Mid-Autumn. The silver disk hung high.
Tonight was a day for reunion in the mortal world, and also Qiao Xi’s birthday.
Qiao Xi curled up on the couch, the pain in her body making all her features twitch.
Yet she instructed the imperial physician, “Don’t tell His Majesty about my condition. The feudal towns have been divided for years, and the regime has finally returned to His Majesty’s hands. Tonight is the Mid-Autumn banquet, and also a victory banquet. Don’t spoil his mood. I will be fine.”
“No, you won’t.”
A figure in bright yellow appeared. “The qi and blood in your body are running wild, your bones and tendons are shattering in agony. In the end, you will explode and die.”
Qiao Xi struggled to rise, looking at the newcomer with surprise and joy. “Your Majesty, don’t worry…”
The words stopped abruptly.
There was not the slightest trace of his former worry and concern on the Emperor’s face.
Instead, there was mockery!
How could this be?
His Majesty treated her like his own daughter. He was the person in this world who treated her best.
She must have seen wrong from the extreme pain.
But scene after scene that contradicted her former memories suddenly surged in like a tsunami, making her head nearly explode.
“You tampered with my memories?”
Once she realized it, Qiao Xi’s hands and feet went cold.
The Emperor nodded. “If not for that, how would you be grateful to Us, let Us use you, be Our dog?”
“Cough…”
A large mouthful of black blood spewed out, and Qiao Xi’s eyes split with fury.
The entire Qiao family had died in battle.
To display his benevolence, the Emperor took her into the palace to raise, enfeoffed her as Princess Zhaoyang, and granted her in marriage to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was only five years older than her, yet he had protected and cared for her in every way, raising her tenderly as she grew.
But in her tampered memories, the one who had protected her as she grew up had become the Emperor, while the Crown Prince was hypocritical, unscrupulous in his pursuit of the throne, a man who killed his father and murdered his lord.
He had even once tried to kill Qiao Xi because she was unwilling to help him harm others. It was the Emperor who saved Qiao Xi.
“The Crown Prince was an upright gentleman, supremely benevolent and filial. Yet you burned him alive. Why?”
Qiao Xi’s eyes wept blood.
“Because he was investigating the truth behind your Qiao family’s deaths in battle. And also, We detested him…”
Unwilling to say more about the Crown Prince, the Emperor laughed. “It’s fine that you’ve recovered your memories. We were sick of acting out the loving father and filial daughter play.
You have already helped Us reclaim the regime. The task is complete. You may go die now.
As a reward for your loyalty as a dog, We grant you the favor of going down on Mid-Autumn to reunite with them. If you hurry, perhaps they can still celebrate your birthday for you in the underworld.”
Qiao Xi struggled to get up. “My Qiao family was also harmed by you?”
The Emperor gave her a big smile, full of mockery. “Of course it was Us. Qiao Xi, how does it feel to mistake your enemy for your benefactor?”
Naturally, it did not feel good.
The false memories had made Qiao Xi endlessly grateful to the Emperor. To share his burdens, she was willing to enter the Dark Agency and become a Death Sworn, enduring hellish training, and finally becoming the Dark Agency’s Commander.
Yet it turned out… she had taken a thief as her master.
“Why did you harm my Qiao family?”
The Emperor’s mouth opened and closed, saying something very smugly.
But Qiao Xi’s bones and tendons were bursting inch by inch, her eardrums pierced by blood. She could only hear fragments intermittently, and her whole body collapsed like tattered floss.
…
“His Majesty treats you so well. Knowing you’ve had no appetite lately, he specially had the imperial chefs make your favorite dishes. Right now he has set aside state affairs and is waiting to dine with you.”
Qiao Xi, in a plain white long dress, walked slowly along the palace path.
The palace maid Bixiang flattered from behind. “This sole favor and honor is something not even the princes and princesses have.”
The exact same scene, the exact same words.
Qiao Xi confirmed that she had truly been reborn.
Today’s meal was a Hongmen banquet.
But Qiao Xi was not afraid.
Heaven had given her a chance to be reborn, so that she could avenge the Qiao family and clear the Crown Prince’s name.
“Eat more. You’re so thin. If your parents knew from beyond the grave, they’d blame me for not raising you well.”
At the dining table, the Emperor personally served Qiao Xi food, his expression full of paternal affection.
Hatred burned in Qiao Xi’s chest.
Since the founding of Dayou, the Qiao family had guarded the northern frontier for generations. The founding Emperor’s golden decree stated that as long as the Qiao family harbored no rebellion, the imperial family could not harm a single hair on any Qiao.
Generation after generation, the Qiao family were loyal bones. How dare this man destroy her entire household.
“Father and Mother would only be as grateful to you as Qiao Xi is—grateful that you raised me. Your Majesty, this subject will repay you.”
I will send you down to the underworld, to atone to the entire Qiao family and to Brother Crown Prince.
Qiao Xi’s face wore nothing but filial devotion, as though the Emperor before her were truly her own father.
The Emperor was pleased, and scolded her with a laugh, “Nonsense. I treat you as my own daughter. What repayment is there to speak of between family?”
