"Chang Liying, you shut up. Without the Xiao Family, without me Xiao Yao, could he, Xuanyuan Jinxing, have ascended to his position, could you become the Empress, could your Chang Family replace the Xiao Family? It's a joke!"
Xiao Yao looked at Xuanyuan Jinxing, whose face had twisted with rage due to her questioning, yet he still remained silent. She did not wish to indulge in such futile talk any longer. However, she couldn't comprehend why Zhi Yun, who had treated her as a sister, would betray the Xiao Family, betray her?
"Zhi Yun, I always treated you like a sister and never wronged you. The Xiao Family never wronged you either. I shared everything I had with you—food, clothing, and toys—treating you as I would a sister. After living with the Xiao Family for thirteen years, how could you heartlessly betray me, betray the Xiao Family?" Xiao Yao looked at Zhi Yun, who did not respond, but it was Chang Liying who defiantly sided against Xiao Yao, finding yet another reason to strike at her.
"Water flows to the lowest point, and people strive to rise to the top. No matter how well you treated her, she was still just a maid, a servant of your Xiao Family. But we promised her that once the Xiao Family was exterminated, she would become Brother Xing's concubine, isn't that right, Zhi Yun!"
"Look, Xiao Yao, I am quite generous. As the Empress, I arranged another woman for Brother Xing, yet you, since you accepted Brother Xing, you wouldn't allow him to be with other women. Each time he saw your face, it disgusted him profoundly, but he had to endure it and pretend to be affectionate towards you. Do you know, after meeting you, he would have to come and see me, and only after seeing my celestial face could he avoid nightmares and get to sleep at night. But now, ha ha... seeing your downfall delights me, although I had long imagined it!" Chang Liying laughed like a madwoman, venting her hatred.
Chang Liying's manic laughter echoed as Xuanyuan Jinxing also displayed a clearly joyous and insane mood, while Zhi Yun, too, shuddered with silent laughter. Xiao Yao watched them with cold eyes, expressionless, as if their excitement had nothing to do with her.
After some time had passed, Eunuch Li came in to report to Xuanyuan Jinxing.
"Your Majesty, Empress, the time has come. Xiao Chengguang and his family have been brought to the execution ground!"
"Hmm, go ahead," Xuanyuan Jinxing dismissed with an expressionless wave of his hand.
"Xiao Yao, how does it feel now that your Xiao Family's time has come to walk the Road to the Underworld? Does your heart ache as you watch each of your family members die before you, powerless to save them?" Chang Liying whispered in Xiao Yao's ear.
"Chang Liying, what do you mean!" spouted Xiao Yao angrily, suddenly confronting Chang Liying.
"That is, in consideration of our sisterly bond, His Majesty has agreed to my request to spare your life. However, you must have your eyes gouged out and then spend the rest of your days in the Water Prison. As the saying goes, it's better to live on your knees than die on your feet. It might be hard in the Water Prison, but at least your life is spared, right? Now, we'll just send you to the execution ground to bid farewell to your family one last time. You don't need to thank me for this!" Chang Liying's face twisted with a malicious grin.
"Xuanyuan Jinxing, Chang Liying, your hearts are more poisonous than those of snakes and scorpions. Aren't you afraid of retribution?..." Xiao Yao shouted angrily, filled with rage and disillusionment.
"How dare you! You, a traitor's daughter, dare to address His Majesty and the Empress by their names. Daring to curse your rulers?" Eunuch Li pointed his orchid fingers at Xiao Yao and bellowed loudly.
"Xuanyuan Jinxing, are you really so cruel, do you really hate me that much, that you wish me to live a fate worse than death?" Xiao Yao's clear, sharp eyes stared intently at Xuanyuan Jinxing, who had remained silent all this while.
"Xiao Yao, your Xiao Family committed the crime of treason, a crime so grave it warrants the execution of the entire household, and it was only because of my past regard for you and at the Empress's pleading that I spared your life. Shouldn't you be grateful?"
Xuanyuan Jinxing's handsome face bore no expression, but his voice remained gentle, as if whispering to a lover. In the past, Xiao Yao had been moved by this kind of gentle voice, but now, the words that came out were like a sharp knife gouging out her heart, before flaying it with unbearable pain until numbness took over.
Xiao Yao was nearly driven to laughter by what he said. Grateful? They wanted to execute her entire family, gouge out her eyes, confine her to the water prison forever, and still expected Xiao Yao to be grateful? Could there really be such shameless people in this world?
Indeed, there were, and one of them was the ruler of the nation.
"Your Majesty, it is time. Let Sister meet her family for the last time," said Chang Liying, her voice crisp as that of an oriole, while her great red phoenix robe added to her enchanting allure, quickly replacing the expressionless visage of Xuanyuan Jinxing with one of tender affection.
And Chang Liying could hardly wait to see Xiao Yao crying in pain, helplessly kneeling and begging for mercy, just the thought of it thrilled her, allowing decades of pent-up jealousy to finally find release.
"Bring her, take Xiao Yao to the execution ground. Empress, let's go," Xuanyuan Jinxing said as he wrapped his arm around Chang Liying's waist and walked out of the prison cell, while Xiao Yao was escorted by the guards to the execution ground.
Stepping out of the prison cell, Xiao Yao squinted reflexively against the intense sunlight, gently rubbing her eyes with her handcuffed hands. The weather today was really good – the sky was cloudless, and the sun shone brightly.
The streets were festooned with red lanterns and colored silk, the taverns were packed with guests, and everyone on the streets and in the taverns wore wide smiles, all because their revered monarch, their emperor, had married the realm's most beautiful and talented woman as his Empress the day before. And coincidentally, today was also the day when the rebel Xiao Chengguang and his family were to be executed, and so they prayed for the emperor's blessings and celebrated his resolution of a great threat to the state.
Seeing all this, Xiao Yao couldn't help but sneer inwardly. For ten years, she had strategized for him, risked her life for him, helping him ascend to the throne. And now, the people knew of Third Prince Xuanyuan Jinxing, remembered the glorious deeds of their current emperor, and even more so, they were now aware of the stunning and exceptionally talented Miss Chang, Chang Liying, behind him. However, what they did not know was that those very glorious deeds lauded by their emperor were nearly bought with the lives of the treasonous Xiao Chengguang's family, and that the exceptional talent of the woman behind him was built upon the efforts of Xiao Chengguang's daughter.
All was in vain, for Xiao Yao, who had lived twice, yet both times stumbled in love.
"Isn't that the daughter of that traitor Xiao Chengguang?" Xiao Yao had barely come out when she was recognized, mainly because the red birthmark on her face was too conspicuous; by now, everyone knew that Xiao Chengguang's daughter had an ugly red birthmark on her face.
"It seems so, beat her to death, beat her to death..."