[Court intrigue and power struggles + strong leads + play the pig to eat the tiger + younger man]
At eighteen, I followed my father to defend the border. One arrow from a young man cut through the still autumn evening.
That year, the young man was sent to the capital as a hostage while I guarded the frontier. When I returned to the capital, everything had changed. I had married another man, and the young man had lost his family.
By then, the world had been turned upside down. The man at my side had seized power, and I had become empress. The once carefree, unruly young man took advantage of the chaos to lead his troops into the palace. When we met again, I drew my bow and drove an arrow through his chest.
That night, I slept peacefully with the wind as my pillow. The young man entered my room. “Sister, I killed him. Now love me.”
