A deep wintery night, in a frozen landscape.
As the cold winter wind passed through, the candle that was set on the table flickered before ultimately going out, as it was unable to defend against the strong winds.
"Your Highness, you should go rest." A girl in ragged garments came over to help up the woman sitting on the ground.
"No matter." A faint trace of melancholy shown through the woman's voice, as she didn't hold the girl's hand but merely said, "Yizhu, you go and rest, I want to sit here alone."
After hearing the woman's orders, Yizhu withdrew without turning her head.
As she watched Yizhu leave, her lips helplessly burst into a smile. Perhaps, today will be her death anniversary.
She, Qilian Qingyan, was the granddaughter of General Qilian Jingyu, who was a founder of this country.
At 13 years old, she married the Crown Prince as his wife, becoming the Princess Consort that everyone envied, with a lifetime of endless glory and wealth. After the Crown Prince succeeded the throne, she furthermore, became the Empress that was only second to the Emperor, ruling over the expansive six palaces, often covered in wealth.
She'd never thought that this would all end on something called the 'Prophecy Stone'. In the end, even she was charged with the crime of insurrection and sentenced to the Cold Palace*. (*TN: Literal translation of it's name, it's the palace where wives that have lost favor with the Emperor are sent.)
The day and night change, an endless cycle.
Qingyan walked up to the window. The landscape outside the Cold Palace was beautifully adorned in silver by the snow, perhaps everything will come to an end today.
This snowfall was sure heavy, so heavy that it could cover up all the sins in this world.
And she too, was destined to fall during this snow.
She wasn't afraid of death. She just wished that her husband, on behalf on their past love, be kind to their son and daughter.
"Oh, isn't this elder sister, the Empress? How did you end up like this?" A sarcastic voice entered Qingyan's ears.
The woman was wearing a long dress with a Luanniao* facing the Phoenix embroidered on it in silver and gold threads. Her skin was as smooth as cream, and in her light smile and low tone was an indescribable kind of elegance. (*TN: A mythical bird similar to the phoenix))
Before her was Qilian Qingyi, her younger sister, who once had always liked her husband. And now with that dream having come true, she became the current Emperor, Weisheng Junyan's, most precious treasure.
As for her, Qilian Qingyan, she was only an abandoned old shoe!
The vows 'a pair for life', made in the past, have ceased to exist.
"Elder sister, are you getting used to living in the Cold Palace?" Qingyi while looking at the expressionless Qingyan, mockingly opened her mouth, "You have to know, for you to have ended up like this, it was all masterminded by myself."
Upon hearing this, Qilian Qingyan stared at her with a face full of shock.
It was......actually her!
Seeing the change in Qingyan's expression, Qingyi, looking pleased, lifted the corner of her mouth: "The assassination of the Empress Dowager, the previous Emperor's death, even the prophecy stone, were all by my design. Just so I can steal everything away from you!"
After these incidences had occurred, she had thought of almost everyone, but of all people, overlooked her kind and understanding younger sister. She had always thought she'd treated her well, yet in the end, she was defeated at the hands of this woman.
How could she be content with this?
Thinking this, a shadow of resentment began to grow on her face.
"Elder sister, you really shouldn't blame me, if you want to blame, then blame that heartless father of yours. Always thinking of you, the eldest daughter, and neglecting all of us, the younger ones*." Qilian Qingyi gritted her teeth as she said this. She looked as if she wanted to slash Qingyan into a million pieces. (*TN: This refers to all the daughters or children that were not firstborn or bore by the legal wife. In cases where polygamy is practiced, children of concubines were referred to this as well.)
"Qilian Qingyi, he's also your father too, you shouldn't be that cruel!" Qingyan angrily said this to Qingyi, "Even if you hate me, don't use father and the entire Qilian household to vent out your anger!"
Qingyi let out a laugh, "Qilian Qingyan, let me tell you right now that his Majesty has already sentenced the entire Qilian clan to death, and in the end I'm the last one standing."
