A year after I died, a devastating drought struck the land, leaving the people destitute. The emperor personally traveled to Qingzhou, demanding that I offer up my mermaid core to bring rain to the land. My maid told him, “Lady Official Liu is dead.”
The emperor sneered. “Just because I took her core to save Wan’er, she was exiled for years and still hasn’t learned her place? Is she still holding a grudge against me? I kept her title as a lady official, and she still hasn’t had enough of this tantrum after all these years? Tell her to hand over the core at once. If the people suffer because of her, I’ll exterminate the entire mermaid clan!”
The maid fell silent for a long time, then slowly lowered her head. “Your Majesty, my lady came into this world alone, and she left it alone. Besides, there was only one mermaid core, and my lady died three years ago. Mermaids taking human form are rare in this world. How could there be an entire clan? After she died, I stayed behind to repay her for saving my life, watching over this shop, the first rouge shop she ever owned. I do it not only to honor her memory, but also so she won’t die with regrets. She should see how the tyrant wreaks havoc on the world.”
