The wind in the Cold Palace carried the stench of decay.
Shen Qingli curled up on the damp brick floor, her wrists rubbed raw and bloody by coarse hemp rope. The poisoned wine she’d been given three days ago hadn’t killed her outright, but she had been left to suffer in agony ever since. Even worse, her two children were locked up next door, their young voices breaking into intermittent sobs.
“Little sister, do you still recognize this?”
The hem of a dress embroidered with golden phoenixes appeared before her. Shen Qinghuan bent down and lifted a bloodstained jade pendant with her fingertips. It was the keepsake their mother had left her on her deathbed, and now her legitimate elder sister toyed with it in her hands.
“You...” Shen Qingli struggled to lift her head, only to see Xiao Jingming standing behind Shen Qinghuan. He wore a black brocade robe, and his features were still as cool and handsome as ever, but he was no longer the boy who had once tenderly called her “Li’er.”
“His Highness never wanted your love,” Shen Qinghuan said with a laugh. “He wanted the Shen family’s military power, and the black iron token your father left you.”
Shen Qingli’s pupils contracted. That token... It was the keepsake her father had given her on his deathbed, one that could command a hundred thousand troops on the northern frontier. She had always kept it close, but three days ago Xiao Jingming had sweet-talked her into handing it over.
“Why do you think His Highness married you?” Shen Qinghuan crouched down and brushed her fingers across Shen Qingli’s deathly pale face. “Do you really think a face like yours is enough to make you Crown Princess?”
Pain seized her again, and Shen Qingli coughed up a mouthful of black blood. At last, she understood why Xiao Jingming had made her drink the nuptial wine on their wedding day, and why he had always added one particular ingredient, styrax, to her incense after they were married...
Fighting through the agony, Shen Qingli looked at Shen Qinghuan through tear-streaked eyes and asked in a trembling voice, “Sister,
Transmigrating Into a Love Tragedy
Two Accidents, One Lifetime of Heartache
His Little Judge
The Superstar Is My Husband
Crossing a Thousand Autumns: One Thought Shatters Heaven’s Laws
On the Eve of My Wedding, I Begged to Be Released From the Family-Annihilation Plot
The Crown Prince's Legal Empire: All My Employees Are Underworld Thugs
The author uses smart writing to outline the delicate daily life of ancient times, from the clever calculations in the backyard of the deep house to the hustle and bustle of fireworks in the Jianghu market, everything makes people immersed in it. The heroine is a shining presence in the book. She is either extremely intelligent and skillfully maneuvers in the maelstrom of power, or she is brave and resolute, breaking the world's restrictions on women. The author uses the heroine's growth and transformation to write a song of women's struggle. The emotional line in the book is also extremely touching. The love-hate entanglement with the male protagonist, every glance and every dialogue, is full of hidden feelings and tugs at the heartstrings, making people unable to help but feel heartbroken and moved by their fate. Very pretty 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
This work depicts the complexity and contradictions of human nature with delicate brushstrokes, and the plot is compact and full of tension. The protagonist's struggle and choices in the torrent of fate are moving. The author uses calm and profound narrative. The language is concise yet powerful, and every detail is thought-provoking. With a long aftertaste, this is a masterpiece worth savoring again and again.
It's a very good book 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
The storyline is getting better and better
Although the subject matter is not novel, there is no redundancy and the plot is compact.
I can continue reading. I just opened it today and haven't stopped yet. Not bad, let's continue.
A very nice book
Why can't we unify one person's preface and one person's preface?
The content is substantial and very interesting. 😄😄😄😄 The internal charging is getting better and better
The writing is beautiful🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰😊😊😊😊😋😋😋😋😋😘😋😋