Mei Ying hailed from the small and forgotten kingdom of Lotus, a remote land that lay huddled amid surreal water bodies.
The village-like houses were small and close to each other, their roofs covered in dried leaves.
The culture of this land was unruly and disorderly, with even the most heinous of their people committing the act of burying their children.
The supreme ruler of this forsaken territory was Mei Ying's mother, the Lady of the Lotus Land, one filled with ambition and greed, who had made the mistake of birthing a child.
The Lady of the Lotus was that of a selfish kind, and that's what made her the leader, going so far as to attempt to kill her very own daughter for wanting food.
Mei Ying's childhood was one of struggle, surviving solely on the scraps fed to her, subjected to constant abuse and mistreatment at the hands of those who were meant to love her.
The rule of law in this land was abominable, a society filled with people who sought to use others for personal gain.
Bitter, resentful and aggrieved, her soul was tainted. She could no longer bring herself to live like a normal person.
The day she was sent to the empire to serve as a concubine, she knew it was the only route to change her fate.
His Majesty became her light of salvation. She needed revenge, to make her people pay back, and her own birth mother to be burned by the flame of her hellish sins, and so she must become the next empress.
Mei Ying had no choice but to marry the supreme king and smoulder that worthless piece of land down to ash. There was no other way to live. It is not possible for someone like her.
She can't have anyone get in her way, especially not that Qi Tian pest of a princess who had never known suffering.
That b*tch that she was so envious of, always living a comfortable life without a care in the world, and now even taking the only light in her life away. The audacity was unforgivable.
"Mistress, His Highness will definitely return to you, he always does," Xin Yi once again voiced. "Perhaps His Majesty is just confused and tired. He has done this before, Mistress…"
"Yes, Mistress, that Yin Luqi has nothing in comparison to you, and the other concubines too. There's a reason His Highness has favoured Mistress for the past years," another maid added.
"It is only momentary flings before His Highness remembers."
That's right. They were right. He will come back to Mei Ying; he always does. She took in a deep breath and relaxed her body, letting calmness resurface.
...
"Yeah." Her eyes were hollow. "His Majesty will come back, right? Of course he has to."
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"She's late." Li Wan's fingers were tapping impatiently as he lounged against the table covered in dishes. The imperial hall was quiet.
Zhou Lin, standing behind, was nervously sweating.
"Princess Yin has arrived!" one of the knights announced. Luqi gracefully entered the imperial hall, her body dressed in the finest silk.
It was definitely a gown of class she had never worn before. Her hair was styled with utmost skill, with heavy sparkling accessories and pins.
It was not her typical appearance, as her makeup was glamorous, enhancing all her features. Perhaps he almost did not recognise her.
Even the knights lining the hall were having difficulties containing their gaze.
She stood before the throne, gaping up at him, her expression flustered.
"Ah, it seems like someone was excited to see me today." His voice was laced with tease. "Come here."
"…" Her eyebrows were furrowed together, she was blushing, unable to maintain eye contact as she trampled towards him.
"You're rather dressed up, aren't you, Princess Yin?" He watched the princess as she sat down.
"I—"
Before she could open her mouth, "Let me guess. It's little Bai Yi's doing and you know nothing of it?" He read through her.
"Precisely so," Luqi sighed. "Bai Yi profusely refused to let me go out unless I let her dress me." She looked at him. "And it was getting late, so I had no choice."
"Hm. You let no one but your servant bully you." His hand reached out, gently brushing through her soft charcoal hair.
"Bai Yi is more like a sister to me," she laughed. "Qi Tian don't really do hierarchy, Your Majesty. We respect the elders, but we don't consider those younger than us to be less."
"Is that so." Of course, the emperor knew that much. His ties with the Yinguandao were tight for as long as he had succeeded the throne.
Li Wan rested his head onto his hand, his eyes danced through all her features, how each part was enhanced.
Bai Yi did a good job. Luqi's face was already endearing naturally, but now her beauty perhaps could be objectively compared to even those of the greatest in the palace.
"Am I so beautiful that Your Majesty can't take your eyes off me?" She picked up the bowl and chopsticks. "Is that what this is?"
"You can say so."
Zhou Lin, standing at the back, knew that it was time for him to excuse himself. "Your Majesty—"
"Mm." Li Wan nodded. "You can take your leave."
The emperor understood quickly, as always.
"Your Majesty." She called.
"Yes, Luqi."
"Can I eat?"
Li Wan picked up a piece of meat and pressed it onto her lips. She tugged a few loose strands of hair before leaning forward with her mouth opened.
"Mm, the emperor's food is surely of a different class."
As they started eating, Luqi felt the weight of her hair weighing down her shoulders. Her hand roamed to the back, trying to fix it while tenderly massaging her aching nape.
"Is this hairstyle not comfortable for our princess?" The emperor's soft voice reached her ears. "Come." She felt the warmth of his hand as he pulled her closer, cradled in his embrace.
"What are you doing, Your Majesty…"
She felt his gentle movements removing each pin one by one, freeing her hair from its stylish prison.
Li Wan carefully detangled the mess. Her hair draped to its natural state. Luqi could already feel her shoulders lightened. His fingers continued to twirl, braiding her hair into a neat Dutch braid that was both comfortable and sophisticated.
"You're good at this, Your Majesty."
"I used to do it for my mother." His voice was gentle. "Done."He wrapped his arms around her waist and let out an exhale, resting his head on her delicate shoulders.
"Your mother… then you should stop doing this for me, Your Majesty."
"And why?"
"You'd make me feel too special. I'd become delusional, you know."
"I did say you were special." He pinched her cheeks. "You just never believed me, Luqi."
"Okay, enough. Let's eat, Your Highness. You have to continue working soon." She got up and returned to her seat next to him.
"You're just making excuses to run away."
"I was requested to serve the emperor tonight. Can I really do such things?"
A smirk of joy curled up on his lips.
Before either of them could eat, their exchange was interrupted. Luqi's senses were sharper than most. She noticed it right away, a shooting blade toward them.
With inhuman agility, she swept her hand, grabbing a ceramic bowl and throwing it across the great hall.
The bowl soared through the air and collided with the sharp blade, hurtling towards the throne. The dish shattered into a thousand pieces as the blade plummeted to the ground.
It was natural to think that the dagger was aimed at the emperor himself, but that knife was definitely a gift to her. She recognised hints of murderous intent weighing the air.