The candlelight flickered, filling the room with a red glow.

Inside the bridal chamber, a woman dressed in a bright red wedding gown was bound hand and foot and thrown onto the bed. Her brows were furrowed, and she murmured, "No! No..."

In her dream, candlelight flickered before her eyes, and wax dripped onto her face, which was covered in knife scars. The burning pain was nothing compared to the pain inside her body.

She was poisoned, and the toxins were eroding her internal organs over time, causing her to sweat profusely and her consciousness to nearly fade. Yet today, she was unusually lucid, as if experiencing a final burst of energy before death.

She was hidden behind a wall and heard her younger brother Xie Liwei's voice.

Xie Liwei's childish voice was filled with unconcealed grief. He pleaded weakly, "Your Majesty, please allow me to take my sister's body home."

The Emperor's voice was cold and stern: "Your sister was my Empress, and after her death she will naturally be buried in the Imperial Mausoleum!"

"My elder sister has known the Emperor since she was fourteen. She accompanied you on your campaigns, laying the foundation for the Great Chen Dynasty. Her contributions are immense. Can you bear to let her wait for you alone in the imperial mausoleum for decades?"

The emperor's face tightened, and he angrily rebuked, "Xie Liwei, how dare you!"

Does he mean he should go down and keep Xie Wanqing company?

"Your Majesty, I dare not! My elder sister loved liveliness her whole life. The imperial mausoleum is desolate and lonely. Please allow me to bring back my sister's remains." Xie Liwei knelt on the ground, his voice trembling. He could not accept that he had only been invited to study outside the capital for a few days, and yet he had received the devastating news that the Fengyi Palace had caught fire and everyone in the palace had been burned to death!

He wanted to retrieve his sister's body, not only to give her peace in death, but also to find out the truth!

His sister had countless skilled fighters around her, how could she have died in a fire?

The Emperor's stiff face twitched, and before he could utter a rebuke, Xie Liwei said, "My entire Xie family voluntarily withdraws from the capital and returns to Chenliu, never to concern ourselves with court affairs again. Please allow me to take my elder sister's remains back to our hometown!"

The Emperor held his breath. The Xie family were his pillars of support in conquering the empire, their contributions overshadowing his own. Many in the court only listened to Xie Wanqing! That's why he hardened his heart to execute Xie Wanqing, in order to slowly remove the Xie family, this powerful clan that practically held sway over the court.

Now, a mere corpse is enough to force the entire Xie family to withdraw from the court—a very worthwhile deal!

The Emperor sighed, "I know you siblings were very close, and Wanqing often said she wanted to return to her homeland. So be it... take her back with you!"

Inside the dark room, Xie Wanqing vomited a mouthful of blood, crying out, "No..."

If the Xie family were to voluntarily relinquish power, they would be nothing more than fish on the chopping block! The Xie family has been a distinguished family for centuries, producing countless outstanding figures! Would Yuwen Wuji really let them go?

But she was so weak, her breath was barely a whisper, and the sound she made could not penetrate the wall.

Her body was growing colder and colder, but the hatred in her chest was surging like a river!

Because of Yuwen Wuji's promise to "share the empire with her," she devoted herself wholeheartedly to helping him become emperor. Yet, due to a minor disagreement over political views, he tried to kill her!

She regretted it, she regretted it! If she could do it all over again, why couldn't her Xie family be the family of the emperor? Why couldn't she have become a queen herself?!

"No!" she exclaimed, opening her eyes and slowly regaining her senses upon seeing the furnishings in the room. She was unable to calm herself down for a long time.

She was reborn!

She was reborn into the body of a woman named Song Yaozhu. She gradually pieced together the woman's memories and saw how the woman was driven to death by her relatives. The anger she had suffered in both her past and present lives burned within her, making her tremble with fear.

After all, she was a woman who had been an empress. Once she had sorted out her thoughts, she quickly considered how to take revenge, and her emotions gradually calmed down.

Now that she has become Song Yaozhu, she will also shoulder Song Yaozhu's grudges!

And there's Yuwen Wuji, who harmed her in her past life!

Song Yaozhu curled up and untied the ropes binding her feet. She then walked to a nearby table and used scissors to untie the ropes binding her hands. The person who tied her up clearly thought she couldn't escape; otherwise, they would have tied her hands behind her back.

She glanced around the room and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was like a silver plate, with thick eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes; she was clearly a beauty in the making. However, her makeup was too heavy, giving her a somewhat artificial look and making her lose her youthful vivacity.

What's most surprising is that this face bears a striking resemblance to his own face when he was alive, about five or six points.

After she was alone in the room, she realized something was wrong with her body. Her head was spinning, and her body felt slightly hot; her private parts were particularly uncomfortable.

When she first woke up, she thought it was discomfort from suffocation, but now she understands that she has been drugged.

Driven by their desire for a life of wealth, the Song family showed no mercy to this daughter they had never raised. They not only bound her hand and foot but also drugged her.

Song Yaozhu quickly poured herself some tea. Ordinary aphrodisiacs were only for arousal and wouldn't make someone lose their mind. But after drinking a large pot of cold water, the heat in her body not only didn't subside, but instead made her dizzy and her vision blurred.

Song Yaozhu collapsed onto the chaise longue, feeling so unwell she almost died.

That old scoundrel from the Song family, if she doesn't die today, she will make them pay for their blood debt!

Just as she was in a daze, a cold hand grabbed her chin and lifted her face up.

"She does resemble my elder sister somewhat; no wonder Grand Tutor Song went to such lengths to find her."

After Xie Liwei finished speaking, he flicked his wrist, tossing the man's head aside, and took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands.

Song Yaozhu felt the coolness from before was very comforting, so she couldn't let him leave. Following her instincts, she grabbed his hand and pressed her face against it.

"So comfortable~" she murmured.

The old woman standing behind Xie Liwei looked calm, but her old eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets.

The princess is so frivolous, she will surely be dumped by the prince!

The next moment, Xie Liwei did indeed try to shake her off, but Song Yaozhu seemed to have anticipated this. Not only did she anticipate his movements and avoid being thrown aside, she also grabbed Xie Liwei's slender waist.

"Let go!" Xie Liwei said coldly.

But you can't communicate with someone who has lost their mind. Song Yaozhu not only didn't let go, but also used both feet to hold Xie Liwei's legs, hanging her whole body on Xie Liwei.

"Let me hug you, and I'll give you money!" Song Yaozhu said shamelessly.

The old woman couldn't listen anymore and quickly went forward to pull Song Yaozhu away.

"Your Highness! What are you doing?!" She tugged twice, but couldn't budge Song Yaozhu at all, and could only look at Xie Liwei. "Your Highness, this servant thinks the Princess has been drugged and that's why she's like this. This servant will go and fetch the royal physician right away. Please, Your Highness, be patient! On this joyous day, please, please don't let there be any blood!"

Xie Liwei angrily flicked the end of his hair, "Hurry up and go!"

Song Yaozhu tore open most of his clothes, revealing his fair skin.

Just as he was so angry that he wanted to slap Song Yaozhu to death, a soft little hand pressed against his chest with a "smack".

"Wow, it's so tight! Let me touch it~ You've got lots of money, sister!"

Xie Liwei's face flushed red. Did they think he was some kind of male prostitute from a brothel?

"Insolence! I will make you wish you were dead!"