In the sixth year of Kangping, Qi demanded that Great Zhou send its Crown Prince as a hostage.
The Grand Princess, Zhao Yuanyi, chose He Wei to take the prince's place, like a cat swapping out a prince, and die in his stead.
He Wei was the son of a disgraced official, alone and powerless. Zhao Yuanyi threatened and bribed him until he had no choice but to agree.
She shackled him, threw him into a tiger cage, and subjected him to every form of humiliation she could devise.
He only obediently wiped the blood from his throat, handed the iron chain to Zhao Yuanyi, and pressed his face to her hand in humble submission. "Please show me mercy, Your Highness."
Just like the Persian cat she kept, beautiful and lowly, forever wagging its tail to please her.
An accident led Zhao Yuanyi and He Wei to spend one night in each other's arms.
The night before, she had been on top, lost in passion as she said, "Good dog. Behave, and I'll keep you by my side."
The next morning, as soon as she awoke, she remembered her engagement and He Wei's mission, and turned cold as if nothing had happened.
While he was still caught up in the moment, Zhao Yuanyi swiftly put an end to things, drugged him unconscious, and sent him off in a carriage bound for Qi.
That night, with her betrothed on the other side of a folding screen, she stood completely naked.
The man who should have been bound in the convoy wrapped a hand around her slender throat from behind. His cold dagger rested against her chest, slowly tracing its way across her skin.
He smiled with wild, bewitching abandon. In the same coaxing tone he always used, he spoke words cold enough to pierce to the bone.
"Was I not convincing enough? You still want to marry him. I should cut you open and see if you have a heart."
Once a dog, always a dog.
Later, Zhao Yuanyi married her betrothed, the new ruler of Qi.
On their wedding night, her red veil was lifted.
Her husband was nowhere to be found. In his wedding robes stood a face she knew all too well.
The man who had died long ago looked down at her coldly.
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Theme: Be good and obedient
Why hasn't it been updated yet? It's been a long time.