Chapter l

THE EMPRESS PALACE,

ZHAO STATE

The wind howls as it whips through streets, sending discarded leaves and debris swirling in its path. Trees creak and sway ominously, their branches wretched and bare. The sky is a dull grey, with clouds scuring across it like fleeing animals.

Inside , the magnificent palace of The Empress of Zhao , a wretched cry calls .........The father, Empress Consort Pei Yi anxiously walks back and forth the courtyard.

A midwife runs with a bronze bowl , bloody red water , Pei yi tries to enter but is stopped " Your Highness , please don't enter " his subordinate calls but he enters despite the words.

Inside a woman of not more than seventeen lays.....after looking at her consort , she smiles , her pale skin now a flush pink. Pei yi holds his Empress's hand " Ruyi , I'm sorry , you had to go through this pain". Ruyi , the Empress, the ruler of the nation Zhao shakes her head " No ......its not a pain.....Dear"

Contractions intensify, her face contorted in a mix of pain and determination. She breathes deeply, her body working to bring new life into the world.

With each push, her energy surges, and she's fully present in the moment. Sweat beads on her forehead, her eyes locked on something beyond the pain.....Hope

In a final, primal push, a baby emerges, tiny and perfect, into the world, filling the room with its first cry..... Ruyi faints .

Pei yi tends to his wife , the Empress while the midwives clean the baby Princess.The midwife, Mama Zhang gives him their little Princess . A calm and radiant beauty........

Ruyi tries to get up but Pei yi stops her " What do we name her, Your Majesty ?" he asks ......." Xi Yan" she answers " Beauty of a swallow " she says....

" Zhao Xi Yan" he repeats .........In the silent Moonlight the two couple sit side by side holding hands in joy of their newborns presence unaffected by the situation outside.

YU STATE

IMPERIAL CITY

The imperial city, once a symbol of grandeur and power, now lies in ruins. Flames engulf the palace, casting a golden glow over the chaos. The air is thick with smoke and the stench of burning flesh.

In the streets, soldiers clash in a frenzy of steel and blood. The cries of the wounded and the dying fill the air, mingling with the womens' wails. The once-majestic halls are now a charnel house, littered with the bodies of the slain.

Within the palace, the concubines, fearful of capture and dishonor, have taken their own lives. They hang from the silk curtains, their delicate necks snapped, their faces frozen in a macabre smile. The Emperor's favorite, the Lady Mei, lies on her bed, a small dagger buried in her heart. Her eyes, once bright and full of life, are now dull and lifeless.

The Emperor, abandoned by his gods, sits on the throne, his eyes wide with horror as he watches his world burn. The city, once the seat of his power, is now a living hell. The sounds of screams and womens' wails echo through the halls, a chilling testament to the destruction of the once-great dynasty.

As the flames spread, the city is consumed by the fire, a funeral pyre for the empire that once was. The imperial city, a place of beauty and wonder, is no more, reduced to ashes and rubble. The once-proud empire has fallen, and with it, the dreams of its people.

Beside the lifeless body of Lady Mei lies a small boy of not more than five " Mother, Mother" he silently shakes his mother's lifeless body as snot and tears fill his face.

Suddenly , two soilders break in , "Lady Mei was it? rumored to be the most beautiful " one says . " Lets have some fun before others come"the other announces . As they approach the body , the little boy attacks the first soilder with a dagger " Dont hurt my mother" he fights.

The two soilders laugh as they hit the boy hard , he falls on the ground and his nose bleeds .....the two men near the body when suddenly the door breaks open . A female General dressed in black silk and iron armour , rumored to be the Slaughterer of the North, Xiao Ji walks in " What do you think your doing ?" .....the two soilders cower in her gaze ...." Learn to give the dead their dignity" she orders and nears the body .

Her eyes remorseful , as tears wet her cheeks and a sudden flash of anger " You were here to violate this lady , you have violated moral conducts , Only Death is the justified punishment " saying that she slices their heads off.

She nears the body again as she caresses the dead woman 's cheek which was now pale , she frets panicking" Im sorry Mei, I'm sorry .....I've made u dirty , blood i stained u with blood " she mutters like a madwoman .

Suddenly , a shreik , a rustle .....the boy emerges , bloodied nose, blood stained clothes ........Xiao Ji gasps " You....you are Mei's child" ........it wasn't a question......." You have your mothers eyes"

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