them both. How pitiful."

I stared at her coldly, my blood turning to ice.

Inappropriately, I recalled how in my past life, she had been mutilated and turned into a human pig, wishing she could die but unable to.

It seemed I had been far too merciful.

I should have thrown her to the wolves and let her taste what it was like to be devoured by beasts.

9

The palace banquet that day was hosted by His Majesty to welcome Una and the Uighur envoy.

He had ordered me to attend, but his intentions were far from pure.

This was a banquet with hidden daggers, and I was the intended target.

I looked at the aging emperor seated high on his throne, and the hatred within me swelled.

My aunt was the empress, making the Xie family relatives of the imperial house by marriage.

Over the years, due to His Majesty's suspicions, my father and brother had already relinquished much of their power.

But His Majesty was still not satisfied.

What I never imagined was that he could be so deluded as to instruct Sebastian to collude with the Uighur general Ursa, all for the purpose of having my family's sons killed on the battlefield!

To eliminate loyal ministers, His Majesty was willing to sacrifice the people of three cities, allowing Ursa to slaughter them.

My father and brother fought to the death, only to be pierced by a thousand arrows.

My beloved Seventeenth Brother, only fifteen, chose to surrender to protect the people of the fourth city from massacre. He was tied to the back of Ursa's horse and dragged to death.

Thus, the Xie family was nearly wiped out.

But His Majesty still wasn't satisfied!

In my past life, on this very day, he ordered me to marry Sebastian.

His plan was to have Sebastian, as my husband, "expose" the Xie family's supposed treason, allowing him to exterminate all nine branches of my family.

The forged letters were all hidden in my boudoir by Sebastian.

In my past life, the Xie family was raided. My mother and younger brother were beheaded, and my third sister was raped to death.

Even though I eventually took my revenge, I was left utterly alone.

This time, I would not repeat the same mistakes.

"Evelyn and Sebastian have grown up under my watch. Let the wedding be held this month," the emperor said, repeating the same words as in my past life.

I suppressed the hatred within me, rose, and walked to the center of the hall. I knelt, my back straight, and spoke words utterly different from those of my past life.

"Your Majesty, I request to break off my engagement with Sebastian Ashford, the third son of the Ashford family. If Your Majesty does not grant this, I will hang myself at home and reunite with my father and brothers in the afterlife."

To show my resolve, I kowtowed three times, hard enough to draw blood.

10

The silence was deathly still. None of the invited nobles dared to speak.

I knelt, prostrate on the ground.

In my past life, at this moment, I did not know that Una already had two children with Sebastian, nor did I know that my father and brother's deaths were orchestrated by Sebastian and the emperor.

So when Sebastian knelt outside the General's mansion, begging for forgiveness and claiming he had no connection to Una, I believed him.

I followed the emperor's decree and married the young man I had adored since childhood.

After the wedding, I managed every aspect of the household.

I respected my in-laws, commanded the servants, kept the inner and outer courtyards in perfect order, and earned praise throughout the Capital.

All so that he could focus on his official duties and serve the people.

But I never expected him to be a wolf in sheep's clothing, marrying me only to destroy my family!

From the day I was reborn, I began to scheme, drawing Una and Sebastian into my trap.

The old man who had mocked Una that day was arranged by me. My goal was to provoke her into losing her temper and offending the people.

One was the orphan of a loyal minister, the other a foreign princess. Naturally, the people's sympathies lay with me.

She had brought her children to make a scene because I had leaked the news to her.

She was just as foolish as in my past life, with no improvement at all.

Blinded by love and jealousy, she lost her composure and squandered a perfect hand.

"Your marriage to the Ashford family was arranged by your parents and matchmaker. How can it be annulled?" the emperor said, his voice carrying authority.

"The Uighurs wish to form a marriage alliance with Great Chu. This is a good thing for both nations to recover. Princess Una's mission is to trade herself for peace between our two countries.

"She has already borne two children for Sebastian. How can she be left without a title? That would be a slap in the face to the Uighurs.

"If not handled properly, it could lead to war. Princess Una is of royal blood. Your Majesty cannot wrong her by making her a secondary wife."

