The Twelve Witches

During the Yongqing era, Su Lingxi did many shocking things. In the midst of war, she threw her support behind a frail young emperor and helped him take the throne. Then, amid political turmoil and a suffering realm, she imprisoned the emperor and installed an empress. She rose from Grand Secretary of the Cabinet to Imperial Tutor, excelling at both civil and military affairs and wielding power with ease. Those who didn’t know her origins cursed her behind her back, calling her rude and faithless, and accusing her of showing no respect for heaven, earth, or the sovereign. Those who did know her origins cursed her too: “No wonder she’s such a wild one. Even Fuyu couldn’t keep her!” After Fuyu stripped her of her status and cast her out, Su Lingxi spent thirteen years in the human world. As time went by, her memories faded, and many people and events gradually slipped from her mind. She never imagined she would set foot in Fuyu again. That year, the Pillar of Heaven broke, and countless demons escaped, throwing the world into chaos. The empress established a demon-hunting bureau in the imperial capital. Carrying the human emperor’s jade letter, Su Lingxi led an envoy to Fuyu to ask the Wu people to emerge and hunt demons, protecting the people of the realm. The Wu people sent their representatives to the capital, but the commander of the mission was nowhere to be seen. It was more than ten days before Su Lingxi finally saw Ye Zhuxu. He came in from outside and tossed his sword into its scabbard. The metallic ring of the blade and the stench of blood reverberated through the ancient hall. He took his seat in the hall, flanked by Wu attendants in their gleaming, frost-cold armor. Su Lingxi looked up. As their eyes met, she clearly saw his pupils, dark as ink beneath his cool, long lashes. His gaze concealed a fierce, secret intensity, as though he wanted to devour her bones. The silver bells they had both worn, silent for years, sensed something and began ringing urgently. The Wu people around them who knew some of the story glanced from Ye Zhuxu to her, then lowered their eyes with rueful sighs and said nothing. Su Lingxi took in their expressions, turning the bone knife in her hand as she pressed it lightly against her bell. She realized she was in an extremely troublesome situation. She and this commander, whose name alone could win over the proud young people of Fuyu, might once have shared something unusual, but it had ended badly. Now they would have to work together for quite some time. And she could barely remember the past. When Su Lingxi was young, she made a mistake. She didn’t think it was a big deal, or even a mistake at all, but she paid a terrible price for it, nearly losing everything. Her life was frozen in place that year. The long years that followed were spent proving who was right and searching for a way home. Reader’s guide: 1. Both leads are powerful, and the story is sweet. Lots of original worldbuilding. Theme: Returning to simplicity.