Chapter 1: Empress of Tianchu

Tianchu, October 27th, the second year of Chengtai. It had been two years since the new Emperor, Chu Chengyao, ascended the throne.

Within these two years, the new Emperor had employed thunderous methods to eliminate foreign enemies and quell internal rebellions. Now, the nation of Tianchu could be described as having a monarch and his subjects united in heart, with the country’s fortune flourishing.

Tomorrow was the Empress’s coronation ceremony. Throughout the imperial palace, the figures of palace maids and eunuchs were busy at work; every regulation and decoration displayed the opulence and grandeur of the premier power.

Yet, at this moment, in a dark corner of the palace, a woman sat slumped against a wall, covered in wounds, her hair disheveled and her body stained with blood.

It was the beginning of winter, and the freezing cold bit deep. The woman sat on the icy stone floor, shivering slightly in her thin garments—the only sign that she was still alive.

A beam of sunlight shone in from a high ventilation window, scattering at the woman’s feet. She slowly and stiffly raised a trembling hand, wanting to touch it. From the sleeve, the back of her hand was exposed, revealing ghastly white bone, with most areas festering with yellowish-white pus.

She slowly lifted her face toward the sunlight; this small movement seemed to exhaust all her strength. The face revealed was crisscrossed with scars, their colors ranging from fresh to old, looking truly terrifying.

Her eyes were filled with numbness, devoid of a shred of vitality, until a shrill voice sounded from outside the door

"Imperial Noble Consort Zhou has arrived!"

The woman’s previously lifeless eyes instantly erupted with bloodthirsty hatred!!

From outside the door came the chorus: "May the Imperial Noble Consort be well!"

A soft, seductive female voice said lazily, "Rise."

With a creak, the door was pushed open. Two eunuchs nimbly brought in a golden nanmu chair, placed it in the center of the room, laid down a soft cushion, and retreated to the side.

A woman with skin like snow, a peerless appearance, and luxurious attire strolled into the room and sat on the chair. She picked up a handkerchief to cover her nose and mouth, frowning

"What is this smell? Truly foul."

Then, she lowered the handkerchief and smiled brilliantly at the woman in the corner: "Sister Jinyan, I have been so busy with the coronation ceremony these days that I have had no appetite and truly could not spare a moment. I haven't come to see you for many days; I hope you do not blame me."

The woman in the corner braced her hands against the floor, glaring at the woman on the chair like a wild beast. She opened her mouth several times, but only hoarse sounds emerged from her throat; she could not speak, only gasping for air.

Seeing this, the luxuriously dressed woman put on a look of concern: "What is wrong with Sister Jinyan?"

She tilted her head to ask the palace servants: "Did I not tell you to serve the Empress well? Is this how you serve her?"

The woman in the corner, in such a wretched state, was actually Lin Jinyan, the Empress who was supposed to appear at the Tianchu coronation ceremony tomorrow!!!

The palace maid knelt to answer: "Reporting to the Imperial Noble Consort, we have been serving her carefully, but this sinner, the Lin woman, has not eaten or drunk a drop of water for several days. We are at our wits' end."

Listening to the maid’s reply, the luxuriously dressed woman lowered her eyes to look at the nail polish on her fingers and said indifferently

"Idiots. If she won't drink, can't you force-feed her? Look, you've made our Empress so thirsty she can't even speak. If you serve her poorly again, I shall have to punish you."

The kneeling maid understood the implication: "Imperial Noble Consort, this servant will serve her right away."

She stood up, left the room, and returned with a bucket of cold water. Together with another maid, she crouched before Lin Jinyan, pinched her chin, and forcibly poured the water into her mouth with a ladle.

Choking, Lin Jinyan struggled with all her might, but her broken body had no strength left. Her struggle not only failed to stop the water from being forced down, but also left her clothes and hair soaked.

Once the water was finished, the two maids stood up and retreated to the door. Having lost her support, Lin Jinyan collapsed onto the floor, coughing incessantly.