The ten-mile-long street was a cacophony of voices. The people of the Li Kingdom capital had set aside their chores, crowding together shoulder-to-shoulder to catch a rare glimpse of an execution.
The day Yan Xiao'er was led to the execution ground, the sun blazed brilliantly overhead. In her heart, she cried out: The heavens are unjust. Why is the world so festive when I am dying a victim of a false accusation?
The moment she looked into the executioner’s vicious face, she abandoned all hope of being saved. Yet, at that very moment, a gasp rippled through the crowd. Yan Xiao'er turned her head with immense anticipation, only for her face to turn ash-gray.
The newcomer was none other than her fiancé, the Duke of Wei, Yu Changqing—the man who was hell-bent on seeing her head roll.
He rode a tall steed draped in purple and blue, controlling the reins as he paced forward, carving a path through the throng. A sinister smile played on his lips; every sound of his horse’s hooves seemed like a melody of murderous intent. He had not come to save her; he had come to see her to her grave in person.
Nearby, the townspeople whispered to one another: "It seems it was the Duke of Wei who discovered she was a descendant of the Wulian Clan. If not for him, our Li Kingdom would surely have been destroyed eventually."
A child asked naively, "Why? This big sister looks so beautiful. How could she destroy us?"
"Shh, don't talk nonsense. Legend says the Wulian Clan could commune with all things in heaven and earth and enter into pacts using their souls. Because their power was too great, it would backfire upon the clanspeople themselves."
"A hundred years ago, during the great war with the Xu Kingdom, it was their clan that collectively destroyed themselves, which gave our Li Kingdom the chance to win. The order was given to root out the Wulian Clan entirely to prevent future trouble. Who would have thought there were still remnants left?"
"Oh my, that’s right. Hurry up and behead her; it’s too terrifying."
Yan Xiao'er held her head high, not a single tear tracing her face. Her fate had come to this; she had nothing left to say. To hope for a man who had actively turned informer to shout "stay the blade" would be a joke.
She grieved that her parents had died young, leaving her with no one to turn to. Her heart ached for her elderly grandmother, who had been deceived by Yu Changqing into inadvertently revealing the family’s secret history. He had seized that handle, and before their wedding, he had delivered an imperial petition to the court. Not only was the engagement annulled, but her life was forfeit.
She had never harmed a soul in her life, yet she was to be put to death because of some legend from hundreds of years ago. The injustice was staggering. The cruelty was profound. The only comfort was knowing that if she had discovered the true nature of this man only after their marriage, her life would have been worse than death.
Yan Xiao'er did not fear death; she only worried for her grandmother, who would be left without care, heart-broken in her twilight years. Thinking of this, her young, naive heart throbbed with unbearable pain.
"The auspicious hour has arrived."
How laughable—that even the beheading of an innocent person required an auspicious hour. Just whose favor was it "auspicious" for?
"Stay the execution!"
Another commotion erupted in the crowd. The order had come from the viewing platform beside the execution ground.
"It’s the Empress! Empress Cheng has forbidden the execution."
The look of irrepressible joy on Yu Changqing’s face vanished instantly. The executioner’s blade, reeking of old blood, was pulled back just inches from Yan Xiao'er’s neck.
The word "Empress" almost moved her to tears of joy, but as the full title "Empress Cheng" reached her ears, she felt only a chill of terror. How could Empress Cheng—the woman who had forced her parents to drown themselves in the lake all those years ago—be the one to speak out in her defense? It had to be a joke!
Yu Changqing lunged toward the viewing platform, his grip on the reins tightening so sharply that the horse neighed in pain and reared back. He asked, suppressing his rage: "Empress Cheng, why call a halt?"
"All things have spirit, and even the Duke of Wei’s horse cannot bear to see a young beauty depart this world. What harm is there in me showing a little mercy?"
"But His Majesty has already issued a decree for her execution. Yan Xiao'er is a descendant of the Wulian Clan who has hidden in the Li Kingdom for a century. We cannot let her go easily."
