"The wicked woman Murong Xiaoxiao has behaved indecently and failed to uphold a wife's virtue. She committed adultery and brought shame upon the imperial harem. Her crimes are heinous, and she has disgraced the royal family. She is unfit to be the mother of the nation. I deeply abhor her conduct, and hereby strip her of her title as empress. Yet, mindful of our marriage, I shall spare her corpse intact and grant her poisoned wine. So be it!"
Murong Xiaoxiao sniffled, her timid eyes brimming with tears as she shook her head again and again. "I... I didn't. Eldest Sister, I didn't. Believe me, I truly did nothing to betray His Majesty. Let me see him. I'll explain everything, and he'll believe me."
Watching Murong Xiaoxiao's body convulse in agony, the woman's smile widened without end. She crouched down and whispered into Murong Xiaoxiao's ear, her voice barely audible. "Murong Xiaoxiao, go die. I am the eldest legitimate daughter of the Murong family. The empress's throne belongs to me. You were nothing but a pawn to His Majesty, a pawn that helped him ascend the throne."
Murong Xiaoxiao stared blankly at Murong Yingxue. She could never have imagined that her gentle, lovely elder sister would say something so cold and cruel.
When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to ten years earlier, the year she became a pawn and the year the schemes began. Since life had given her another chance, she would never again be a lowly worm for others to trample. She would take control of her own fate and show no mercy to those cruel and treacherous people.
