The glazed tiles of the Forbidden City caught the cold light of the setting sun, resembling a slab of amber soaked in blood and then congealed. I leaned against the freezing palace wall, dragging myself forward step by step. The skirt, embroidered with a golden phoenix, trailed across the bluestone slabs, leaving a winding streak of blood—not my own, but that of the elderly eunuch who had just intercepted a sword for me. His clouded eyes still reflected the image of my youth, back when I was still an innocent daughter of the Prime Minister's Residence, Zhao Ning.
"Demon Empress! Surrender your life at once!"
Shouts surged from the direction of the Taiji Hall, the clanking of armor sounding like a death knell. I raised my head to look at the palace that had once borne all my glory and nightmares; the mythical beasts on the upturned eaves were as ferocious as ghosts in the twilight. Twenty years ago, in a sunset just like this, I was carried into this imperial city in an eight-bearer sedan chair, my bridal attire as red as fire, mirroring the starlight in the young emperor's eyes. He had said, "Ning'er, from now on, this boundless empire shall be the home for both of us."
Chapter 131