Chapter 1 Death on a Stormy Night

It was the height of summer in Yujing.

The streets were wide, with restaurants and shops lining the streets, and the locals and vendors were enjoying themselves, creating a bustling scene.

Who could have imagined that ten years ago, this Jade Capital, this Great Phoenix Dynasty, was beset by internal and external troubles, teetering on the brink of collapse, and already on the verge of its demise!

All of this is thanks to the Crown Princess, Junxi.

The Fengyang Bell rang out, a full eighty-one times.

Its mournful cry, like a phoenix falling from the heavens, startled the entire capital city.

News came from the palace that their revered emperor had passed away!

"Empress Xihe has passed away!"

A swift horse galloped from the Phoenix Palace straight out of the palace, spreading the news of Emperor Junxi's passing.

Soon, the news of Junxi's death spread throughout the city.

All the people, regardless of age or gender, wore expressions of grief, and tears welled up in their eyes.

They knelt down in unison, facing the direction of the Phoenix Palace, placing their right hands on their hearts to express their sorrow and respect.

Without the empress, they would have long since become wronged souls under the iron heel of the enemy, humiliated slaves of a conquered nation.

Such a wonderful empress, it's truly a case of heaven being jealous of talent!

"Heaven is unjust! May Empress Xihe live forever!"

"Heaven is unjust! May Empress Xihe live forever!"

"..."

The cries of anguish echoed throughout the capital city, rising and falling, reaching the heavens as if they were praying to the heavens to return the emperor to them.

On the Star-Picking Tower, Jun Mingyue held Shen Changqing, Jun Xi's beloved and the current imperial consort, in her arms. She looked at the scene in the capital with an inscrutable expression, but a flash of jealousy and hatred quickly crossed her eyes.

"Sister, oh sister, you really win the hearts of the people!"

Even though Junxi is dead, so many ignorant people are still weeping for her!

What does it matter how sincerely she cried? What does it matter that Empress Xihe's holy name will last for eternity? What does it matter that Junxi was confident in his unparalleled literary and military achievements?

In the end, wasn't Jun Mingyue the winner?

Jun Mingyue was extremely pleased. The poor, ignorant people didn't know that the empress they admired and worshipped was still alive.

Junxi's martial arts were unparalleled, and she was invincible on the battlefield. So she crippled Junxi's martial arts and severed her tendons in her hands and feet!

Junxi was unparalleled in appearance, so she ruined her appearance with boiling water!

Junxi's phoenix eyes attracted the fervent pursuit of handsome men all over the world, so she gouged out Junxi's eyes!

Junxi could speak eloquently, so she poisoned Junxi's voice, leaving her with no way to seek justice!

Junxi, the supreme ruler, considered himself of high status, so she threw him into a pile of beggars to die!

She would destroy everything that Jun Xi was praised or flattered about! She, Jun Mingyue, was the true ruler of the Great Phoenix Dynasty!

"Mingyue, I have done what I promised you. When will you marry me and make me your husband?"

The man in her arms offered himself as her bedmate; he was fickle and promiscuous. If it weren't for dealing with Junxi, she wouldn't have demeaned herself by sleeping with a slut like him!

Jun Mingyue felt utterly disgusted with Shen Changqing, but on the surface she was all tenderness and affection.

"Changqing, you are the one I love, and I will never wrong you."

Shen Changqing felt relieved after receiving the woman's promise, but he didn't realize that Jun Mingyue hadn't given any substantial promises from beginning to end.

"Bright moon, I also admire you."

"Changqing, the guards have reported that my sister might not make it through the night. We were sisters after all... I'm going to see her off on her final journey. Do you want to come with me?"

Hearing Jun Mingyue's high-sounding words, Shen Changqing was deeply moved. What a kind woman she was! This was the kind of wife he had always dreamed of.

Junxi treated him well, presenting him with all the rarest and most precious treasures in the world, allowing him to choose freely.

However, Shen Changqing despised Junxi's hypocrisy, her imperial power tactics, and even more so her ruthless and decisive methods.

Therefore, he always felt empty inside.

It wasn't until he met the gentle and noble Jun Mingyue that Shen Changqing felt he had a soul.

Previously, he was nothing more than a walking corpse, numbly submitting to Junxi's pleasure.

Shen Changqing turned his head, his eyes sparkling, and looked at Jun Mingyue with deep affection.

“Mingyue, you are just too kind-hearted, that’s why you were bullied by Junxi before.”

"Since Mingyue wants to go, I'm willing to go with you."

Jun Mingyue smiled slightly and casually kissed Shen Changqing on the cheek.

"Changqing understands my heart best."

Yujing, West Street.

