Having slept for a long time in endless darkness, Stephen Shadow groggily opened his eyes, tiny grains of sand and pebbles rolling off his eyelids as he moved them. An incredible pain shooting through his chest forced Stephen Shadow to groan softly.
Stephen shifted his body slightly, adjusting for a moment, and then raised his head slightly, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings with a blank expression. When he saw the pitifully beautiful young Bai Wanxin, Stephen frowned, a hint of confusion showing on his face.
Stephen inhaled the fresh air through his nose, a cool sensation spreading from his dantian throughout his body. His brow relaxed. Once he confirmed that Bai Wanxin before him was a real person, Stephen, his hand, which had been lying flat on the ground, slowly clenched into a fist, his eyes turning from clear to bloodshot, like a crazed killer who had wielded a knife to slaughter people.
"Bai Wanxin, no mistake, it's definitely that bitch Bai Wanxin." Stephen Ying had no doubt about his guess.
Having served as a dog, horse, and ox in the Xuanyuan Dynasty for over a decade, Stephen Ying was never lacking in patience, perseverance, and meticulousness. Even when he saw his enemy Bai Wanxin rejuvenated and in the prime of her youth, he refrained from taking action and carefully observed his surroundings.
When Stephen Shadow learned of his rebirth, he grinned from ear to ear, like a monk reciting a wooden fish drum. Starting from scratch, with memories of the future and decades of experience, Stephen Shadow was certain he could do even better.
Back then, Stephen Ying used love to gain Bai Wanxin's trust, deliberately feigning weakness to lull her into a false sense of security, and then used Bai Wanxin to successfully trap Xuan Yuan Yu Jing, so that Xuan Yuan Yu Jing would send him back to the Stephen Empire in a grand and glorious manner.
Upon returning home, the envoy from the Xuanyuan Dynasty explicitly stated that Stephen Shadow was under the protection of Xuanyuan Yu Jing, and anyone who dared to touch Xuanyuan Yu Jing would be going against the Xuanyuan Emperor. At a time when the Stephen Empire was facing numerous calamities, Stephen Shadow's cousins had no choice but to keep a low profile.
Stephen Shadow knew how to utilize his strengths, such as his intelligence. First, he quietly eliminated the other candidates for future king, then he continuously built his reputation and prestige, gaining the support and admiration of the people of the Stephen Empire.
With a far-reaching good reputation, the support of the behemoth that is the Xuanyuan Dynasty, and the king's only son, Stephen possessed all the advantages—favorable timing, geographical advantage, and popular support.
After becoming the new king of the Stephen Empire, Stephen Shadow did not become arrogant and ungrateful. On the contrary, he became even more obsequious and subservient to Xuanyuan Yu Jing. He endured hardship and humiliation for over a decade, bearing countless years of suffering. When Stephen Shadow finally acted, he swiftly and decisively crushed the Xuanyuan Dynasty within two years.
One day, the mountains weighing on Stephen's shoulders were removed one by one. Stephen, full of vigor, disregarded the opposition of his court officials and resolved to make Bai Wanxin, the wife of the Xuanyuan Dynasty, the Empress of the Empire. However, Stephen did not foresee that this was the beginning of his misfortune.
Stephen Ying believed he had done everything he could for Bai Wanxin. He defied the world to make her his empress, showered her with love and affection, and even though she had been childless for ten years, his feelings for her remained unchanged.
However, Bai Wanxin thought differently. Back then, Xuan Yuan Yu Jing had treated her exceptionally well. Compared to her ex, Stephen Ying's sacrifices seemed worthless. Seeing herself growing old and losing her beauty, without a child to rely on, and with Stephen Ying surrounded by young and beautiful women, giving birth to several children a year, Bai Wanxin panicked.
In her panic, Bai Wanxin went astray. She secretly eliminated all the concubines, princes, and princesses who threatened her, then manipulated Stephen. She used Ying's feelings for her to poison Stephen. Ying went to the underworld, while she herself became Stephen's first female emperor in history.
Stephen Shadow died a humiliating death, and now, reborn, he sees his enemy before him but cannot drink his blood or eat his flesh. Instead, he must be polite to her, asking her to speak well of him to Xuan Yuan Yu Jing and send him back to the Stephen Empire as soon as possible. Thinking of this, Stephen Shadow felt even more aggrieved.
Stephen. Shadow took a deep breath, finally managing to bury the violent murderous emotions within him, and carefully examined the situation before him. What he saw was vastly different from what he had seen in his previous life. Stephen. Shadow lay on the ground, utterly bewildered.
Stephen quickly realized what to do. Xuanyuan Yujing was known for his coldness towards his wife, Xuanyuan Shi. Now that Xuanyuan Shi had whipped Xuanyuan Yujing, if he avenged Xuanyuan Yujing, he could still choose from fine wine, beautiful women, power, and status.
Stephen, having made up his mind, stealthily stood up, silently picked up a long knife, and tiptoed behind Ji Xiaoxiao, barely daring to breathe. The knife was originally aimed at Ji Xiaoxiao's heart, but then a sharp pain shot through his chest, Stephen. His hand trembled, and the knife plunged into Ji Xiaoxiao's abdomen.
Ji Xiaoxiao was so engrossed in her crying that she was stabbed by Stephen Ying before she finally came to her senses. Turning around, she saw "Brother Ying," the man she had punched earlier and who was now unconscious. The thought that her powerful ship had fallen to Bai Wanxin's female warrior nearly made Ji Xiaoxiao die of anger.
Ji Xiaoxiao was momentarily stunned, then immediately gathered all her inner strength into her palm, gritted her teeth, and slammed the aching Stephen into the room. Stephen's shadow swept through the walls, sending up a cloud of dust. A series of crashes and clatters followed; tables, chairs, and porcelain—anything that could be broken was broken, anything that could be shattered was shattered; not a single piece remained intact.
Now that Stephen was truly dealt with, Ying, Ji Xiaoxiao, covered her bleeding wound with her left hand and quickly tapped her body with her right hand, instantly stopping the bleeding.
Acupressure to stop bleeding is ultimately not a way to heal injuries. Considering her current physical condition, Ji Xiaoxiao's original plan had to be changed again and again.
Ji Xiaoxiao no longer cared about what important figures like Lin Zisu thought of her. She kicked Bai Wanxin out of her womb and then immediately destroyed Xuan Yuan Yujing's male genitalia, ensuring he could only have one child, Xuan Yuan Cheng. Unable to produce another heir, even if Xuan Yuan Yujing still wanted to harm Xuan Yuan Cheng, there would no longer be just a handful of people stopping him.
In a dynasty, an emperor is indispensable, officials with extraordinary talent are of paramount importance, tens of thousands of common people are the foundation, and the successor is the guarantee for the dynasty to be passed down from one generation to the next, and even to the ten thousandth generation.
Swallowing the rusty liquid in her mouth, Ji Xiaoxiao released Lin Zisu and the others from their pressure points, then leaned against the wall and returned to her courtyard. After dismissing the flustered servants who surrounded her, she quickly treated her wounds when Xuan Yuancheng accidentally burst in and saw her. Confused and disoriented, Ji Xiaoxiao barely managed to give them a perfunctory explanation before hurriedly summoning Liu Guang's men.
Six hours later, night fell. The sky was as big as a jade plate, dotted with countless stars.
Sitting in the courtyard, with everything laid out on the table—fruits, snacks, and drinks—Ji Xiaoxiao smiled faintly, her eyes fixed on the tightly closed courtyard gate.
"Madam, the people of Sunrise have arrived." In the darkness, a woman dressed in black, exposed by the faint candlelight, calmly recounted the impending storm.
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