Empress Cheng let out a cold laugh upon hearing this: "The Duke of Wei is certainly respectful of the Imperial Decree. Do you know why His Majesty sent me here to oversee the execution in the first place?"
"Overseeing is overseeing. It is to uphold the law and enforce the Emperor's command. I do not understand why the Empress is doing the exact opposite."
Yu Changqing dared not openly defy Empress Cheng, who was currently the Emperor’s greatest favorite. This poisonous scorpion of the West Palace never went easy on officials she disliked; the unjust deaths of Yan Xiao'er’s parents had been her doing. In Yu Changqing’s eyes, however, she had merely helped him remove an eyesore ahead of time, so he had never considered her a threat. He had never expected her to be the variable today.
Yan Xiao'er was even more bewildered. She rose from her half-kneeling position and looked toward the curtain lifted on the west side of the viewing platform. A face, beautiful yet masked by a trace of evil, loomed behind the gauze, seemingly swaying on a swing. To her, this life-and-death occasion was mere child's play.
Perhaps Yu Changqing’s words had only amused her further. Empress Cheng’s languid voice drifted from behind the curtain: "His Majesty sent me here because he remembered the Yan family’s contributions to the founding of our nation and their lack of heirs. Since the Duke of Wei has already set an example by placing righteousness above family, his intentions are commendable."
She paused. "It is a pity that the young daughter of the Yan family has never done evil and was even ignorant of her own identity. Heaven loves life, and His Majesty has a heart of clemency. I see that this girl does not fear even in the face of death—she is a fine daughter of our Li Kingdom. His Majesty’s decree is here, leaving the disposal of this matter to my discretion. I say 'stay the execution'—what is wrong with that, Duke of Wei?"
A sword-wielding handmaiden delivered the decree to Yu Changqing. He opened it; it was exactly as she said.
But when she had forced the Yan couple to their deaths, why hadn't Empress Cheng mentioned their contributions? This was clearly a deliberate attempt to obstruct him and ruin his plans. Yu Changqing’s hands trembled slightly; he nearly dropped the scroll. Recovering, he gripped it so hard he almost crushed the parchment. Anything was better than the crime of desecrating an imperial decree, but the sinister smile that had been hanging on his face had already lost its composure.
Empress Cheng watched him, the corners of her mouth curling upward. She knew Yan Xiao'er was a perfect chess piece to control Yu Changqing, and she would not discard her easily.
Her voice rose even louder: "His Majesty also said that the Yan and Yu families both rendered meritorious service in the founding of the state. Their connection must not be severed; maintaining their bond is of great benefit to our national destiny."
Yu Changqing looked astonished. What was this poisonous woman playing at? Did she want him to renew his engagement with Yan Xiao'er? That would be of no benefit to him whatsoever, and the inner chambers would inevitably become a place of blades and shadows, fraught with crisis. With his subsequent plans in complete disarray, how could he dare to marry her into his home?
"Empress Cheng, the debt of gratitude and relationship between me and the Yan family are severed; there is no possibility of a reconciliation. If you wish to force me, I would rather die."
He had to say this firmly in front of the people, or who knew how the rumors would spread? If the Emperor thought he was merely demurring and insisted on re-bestowing the marriage, it would be difficult to resolve.
Yan Xiao'er felt nothing but contempt. When she was a child, everything she saw was "Brother Yu's" feigned kindness. How could a man who manipulated his fiancée's life and death so casually have the audacity to make such a ringing vow of death? Now it was clear: everything in the past had been a performance.
"Hehe, your intentions, Duke of Wei, are known to both His Majesty and me. When I say the connection between the Yan and Yu families has not been severed, I am not talking about you, Yu Changqing."
Yu Changqing was confused, and his internal alarm bells rang loudly. He thought to himself, *What is she planning?*
"Ah," Empress Cheng sighed, casting a charming glance and speaking in a gentle voice, "I have thought it over carefully. Your brother, Yu Changmian, is truly a much better match for Yan Xiao'er. Why don't I make that decision right here, right now?"