I paused, my voice choking. "Moreover, the Xie family has sacrificed everything for the nation. Only my three-year-old younger brother and I remain. I only wish to raise my brother to adulthood and continue the Xie family line. I dare not delay the great matter of the marriage alliance."

At these words, the previously silent ministers began to murmur among themselves.

The chief imperial censor was an old friend of my father's. I had already wept before him yesterday, and the gifts I had sent had been accepted by these greedy officials.

Now, I only needed to hint at my meaning. Others would take it from there.

The chief imperial censor stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, the people of the Capital are already talking about how Sebastian Ashford has bullied the orphan of a loyal minister. They are all indignant on behalf of the Xie family."

"Since Sebastian Ashford already has children with the Uighur princess, his engagement to the Xie family cannot stand. Otherwise, it will chill the hearts of our soldiers on the battlefield."

As the censors spoke one after another, the emperor's face darkened. But he could only suppress his anger and grant my request to break off the engagement.

11

The current emperor had seized the throne by killing his own elder brother. The one thing he feared most was the "will of the people."

For the sake of his own reputation, he had no choice but to agree to my annulment.

Every emperor wants to be remembered favorably in history.

12

After the banquet, I changed into different clothes and went through a hidden door to the hostage prince's residence.

Orion was just as I remembered him from my past life, pretending to be frail and sickly.

I tossed him the medicine I had prepared in advance.

"Soon, I'll send you back to the Uighurs. I want to see what you promised me."

He lounged lazily on the bed, playing with the pill, and chuckled. "What a ruthless little lady."

I remembered his impertinence from my past life and flushed with anger. I snatched the pill back and shoved it into his mouth. "If you don't do what I ask, there's no antidote. You can wait to die!"

He smiled, his eyes slanting, and licked my fingertip with his scarlet tongue. "Understood, sister."

I couldn't take it anymore and kicked him hard.

In my past life, when the Xie family was executed, Orion saved me.

It was then that I realized the frail hostage prince I had been secretly protecting all these years was actually a mad dog biding his time, waiting to kill his father and brother.

13

When I saw the Crown Prince visiting the General's mansion with gifts, I immediately understood the emperor's plan.

Without Sebastian, he would have me marry the Crown Prince and become the Crown Princess.

This would both silence the public and keep me trapped by his son's side, unable to cause trouble. When the time was right, he could exterminate my family again.

But I was no mere ant waiting to die, nor a useless piece on his chessboard.

Even a pawn can take a general. How much more so a human being?

Over the next few flower-viewing banquets, I accompanied the Crown Prince everywhere. Everyone understood the emperor's intentions.

Having failed in his plans concerning me, the emperor vented his anger on Sebastian.

Though Sebastian wasn't demoted, he no longer enjoyed the emperor's favor as before.

I arranged to meet Sebastian alone, deliberately letting Una know.

"You're already practically engaged to the Crown Prince. Why are you looking for me?" he asked irritably, dark circles under his eyes. Clearly, he hadn't been doing well.

My eyes reddened. "Brother Sebastian, we grew up together. Don't you know my heart?"

His gloomy expression softened slightly. "You were the one who called off the engagement! What's the point of saying this now?"

I saw the purple figure approaching and leaned closer to Sebastian, reaching out to touch the dark circles under his eyes. "Brother Sebastian, you've lost weight."

The perfume I had applied to my clothes was already taking effect. Sebastian's eyes grew hazy, and he leaned in close.

I pushed him away and glanced meaningfully in Una's direction. When she saw us, she snapped back to reality.

Una looked at us suspiciously. I blushed and said nothing, looking guilty, then turned and ran away.

That night, my spy in the Ashford household reported that Una and Sebastian had a huge fight for some unknown reason.

I smiled. It seemed the little earring I had slipped into Sebastian's clothes had finally done its job.

14

The next day, Una sent an invitation for the Crown Prince and me to visit her residence for flower-viewing. I knew my chance had come.

"I've already broken off my engagement with Sebastian. I don't know why they're still looking for me. I'm really scared," I said, lowering my eyes timidly.

"Don't be afraid. You are my future Crown Princess. No one can harm you," he said, his smile radiant.

What a gentle young man.

During the banquet, after some small talk, Una suddenly sneered. "Your Highness, I found an earring in my husband's clothes yesterday—"

I picked up a lotus pastry and fed it to the Crown Prince. "Your Highness, try this."

