Chu Ling, the legitimate daughter of the Chu family, was abandoned in the countryside as a child. A marriage contract brought her back to the family, and the Emperor declared that, in recognition of the Chu family's years of loyal service, one of its daughters would be granted the title of Princess Consort to the Regent. But everyone in the capital knew that becoming the Regent's consort meant becoming a political sacrifice.
So when Chu Ling was married to the Regent, Pei Jinxuan, by imperial decree, everyone in the capital began betting on how long she would survive.
Some guessed ten days. But ten days passed, and Chu Ling was still alive and well.
Some guessed half a month. But half a month passed, and the Regent was actually standing up for Chu Ling.
People started making bolder guesses.
Some guessed nine months. When nine months passed, Chu Ling became the Valley Master of the Medicine King Valley.
Some guessed a year. When a year passed, Chu Ling became a martial arts prodigy admired by the entire martial world.
Some guessed two years. When two years passed, Chu Ling became head of the Lou family.
People stopped guessing. They began waiting to see whether Chu Ling would reveal any other identities. The Regent, Pei Jinxuan, was also curious about what other surprises his consort might bring him.
And so they waited, until a nightmare arrived.
No one had told them that the poison master everyone in the martial world avoided was her; that the master of the Ninth Heaven Palace, whose name could stop children from crying, was her; or that the fearsome Holy Maiden of Southern Xinjiang, whose very name sent shivers down people's spines, was also her. Everyone protested: “That can't be right. Isn't she one of the good guys?”
When members of the Chu family came to beg for forgiveness, all they saw was the Regent, the very man they had once feared. He said, “Leave, or die. Or I can make you wish you were dead.”