The hatred in Qingyan's eyes was enough to engulf the person before her. She stood up and rushed before Qingyi yelling, "WHY? HOW COULD YOU FIND IT IN YOURSELF TO DO SUCH A THING? WHY?"
Hearing the commotion, Yizhu and other men dressed in black rushed in and proceeded to hold down Qingyan.
Partially looking at Yizhu, she opened her mouth: "I'd never thought that the one who'd betrayed me was you!"
Yizhu, not even giving her the time to breathe, directly kicked her before Qingyi, coldly replying: "Your Highness, the so called wise man submits to circumstances, I hope you do not blame this humble servant!"
"I just wanted to see you fall from grace. You also know that his Majesty is gullible, he'll believe whatever I say, so naturally the unlucky one is you." Seeing Qingyan kneeling before her, she laughed brilliantly.
As if recalling something, she turned to Yizhu beside her, "Say, how should we punish this 'Country Destroying*' demoness." (*TN: The original idiom means something along the lines of 'to cause damage to the country and cause suffering to the people)
Hearing Qingyi's words she looked to Qingyan before taking a bow and replying, "I once heard that in the country of Xiyue, there's this extremely cruel punishment, where you turn the person into a human swine for others to toy with."
"What's a human swine*?" Qingyi looked to Qingyan, still smiling. (*TN: There's actually an actual historical precedence of this.)
"Your Highness, it's said that the four limbs will be cut, eyes gouged, drowning the ears in water to cause deaf, cutting off the tongue to cause mute, and lastly put in a bottle for others to toy with." Yizhu, while looking at Qingyi, replied politely and respectfully, as if she had never served Qingyan before.
As she listened to Yizhu's voice, Qingyan suddenly burst into laughter: "Kindness and evil are compensated by heaven, karma exists. Qilian Qingyi, Yizhu, I will remember you! I, Qilian Qingyan, will wait to see your end!"
Hearing this, Qingyi looked to the men in black, and coldly said, "Hurry up and do it."
The men in black forcibly held down Qingyan's body and poured a bowl of medicine down her throat. She could only feel the painful burning sensation in her throat.
Seeing Qingyan's sorry state, Qingyi walked up and whispered in her ear, "Ah, I almost forgot to inform elder sister. Before I came here, his Majesty told me to tell you, that he will never meet you again in this life."
Never to meet again in this life!
Qingyan lowered her head, no longer looking at the face of the person before her. In the palace, she had consolidated her every step, believing that if she could obtain his heart she could obtain the world, but ultimately still lost. Lost to the point where her whole clan has fallen, and ended up with the title of a 'Country Destroying' demoness.
"Your Highness, do we need to turn the abolished Empress into a human swine for other's amusement?" Yizhu carefully said as she watched.
Looking at Qingyan's half dead state, Qingyi lifted the corners of her lips: "Naturally there's the need to, just imagine if her children were see their mother fallen to such a state, what would they think?"
Listening to Qingyi's words, she lifted her head to look towards Qingyi, her eyes were calm without a trace of disturbance. But in the next second, she suddenly stood, knocking over the candleholder, and with the power of the wind, the fire grew. She looked to Qilian Qingyi laughing: "Even if you kill me, you will still never obtain his Majesty's heart."
Seeing Qingyan's appearance, Qingyi wanted to give her a kick, however the fire was too big and unable to be controlled, so instead Qingyi was hurriedly dragged away by the guards.
Qingyan sat amidst the fire, whistling the tune of [Thousand Beasts and Phoenix], and for a moment the entire imperial palace was covered by black clouds at first glance, but it was actually an enormous murder of crows.
She will remember these people, and all those that lead her to ruins. If she had another chance at life, then she will definitely let them suffer, fall into hell, and sentenced to eternal damnation!
In the historical records of Nanchen*: Kangyuan* year 30, the abolished Empress, Qilian Qingyan, died at the tender age of 25. (*TN: Nanchen - Name of the country; Kangyuan - A historical date marker similar to BC)