I was obedient and pleasing, which delighted him.

The Crown Prince leaned in to take a bite and was about to speak when blood suddenly gushed from his seven orifices, and he collapsed.

His eyes stared blankly at me as blood slowly filled his eye sockets.

I screamed and fell into my maid's arms. Una stood frozen in shock. The guards rushed in.

In the chaos, I watched as the Crown Prince's body was carried away, sobbing uncontrollably. I grabbed Una's hand and shouted, "It was you! You killed the Crown Prince! Did the Uighurs send you to assassinate our Crown Prince?!"

The imperial guards separated us and took Una into custody. As I was helped into the palanquin to enter the palace, I rubbed the residual powder on my fingertips expressionlessly.

In my past life, the Crown Prince had been ordered by the emperor to oversee my family's execution.

The day before the execution, my third sister was dragged from his bed.

Blood had flowed from her seven orifices. She died with her eyes open.

Now, it was merely an eye for an eye.

The emperor had thoughtfully sent me the Crown Prince as a weapon. How could I not use him to eliminate Una?

Killing with a borrowed knife was the first lesson my father taught me in the art of war. At least I was putting it to good use.

The Crown Prince died in Una's residence. As the Uighur princess, she was the prime suspect.

Her political marriage had now become a premeditated assassination of the heir to the Chu throne.

The nature of the Crown Prince's death had escalated from a petty squabble among women to a matter between two nations. One wrong move could lead to war.

Una's good days were over.

15

The Crown Prince had no pulse. The imperial physician confirmed he had been poisoned with arsenic.

Una was searched, and arsenic powder was found on her fingertips.

Soon, the大理寺 reported that Una's personal maid had indeed purchased arsenic a few days prior.

The evidence was conclusive. Una was imprisoned.

No one knew that her personal maid was actually my third sister in disguise.

The veils worn by Uighur women had been incredibly convenient for me.

Now, Una's maid had been killed by my shadow guards. Dead men tell no tales.

I seized the moment to kneel. "The Crown Prince was sincere with me. Now that he has been murdered, I wish to observe three years of mourning for him."

To prevent the emperor from forcing another man on me, I had to cut off that possibility at the root.

The emperor had few sons, and the Crown Prince was his favorite. Now that the Crown Prince was dead, he was devastated. Hearing my request, and with other ministers echoing my sentiments, he didn't agree but said he would consider it.

On my way back, I deliberately took the route that passed by the大理寺.

Julian Zhou, the chief of the大理寺, sat on his horse, his expression cold and aloof, making him unapproachable.

In the prison cart behind him sat Una, bound and gagged.

To prevent assassination attempts, the cart was surrounded by imperial guards.

When Una saw me, her eyes widened in agony, hatred radiating from every pore.

I smiled gently at her.

Soon, her beloved Sebastian would join her.

I would not spare a single one of those beasts whose hands were stained with the blood of the Xie family.

16

I returned to the mansion through the back gate. Sebastian was at the front gate, demanding to see me in a rage.

I knew exactly why he had come. The Crown Prince was dead, and Una was in prison. Great Chu would demand an explanation from the Uighurs.

In the battle against the Uighurs three years ago, even though the emperor and Sebastian had betrayed my father and brother, the war had ultimately been won.

The Xie family had been wiped out, but the Uighurs had also suffered heavy losses, with internal conflicts breaking out among their tribes.

Talon's faction had broken away from the Uighurs, establishing their own kingdom in the Tianshan region, opposing Ursa.

If Ursa led the Uighurs to war against Great Chu, Talon would surely take advantage of the situation.

Great Chu and Talon would then pincer Ursa, and he would be doomed.

So, until Ursa had unified the Uighurs, he would never dare to go to war with Great Chu. He couldn't afford the risk.

At that point, Una would become a discarded piece, left to the mercy of Great Chu. And her children with Sebastian would become sacrifices to appease the emperor's wrath.

Sebastian had already taken the sterility potion. His son with Una was his only bloodline, and the only heir of the Ashford family. He had to protect that child.

The only way to save Una now was to have me, who had been in the pavilion with them, take the blame.

Alternatively, Sebastian might try to get me to ask Julian Zhou to delay the case, buying the Ashford family time to come up with a plan.

