The traitor she once feared ultimately gave his life to take a sword meant for her.
Reborn, she decides to live differently this time:
No more fighting. They'll work together.
Xiao Yu is the only imperial heir of the Great Yan Dynasty. She ascends the throne at fifteen and loses her kingdom at twenty-one.
As she lies dying, she watches the barbarian cavalry storm the palace gates while the court officials scatter like birds and beasts. The final arrow pierces her heart, and Xie Huaiqing, the powerful minister she spent half her life guarding against and hating, rushes forward to take the fatal blow for her.
As he dies, he curses her: "Useless emperor."
Xiao Yu accepts it.
She truly was useless. She had tens of thousands of troops and fifty thousand hidden soldiers left by the late emperor, yet her suspicion and arrogance drove away the only person who could save her. She lost her country and her life.
When she opens her eyes again, she is reborn, and none of it has happened yet.
Someone in court has been secretly conspiring with the barbarians for years, but Xiao Yu never learned who it was before she died. This time, she has no intention of fighting Xie Huaiqing again. She lowers her guard and extends an olive branch with all the dignity of an emperor. "Grand Secretary Xie, how about a deal?"
"Xie Huaiqing, what is it you really want: my kingdom or my life?"
"Can Your Majesty give me what I want?"
