Chapter 1: The Deposed Empress's Oath

 

In early summer, heavy rain always arrives suddenly in the evening.

The sky hung gloomy, dark clouds pressing down upon the dignified and majestic palace walls. The formerly magnificent palace had grown dark beneath those clouds, transformed into a massive cage, trapping its inhabitants tightly within.

The gauze curtains in the spacious bedroom appeared ancient, covered with thick dust. Though the day was hot, a bone-deep chill permeated the air. Clothes and jewelry lay scattered across the ground, as if the room had just survived a catastrophe.

A woman knelt half-upright on the floor, gazing up at the person before her.

The woman was only thirty years old, yet her face had aged like an old crone's. A murderous look resided between her brows, and her eyes were dead and lifeless, like a dry well long abandoned. She could no longer shed tears, yet remained filled with bottomless hatred.

"Your Highness, please." The eunuch beside her held a pure white silk scroll in his hands, his tone filled with uncontrollable impatience. "I am still waiting to report to His Majesty."

Shen Miao's gaze fell upon the eunuch. After a long silence, she slowly spoke, her voice thick with a raspy quality. "Little Li, when I first promoted you, you were still a mere dog by Eunuch Gao's side."

The eunuch raised his head slightly with a haughty expression. "Your Highness, times are different now."

"Times are different now..." Shen Miao muttered, then suddenly laughed aloud. "Times are different now!"

Just because of the phrase "times are different now," those courtiers and servants who once treated her with such respect could now order her around. Because "times are different now," she would be strangled by three feet of white silk. What was the past? And where did this present begin? Did it start with Madam Mei's entry into the palace, or with the Crown Prince's dethronement, or with the Princess's tragic death on her way to a distant marriage? And what about her return to the palace after five years as a hostage in Qin?

From "the past" to "the present," from empress to deposed queen—all because of a single word from Fu Xiuyi! The entire court could change its expression, the Ming Qi dynasty could be turned upside down! What a "now is different from the past"!

The bedroom door creaked open, and a pair of green boots embroidered with dragons stopped before Shen Miao. Looking up, she saw the hem of a bright yellow robe.

"Since you have followed me for twenty years, I will grant you an intact body. Thank you," the emperor said.

Shen Miao slowly raised her head and looked at the man who stood tall above her. Time had left no mark on his face—he remained as handsome as ever. He was a wise ruler, the rightful emperor, the man she had loved for twenty years, the husband she had been with through thick and thin. Now he said to her, "I will grant you an intact body. Thank you."

"Why?" Shen Miao asked with difficulty.

He did not answer.

"Why are you annihilating the entire Shen family?" she demanded.

Prince Ding, Fu Xiuyi, was one of the late emperor's nine sons, each with their own strengths. However, the crown prince was often ill, and the late emperor hesitated to appoint a new heir, leading to turbulent battles among the princes. Admiring Prince Ding's unparalleled beauty, she had ignored her family's pleas and finally achieved her wish—but this also tied the entire Shen family to Prince Ding's fate.

Because of this, she devoted herself to assisting Prince Ding, rising from a pampered daughter who knew nothing to a princess who participated in court affairs, offering advice and ultimately securing the throne. On the day Fu Xiuyi ascended the throne, he made her empress, the mother of the nation—a truly glorious occasion.

She thought herself the most glorious empress of her time. The rebellion of the prince had just been quelled, leaving Ming Qi precarious. The Xiongnu were invading, and neighboring kingdoms eyed them covetously. To borrow troops, Shen Miao volunteered as a hostage in Qin. When she left, her daughter and son were still infants, and Fu Xiuyi promised, "I will personally bring you back."

Five years later, she finally returned to Ming Qi, only to find a new harem adorned with the beauty and talent of Madam Mei.

Madam Mei was the daughter of a minister whom Fu Xiuyi had met during his eastern expedition. Drawn to her eloquence and understanding, he brought her into the palace. Madam Mei bore Fu Xiuyi the prince, Fu Sheng, who commanded the emperor's favor. However, Shen Miao's son, Crown Prince Fu Ming, was disliked.

Fu Xiuyi once declared before the entire court, "Fu Ming is too soft-hearted. Fu Sheng resembles me far more." His words clearly indicated his intention to appoint a new crown prince.

Madam Mei instilled in Shen Miao a sense of insecurity, and within the palace, Shen Miao and Madam Mei battled for ten years. Madam Mei repeatedly gained the upper hand, even manipulating Fu Xiuyi into marrying his own daughter, Princess Wanyu, to the Xiongnu as a peace treaty. However, the Xiongnu were belligerent and ruthless, and Princess Wanyu died of illness on the way to the marriage and was cremated immediately. Everyone knew something was amiss, but Shen Miao, as a mother, was helpless.

Ultimately, things had come to this day. Fu Xiuyi issued an imperial decree declaring the Shen family guilty of treason, deposing the Crown Prince who committed suicide to express his guilt. She, the Empress, was also deposed and received three feet of white silk.

She just wanted to ask one question: "Why?"