He wouldn't dare approach Julian Zhou himself. Ever since he had returned to the Capital with Una and humiliated me, Julian had been making things difficult for him, both in court and out.

Julian Zhou was the younger brother of my third sister-in-law, Sylvia Zhou.

After the elder Zhou died in office, the Zhou family's fortunes had declined.

My father had not only refused to break off the engagement but had taken both Zhou siblings into the Xie household to study.

When my third sister-in-law came of age, she married my third brother.

As for Julian Zhou, he had achieved fame at a young age, passing the imperial examinations at fifteen and becoming the top scholar. Now, though only twenty, he had already risen to one of the nine chief ministers.

After Julian Zhou obtained his official position, he moved out of the Xie household to avoid gossip.

But three years ago, after the Xie family's tragedy, he defied the censors and moved back, silently taking on the burden of supporting the Xie family.

I vaguely remembered the day my father and brother's coffins returned to the Capital. He held me, who had cried myself to exhaustion, his eyes red, his voice hoarse. "Evelyn, from now on, I am your elder brother. As long as I live, I will ensure the Xie family's prosperity. You don't need to be afraid. From now on, I'll protect you."

And he had kept his word.

17

I checked the time, changed into a plain white dress, pinned a white flower in my hair, and took a sedan chair through the back gate to the palace.

At the same time, my maid, dressed in similar clothes, took another sedan chair to the hostage prince's residence.

The spy Sebastian had planted in my mansion was misled and went to report to him.

Sebastian immediately rushed to the hostage prince's residence, but my maid had already changed direction midway and gone to the temple to burn the scriptures I had prepared.

That night, as I knelt in the imperial study, begging the emperor to allow me to observe three years of mourning for the Crown Prince, Sebastian arrived at the hostage prince's residence.

The moment he stepped through the gate, a great fire engulfed the entire mansion.

18

I knelt outside the imperial study. The emperor was still grieving the Crown Prince's death and had not summoned me.

Soon, Julian Zhou arrived with the commander of the capital garrison and knelt beside me.

Julian and I exchanged a glance, then looked away.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Sebastian Ashford has rescued Orion and fled the city!" the commander reported.

"What?" The emperor staggered out, his face pale. "What did you say?"

Julian Zhou kowtowed and reported methodically, "Your Majesty, Sebastian Ashford's child with the Uighur princess is already three years old. This proves his deep connection with the Uighurs. Now that Una is imprisoned for poisoning the Crown Prince, the Uighurs fear for their Second Prince Orion's safety. They have exposed Sebastian's identity as a spy to have him rescue Orion. I request permission to search the Ashford mansion for evidence of Sebastian's treason."

In the past, the emperor would never have allowed Julian Zhou to search the Ashford mansion.

But now that Sebastian had fled the Capital with Orion, the emperor had no reason to stop Julian.

He had no choice but to issue the decree, sending the capital garrison commander to pursue Sebastian while ordering Julian Zhou to search the Ashford mansion. To prevent his own connection with Sebastian from being exposed, he sent his personal eunuch to accompany Julian.

As I was about to withdraw, the emperor suddenly fixed his gaze on me, his murky eyes as cold as a snake's, though his face remained kindly.

"Evelyn, your father left you the military tally for the Xie family army. Since your father and brother died in battle, the court has had no capable generals. If the Uighurs start a war in the future, I may need to borrow your family's private troops."

I quickly knelt. "I dare not. The Xie family's ability to maintain private troops is a privilege granted by our founding emperor, an exception made because the Xie ancestors defended the empire for him. The Xie family will never forget this grace. My father and brother died for Your Majesty's empire—it was their honor. Now, the Xie family army consists only of old and weak soldiers, hardly fit for battle. The border is guarded by Generals Han and Xue. Even if the Uighurs attack, they can repel the enemy. Your Majesty need not worry."

He narrowed his eyes, his smile not reaching them. "I was only speaking casually. Why are you so alarmed, Evelyn?

"Your Xie family army once broke the Qilong formation, saving our founding emperor's life. That is why he granted you this privilege. If the Xie family army is truly composed of old and weak soldiers, then my hundreds of thousands of troops must be mere children.

