Xie Li never believed Zhou Lingheng would kill her, not even as she lay dying.
She was the only woman in the harem of Zhou Lingheng, the Son of Heaven of Great Qi, and the bewitching empress who had monopolized his favor for twenty years.
Born humble as a blade of grass, she had known the emperor when he was still young and obscure. His youth had been fraught with hardship, and after he unified the realm, he defied the court and made her his empress.
But only Xie Li knew that this so-called childhood bond was complete nonsense.
She had always hated him: for murdering her father, a blood feud beyond reconciliation; for killing the man she loved; and for taking her by force and imprisoning her freedom for life.
Yet she also knew better than anyone just how much Zhou Lingheng loved her.
A mighty emperor, he had kept his harem empty for her for twenty years, never taking a single concubine. Though she could not bear children, he was willing to reach nearly forty with no heir of his own, adopting his nephew and naming him crown prince instead. A kind look from her or a few gentle words could make him as happy as a child for the entire day.
How could a man like that order her death?
That was the only thought she had before she died.
Still wondering, Xie Li died.
When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to twenty years earlier, the very year she first met Zhou Lingheng.
Back then, Xie Li was a low-ranking shadow guard serving a prince. Secretly admiring the prince's bearing, she was assigned to escort a hostage prince from Qi.
And Zhou Lingheng was no decisive ruler who would one day command the empire. He was only a frail hostage, driven from place to place and hunted after a palace coup. His life hung by a thread, entirely dependent on her decision.
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The blurb has been archived. The full manuscript will be posted once it is complete.
Theme: Growing up
