"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Yu clan has committed treason and colluded with the enemy; according to the law, they shall be executed..."
A single imperial edict severed the fate of the nation, and in the sweltering heat of June, snow fell in torrents.
The sudden heavy snow lasted for three days and three nights, as if the heavens themselves were grieving for the rain.
North City, the General's Mansion of Zhenbei.
Yu Qianqian woke up from her unconsciousness. She tried to move, but couldn't. The intense pain in her body reminded her of everything that had happened before she fainted. She vividly remembered the scene of her father being taken away by soldiers last night.
She tilted her head slightly, her bright eyes flashing, and a bitter smile appeared on her pretty face. "Father... that incompetent dog emperor is truly ridiculously stupid!"
Her father, the General Who Guards the North, was incredibly brave, commanding hundreds of thousands of iron cavalry. He was a founding minister of the Northern You Dynasty. Yet now, on the grounds of colluding with the enemy, he was accused of treason and sentenced to have the entire Yu family executed!
But if Father had rebellious intentions, how could the dragon throne in the Golden Palace have been preserved to this day?
"Ha...treason and collusion with the enemy, Father, such a crime is only because your merits have overshadowed the emperor..."
Thinking of this, Yu Qianqian smiled sadly. This damned world, this filthy imperial power, in the end, all of this still boils down to one word: desire.
"Da da..."
Suddenly, a series of chaotic footsteps sounded from outside the main hall, growing louder as they approached. In this Zhenbei General's Mansion, where ghosts roamed and the living were forbidden, the sound was exceptionally clear.
She slowly raised her eyes and looked up, only to find a woman in green standing in her line of sight. She knew the woman all too well—Yue Lingwei, her childhood friend and sworn sister.
Yue Lingwei walked gracefully towards Yu Qianqian with elegant lotus-like steps. Her green dress fluttered in the breeze, and her every move exuded a faint sense of aloofness.
Noticing the unfamiliarity in Yue Lingwei's expression, Yu Qianqian's heart skipped a beat, and she inexplicably felt a sense of impending doom. She met Yue Lingwei's indifferent gaze and forced a calm smile, saying, "Lingwei, were you discovered by those soldiers when you came?"
"Don't worry, Brother Xuan has already taken care of everything for me. The most important thing now is to get you out of here." Yue Lingwei reassured Yu Qianqian, her face calm, but as she spoke, she gripped the emerald green sword hidden under her sleeve tightly.
Glancing at the gleaming sword, a flash of coldness crossed Yu Qianqian's eyes. Relying on her intuition, she quickly found the knot with her hands behind her back. Her pretty face remained calm, but secretly, she took advantage of the moment when the knot was exposed and tore at it with her fingernails.
She stared intently at Yue Lingwei's feigned demeanor, her mind racing with conflicting thoughts. Little did she know that her words, "Brother Xuan," and that extremely cold expression had already betrayed her true feelings.
Although she disliked Zhao Tingxuan, who was weak-willed and narrow-minded, he was, after all, the son-in-law her father had personally chosen for her. Even if she, Yu Qianqian, disliked him, she would never allow him to be stolen away.
Yu Qianqian always kept in mind the words her father had told her countless times: "Yu Qianqian, you must remember that men are dispensable in this world, because you can only rely on yourself. But you must get rid of any relatives or friends who will harm you!"
Yue Lingwei, you want to steal my man? You'll pay with your life first! Let's see who has the last laugh in this battle.
"Qianqian, don't be afraid, I'll help you right away..." Yue Lingwei's steps quickened until she stopped in front of Yu Qianqian. Her face turned cold, and a green sword flashed out from her sleeve. Before the sword arrived, Yu Qianqian's urgent cry came first.
"Wait a minute!"
“Lingwei, I know you’re desperate to save him, but before that, I want to ask you something.” Yu Qianqian struggled against the ropes with both hands, looking at Yue Lingwei with a calm expression. “My father has been taken away by the imperial court. Now that he’s gone, I don’t know when we’ll see each other again. Although my father tried his best to arrange my marriage with Zhao Tingxuan, I already had someone I liked ten years ago. Lingwei, what do you think is the best choice for me?”
"Hmph! You? Of course, it would be best if you were dead!"
Yue Lingwei didn't even glance at Yu Qianqian. She slowly bent down, her cold voice uttering each word clearly: "Yu Qianqian, there are probably some things you don't know, are there? The matter of the Yu family harboring a wanted criminal was all planned by Brother Xuan and me. Now, the entire 128 lives of your General's Mansion have been wiped out, and you, you're still foolishly hoping for your father's release from prison, completely unaware of this. Yu Qianqian, you're so stupid it makes me laugh!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Qianqian's expression changed drastically, and she immediately exclaimed, "It was Zhao Tingxuan...it was you who killed my father!"
Crystalline tears silently streamed down her face and fell to the ground. Yu Qianqian stared intently at Yue Lingwei's grinning face and roared angrily, "Yue Lingwei, what have I, Yu Qianqian, ever done to wrong you? How could you... how could you so cruelly try to kill my family!"
"You two heartless bastards, how dare you harm my Yu clan like this!"
Before the words were even finished, Yue Lingwei's cold laughter rang out again: "On what grounds? On what grounds? On what grounds? Because you shamelessly interfered between me and Brother Xuan! On what grounds? Because your father arbitrarily made a decision to turn my fiancé into your Yu family's son-in-law! Do you think that just because your father casually bestowed upon me the position of a concubine, I would be grateful to you and your Yu family? You're dreaming!"
"Surprised?" Yue Lingwei smiled sinisterly. Her face, twisted and deformed by anger, immediately revealed a bloodthirsty killing intent. She held her sword in one hand and fiercely stabbed it towards Yu Qianqian's chest!
The blade pierced three-tenths of an inch into her bone, a stinging pain spreading through her body. Yet, Yu Qianqian seemed oblivious. She then swiftly dodged the blade with the lightness of a swallow, skillfully avoiding its penetration. The emerald sword fell to the ground with a clatter. Her limbs moved like a serpentine snake, and in that instant, she gracefully fell with the sword's shadow.
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