"I recall you followed your father to battle at the age of eight, Evelyn. By the time you were in your teens, you could lead troops.

"In the second year of Tianyou, your brother was trapped in the Yousha Valley and captured. During the parley, you single-handedly captured their commander and rescued your brother.

"The late emperor wanted to make you a general. You were only fourteen that year.

"So, when the late emperor was on the throne, you could fight for him. Now that I am emperor, you refuse?"

I knelt. "I am Your Majesty's subject. If Your Majesty needs me to fight, even as a cook, I will serve."

He laughed, his tone sinister. "Evelyn carries the blood of the Xie family. Your entire family are born generals. How could I let you be a mere cook?"

I prostrated myself. "I dare not."

I said I dared not, but I felt no fear.

No wonder my father and brother's deaths were not enough. Even with only a few orphans and widows left, he still wanted to kill them.

What he feared was every descendant of the Xie family. What he feared was the Xie family army, which only the Xie family could command.

Unfortunately, whether in my past life or this one, he would have to keep fearing it.

The Xie family were not only born generals. In the future, they would also be born emperors.

He had seized the throne by killing his own elder brother.

Those who live by the sword die by the sword.

Was it not fitting for me to kill him?

I only hoped that when the time came, he wouldn't kneel before the world and kowtow to me, trampling the dignity of an emperor into the dirt, just to beg me to spare his life—even if it meant becoming a beggar.

What a lack of integrity. Truly contemptible.

19

Julian Zhou had already surrounded the Ashford mansion with his men before entering the palace. But before he left, the emperor said that to avoid alerting the enemy, the search should wait until tomorrow.

We both knew exactly what he meant.

On the way back, Julian Zhou got into my sedan chair. I handed him a stack of letters.

He opened them, read them, then frowned, his voice unreadable. "Orion gave you these."

"Yes."

Before Orion left, I had him write several personal letters addressed to Sebastian.

The contents were, of course, fabricated.

Whether Sebastian was still in Great Chu or not, these letters from Orion alone would be enough to condemn him to death.

"Tonight, the emperor will surely send his trusted men to search the Ashford mansion and dispose of anything incriminating to him. In that battle three years ago, the emperor ordered Sebastian to serve as the military supervisor. There must have been many letters exchanged between them. If even one of them is exposed, his reputation will be ruined. Future historians will curse his name. How could he bear that?"

Julian frowned at me. "Can Orion be trusted? He is the Second Prince of the Uighurs. Cooperating with him is like lying down with a tiger. If he turns on you, you'll be dead where you stand."

I smiled. "Brother, he and I are bound by life and death. I owe him my life."

His fingers curled. He turned his head away, his voice cold. "Orion's goal is to usurp the throne. Once he kills Ursa, he will become the Uighur Khan. Talon is his uncle. Once Orion ascends, Talon will surely submit. Since you have already planned great things with me, you must know that Orion will not give up the throne for you. There can never be anything between you and him."

I laughed. "Brother, do you think I want something to happen between Orion and me?"

Julian glanced at me, pursed his lips, and cleared his throat. The flickering candlelight in the dim sedan chair cast a faint blush on his face. "What I said to you before still stands."

I looked at him, my eyes clear. "I regard you as I would the bright moon, never daring to defile you. To me, Orion is the only one. And to him, I am the same.

"Brother, you achieved fame at a young age. Your essays and strategies are known throughout the land. Your name will go down in history. How could you marry into my household and become the husband of a villain like me?

"Orion is a hypocrite. I am a true villain. We are a perfect match, destined to be cursed together in the history books.

"Brother, you are as pure as the wind and the moon. You deserve to be praised by all. I dare not taint you."

He lowered his gaze and smiled bitterly. "How do you know this is not what my heart desires? But you won't even give me a chance. Evelyn, you are cruel as well."

I looked away and said nothing.

He had lived his life with integrity. Now, as one of the nine chief ministers, it wouldn't be long before his portrait hung in the Lingyan Pavilion.

In my past life, he had risked his life to remonstrate with the emperor in the throne room, nearly dying.

When Orion and I raised an army to rebel, he, as the chief of the大理寺, held secrets on many court officials.

For my sake, he had done dishonorable things, threatened high-ranking officials, and lobbied for me in court.

When I ascended the throne, the imperial censors