The Phoenix's Decree

She stood by him from their days of studying in poverty through his rise to success in officialdom, only to be sent back to her clan, divorced and cast aside.

At the execution grounds, he was appointed by imperial decree to oversee the beheading. He tossed down the execution token from the platform, and in an instant, blood stained the bluestone.

On a pitch-black, rainy night, she glimpsed a ray of hope and risked everything to seize it. From then on, she was reborn. Every smile and frown became a calculated move.

When they met again in another land, she smiled brilliantly, her gaze cold. Her expression warned him: This is only the beginning!