In the first year of Jianwu, on the night of the palace coup, I almost killed the future emperor with my own hands.
By the pond in Leng Palace, covered in blood, he grabbed my neck and pushed me into the water. I couldn't get away, and I couldn't see his face clearly. I just knew I had to survive.
I found a rock and hit him hard on the back of the head.
Blood dyed the water red. He let go and fell into the pond.
I thought he was dead and collapsed to the ground with fear.
But the next day, he woke up.
He sat beside my simple bed, with a white cloth wrapped around his head. He looked at me with a blank look that I had never seen before, and asked: "Who are you? Did you save the orphan?"
I looked at this face - the face that personally signed the edict to kill my whole family.
I smiled, gentler than ever.
"Your Majesty, my name is Queque."
