Some seats, the moment you take them, doom you to lose the person most precious to you.
He once offered her an empire as his bride price and promised her a lifetime of peace.
In the end, a single imperial edict took everything from her.
From childhood sweethearts who promised, “I’ll raise you on the money I make from raising pigs,” to an emperor’s cold calculation: “The ruler commands, and the subject must die.”
From sharing sweet rice cakes in Xigu Alley to coughing up blood in Kunning Palace.
He said, “This realm belongs to the Qi family, not the Xie family.”
She smiled. “Your Majesty, at last you have become a true emperor.”