Then he sighed.
“My own children are good for nothing, not even half of what you are. In some matters, I trust only you.
The tax grain from Jiangnan has been collected. Make a trip for me and transport the tax grain to Tianshou Mountain.”
Tianshou Mountain was where the Emperor was building his mausoleum.
Many regions of Dayou suffered severe drought, and the people were in misery. The Emperor cried poverty and did nothing for disaster relief, yet secretly diverted the tax grain to build his imperial tomb.
Qiao Xi had remonstrated many times to no avail. This time, she did not remonstrate.
She would transport the grain well—and deliver it to the disaster victims who truly needed it, so that the Emperor would not receive a single grain.
But the Emperor grew suspicious. “Why aren’t you trying to dissuade me today?”
Qiao Xi’s eyes shifted slightly. She took away the sweet soup before him. “You’ve already eaten half a bowl. You can’t have more.
You are the only family this subject has left in this world. I hope for your health.”
Qiao Xi’s voice lowered. “This subject is not trying to stop you from building the imperial mausoleum. I only…”
Only what—you dog of an emperor, figure it out yourself.
Having put on the act to this extent, the Emperor could naturally understand what Qiao Xi left unsaid.
Qiao Xi felt that building a tomb was inauspicious; she did not want to lose him, her only family.
The Emperor tapped at her lightly with his finger. “You’ve grown bold, daring to manage me now.”
But in his heart, he felt extremely comforted.
After being diagnosed with diabetes last year, the imperial physicians had warned him to eat less sweets, but he had always loved sweet things.
Those consorts and children of his—their mouths were full of caring words, but none dared to defy him for the sake of his health as Qiao Xi did.
It was proof enough that in their hearts, he, the Emperor, was not first.
Qiao Xi, on the other hand, was sincere—unfortunately, it was the result of altered memories.
But seeing Qiao Xi’s eyes full of worry, he felt somewhat smug, smug that he had the Qiao girl dancing in the palm of his hand.
“All right, get up. I won’t eat anymore.”
Qiao Xi did not rise. “Don’t marry this subject off.”
“When did I ever say I would marry you off…”
The Emperor remembered. Two days ago, his informants had reported that the Consort’s good-for-nothing nephew had encountered Qiao Xi in the imperial garden and praised her red dress as very beautiful, showing signs of trying to flirt.
Only then did the Emperor notice that Qiao Xi was dressed all in white today. “Why are you dressed so plainly?”
Qiao Xi lowered her eyes. “Red dresses draw attention. This subject does not want trouble.”
Her betrothed had been burned alive. The Qiao family’s blood feud remained unavenged. Yet she had worn red for five years. Qiao Xi dug her nails into her palm until blood came.
On her face, however, was the fear and unease of someone worried about being married off and no longer able to serve the Emperor.
“This subject does not want to marry. But this subject is no longer young, and staying in the capital will inevitably make people covet a marriage alliance.
Could this subject leave the capital with the grain convoy this time? Afterward, tell others that this subject has gone away to recuperate?”
The dog of an emperor had personally admitted that the Qiao family was his doing—but on the surface, the Qiao family had fallen while resisting the barbarians.
At that time, the dog emperor must have had dealings with the northern border tribes and even the barbarians. She couldn’t find evidence right under his nose, so she could only start from the northern border and the barbarians.
He cherished his dragon throne and used his power to harm others. She would strip away his power bit by bit, hollow out his foundations, and then force him to publicly confess his crimes of murdering the Qiao family and the Crown Prince.
But all of this required leaving his surveillance to accomplish more.
The Emperor pondered for a moment, then granted her request.
Qiao Xi was twenty this year. If she didn’t marry soon, people would inevitably say he was mistreating the orphan of a loyal minister.
But sending her into the Dark Agency—five years to sharpen a blade—and the blade hadn’t been fully utilized yet. How could he let her marry?
The Emperor sneered inwardly. Once she was used up, she’d be meeting the King of Hell anyway. Why would she need to marry?
But he was always good at putting on a show to win people over. “My sons are all useless. I can’t rest easy handing this realm to any of them. Whoever becomes emperor in the future, you will be the Empress. With your assistance, I’ll feel at ease.”
Qiao Xi’s heart relaxed slightly.
She had gambled that using marriage as a pretext would make the Emperor agree to let her leave the capital, so she had staged the “chance encounter” in the garden with the profligate young master.
“Your subject’s daughter dares not harbor such ambitions. I only wish to share Your Majesty’s burdens and repay your kindness.”
Seeing Qiao Xi as obedient and docile as always, the Emperor was somewhat satisfied.
But suspicion remained. “You’ve grown terribly thin these past few days. Let Cao Ying take a look at you.”
Cao Ying was the chief eunuch and the one who had helped the Emperor tamper with Qiao Xi’s memories.
Qiao Xi’s heart tightened. She wasn’t sure whether Cao Ying could tell that her memories had recovered after her rebirth.
But before she could refuse, Cao Ying had already pressed his fingers to her wrist.