A disheveled woman huddled in a corner, her limbs hanging limply, her eyes sunken, with traces of blood around them.

Junxi was wise all her life but foolish for a moment. She seized power over the world and enjoyed great glory and freedom.

However, she was betrayed by her closest sister and the man she loved most. One led away the Phoenix Feather Army, while the other silently poisoned her.

Junxi wanted to laugh, laughing at the fact that people's hearts are hidden from their minds, and laughing at her own utter foolishness!

She forgot the art of rulership she had learned since childhood, and forgot that only men and petty people are difficult to deal with!

She dismissed the harem for Shen Changqing and divorced the nine husbands who had followed her when she was in the Eastern Palace.

Of all the waters in the world, I only need a single sip.

Her self-righteous devotion only moved herself.

She favored her own sister, giving her honor and power, which led to her current predicament!

But Junxi couldn't laugh; she had been given a potent drug to make her mute, and her throat was completely rotten.

Even if one hates someone to the extreme, even if one grinds their throat bones to pieces, all they can make is a hoarse and unpleasant "hoarse" sound.

She cursed herself in her heart.

Junxi, you deserve it!

You rejected three thousand beauties in the imperial harem, and now you've turned over a new leaf and are blind to favor only one man!

You deserved such a miserable end, and you deserved your magnificent first half of life to end so abruptly!

Snap, snap...

Junxi's martial arts were crippled, and her meridians were torn apart with pain. Under the intense pain, his five senses became dulled.

Her eyes were gouged out, so she couldn't see the dark clouds overhead or the crowds seeking shelter from the rain.

The raindrops started falling sparsely, but soon a torrential downpour began.

The corner where Junxi was staying offered no shelter from the rain. The torrential rain soaked the disheveled woman, and the yellow dust and sand were mixed in with the rain, turning the area into a muddy mess.

The sudden downpour caused people to rush to find shelter. As they passed by Junxi, their footsteps splashed mud and dirty water all over him.

For Junxi, whose tendons and ligaments were all severed, even the act of dodging was a luxury.

Amidst the chaotic scene, a luxurious carriage, completely out of place in the disarray of West Street, slowly approaches.

The servants thoughtfully laid out a thick red carpet so that the distinguished guests in the carriage would not get muddy.

Shen Changqing wore a moon-white brocade robe, and the silver lotus flower-shaped decoration between his eyebrows made his already aloof and cold beauty even more striking.

He nestled in Jun Mingyue's arms, covered his nose with a handkerchief in disgust, looked down at the extremely disheveled Jun Xi, and frowned as he questioned her.

"Junxi, your current predicament is entirely your own fault. Now that things have come to this... do you regret humiliating Mingyue? Do you regret taking me into the palace?"

regret?

The word "regret" doesn't exist in Junxi's dictionary!

Even if she dies a tragic death today, she will only hate herself for not being ruthless enough and for not being cold-blooded enough, giving them the opportunity to cause trouble.

The victor is king, the loser is villain. She didn't lose to Jun Mingyue and Shen Changqing, but to herself!

She opened her lips to speak, uttering each word slowly, so that Shen Changqing could clearly see her silent lip movements.

"Shen Changqing, when you stripped naked and knelt before me, using all sorts of tricks to seduce me, you were so pitiful and despicable!"

"As expected of the number one young master of Yangzhou, his figure is very supple, and his oral skills are also quite good. I am very satisfied."

Shen Changqing and Jun Mingyue understood Jun Xi's lip reading. The man was so angry that his face turned red, while the woman held him in her arms to comfort him.

"Changqing, everything you have done is for me and for the common people. You don't need to mind your elder sister's nonsense."

After being comforted by Jun Mingyue, Shen Changqing raised his tearful eyes and gave a wronged "Mmm".

After comforting the man, Jun Mingyue turned to look at Jun Xi, who was silently cursing them as "dogs and dogs".

"Eldest sister, you've always been stubborn, and you'll never admit your mistakes."

Jun Mingyue, dressed in a black python robe and holding an umbrella, coldly watched Jun Xi's miserable state.

"As sisters, today Changqing and I will see you off on your final journey, thus fulfilling our sisterly bond in this life."

"Don't worry, after you leave, I will take good care of Changqing and govern the Great Phoenix Dynasty well. Eldest sister, you can go in peace."

Junxi could only sneer in her heart. How could she have been so blinded by such laughable blood ties before?

Jun Mingyue's true intentions are as clear as day; she only sees them now that she's stepped outside the situation.

If there is an afterlife...

(Guys I wanted to ask if you want this novel 18+ or not coz original author did write much about it so tell if you want I'll add myself.)

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