"Fu Xiuyi, do you have a conscience?" Shen Miao's voice cracked. "You and I have been married for more than twenty years, and I ask myself if I have ever wronged you. When you ascended the throne, it was my Shen family that helped you. When you went to war and the Huns invaded, I wrote letters of surrender for you. I knelt to ask the ministers you wanted to win over to assist me. You suffered as a hostage in a neighboring country, and endured much hardship. What have you given me in return? Madam Mei had Wanyu sent to marry, and you drafted the decree. Wanyu died of illness when she was only sixteen. You favored Fu Sheng and neglected Fu Ming—the whole court knew it. Now you've slaughtered my entire family, and as I'm about to die, I want to ask you: why?"

"Shen Miao," Fu Xiuyi frowned, his expression motionless, like a cold statue. "When my father was alive, we discussed how to deal with several major families. The Shen family was too powerful to remain for long. It was I who persuaded my father. I kept the Shen family for twenty more years, which is already a great blessing to the Shen family!"

Already a great blessing to the Shen family! Shen Miao swayed. She had cried so much these days that her tears no longer flowed. She turned to Fu Xiuyi and spoke word by word. "Why keep the Shen family? It wasn't your kindness, nor was it your gift. You just wanted to use the Shen family's military power to increase your chances of succession. When the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked. Now that the throne is secured, you're crossing the river and destroying the bridge. Fu Xiuyi, you have such a cruel heart!"

"Shen Miao!" Fu Xiuyi shouted angrily, as if she'd touched a sore spot. He snorted coldly. "You'll have to take care of yourself." Then he stormed off.

Shen Miao fell to the ground, clenching her fists. This was the man she had loved all her life. She had fought for his favor with Madam Mei in the palace, only to realize in the end that it wasn't a fight for his favor—this man's heart had never been with her! All those sweet whispers were just jokes played on the spot!

She spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Sister, what's wrong? You look so disheveled," a gentle voice rang out.

The woman wore a light yellow blouse, with a face like a lotus and a waist like a willow. She looked like a fairy, her posture graceful and charming as she walked slowly. This was Madam Mei, who had been fighting with Shen Miao for her whole life and was sure of victory.

Behind Madam Mei stood two women dressed in palace attire. Shen Miao was stunned. "Shen Qing, Shen Yue!"

These were the daughters of the second and third wives, her second and third uncles' daughters—her two cousins. How could they be in the palace?

"His Majesty has summoned my sisters to the palace," Shen Yue smiled and covered her lips. "Fifth sister, don't be surprised. In the past few years, fifth sister loved to find matchmakers for us, but now there is no need. His Majesty treats us very well."

"You..." Shen Miao's heart churned like turbulent waves. In a flash, she seemed to understand something she had never thought clearly before. Her voice carried disbelief. "You, you haven't married yet, just for today?"

"That's right." Shen Qing stepped forward. "Back then, His Majesty and my father, along with Third Uncle, made a pact. If you could be persuaded to marry His Majesty, my sister and I would one day share the same fate."

The Second and Third Houses had played a significant role in Shen Miao's marriage to Fu Xiuyi. Now that she thought about it, it seemed her Second and Third Aunts' constant mention of the talented young man of Prince Ding was what sparked her affection for him. So, was this an agreement reached long ago? So, had the Second and Third Houses been harboring evil intentions since the beginning, waiting for everything to happen today?

Shen Qing seemed afraid that Shen Miao didn't understand, so she continued, "Your Majesty is handsome and I have admired him for a long time. But it's only my uncle who holds the power, so I had no choice but to let my fifth sister get there first. Fifth sister has enjoyed many blessings in the past few years, and now it's our time."

"Shen Qing!" Shen Miao suddenly straightened up and said loudly, "Your Majesty raided the Shen family, but let you two enter the palace. How can the second and third houses be safe?"

"Of course the second and third houses will be safe," Shen Yue covered her mouth and laughed. "Because we are great heroes. The evidence of my uncle's rebellion was pointed out by our two houses for the sake of justice. Fifth sister, His Majesty is even going to confer high positions on our two houses."

Shen Miao looked at her two cousins in shock. "Are you crazy? When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact? The Shen family is one family. Fu Xiuyi wants to deal with the Shen family, and you actually framed your own kin..."

"Family? Fifth Sister, we've never acknowledged the First House as ours." Shen Qing sneered. "Besides, you've enjoyed too much. Now that the Crown Prince is dead, the Princess is gone, and the Shen family is destroyed, you'd better go to hell and reunite with them."

Madam Mei stepped forward and said with a smile, "Sister, the kingdom is settled. It's time for you to withdraw."

After ten years of fighting, Shen Miao had finally lost miserably. She lost everything—her children and her family were wiped out, and she had become a huge joke!

She said bitterly, "As long as I don't die, you will all remain my concubines!"

"Eunuch Chen, do it." Madam Mei winked at the eunuch.

The portly eunuch immediately stepped forward, one hand tightly grasping Shen Miao's neck, the other wrapping the white silk from the plate around her throat. With a strong pull, the silk tore at flesh and bone, and bones made a crisp sound.

The struggling woman on the ground stared wide-eyed, silently swearing a poisonous oath in her heart.

Her son, her daughter, her parents, brothers, sisters, servants—the entire Shen family, all murdered.

Fu Xiuyi, Madam Mei, Shen Qing, Shen Yue—everyone who harmed her, everyone who harmed her family: if there is an afterlife, blood debts will be repaid with blood!

When this day ends, you and I will all perish!

---

Author's Note: When this day ends, you and I will all perish - When this sun disappears, I would rather perish with you.

Previous/Next