Xi Xifeng devoted her whole life for Xia Junying, the man she loved. To ensure that he could sit on the throne securely, she fought countless battles for over a decade, exhausting both her youth and energy. She removed each and every obstacle in his path, and protected the empire and his throne with all her might, till his position stabilized. In exchange for her devotion, he promised her that her that after she returned from the battle, he would make her the empress. Just as she was returning along with her victorious army and going to the imperial palace to report the victory in her last battle, feeling that her hard work had paid off and she could finally remove her armor she had been wearing for so many years and return to his side and lived a happily ever after with the man she loved, suddenly she was surrounded and ambushed from all sides. Her army, already tired and exhausted from the battle, tried their best to defend her, but they could not stand the great momentum from the other party. As everyone around her died and she was lying on the ground, breathing her last, she saw a figure walking towards her at a leisurely pace. After seeing that it was the she loved the most, the fourth prince Xia Junying, she tried her best to speak...
"Your highness, please save me, I..I don't want to die" she said breathing heavily
Seeing this, the man just gave a sweet smile and kneeled down next to her and held her in his arms. Just as she thought that he would definitely save her, she felt a sharp stab in her chest. Looking down, she saw a dagger directly pierced in her heart with the imperial golden dragon symbol. She was so shocked that she could not speak and just looked at him with a painful expression and just asked...
" Why ?...even after doing so much, why ?"
The man again gave a loving smile but at this time, she clearly saw the hidden frostiness in his eyes and smile. "What, you really thought I loved you ? Ha, you are so naive. From the beginning to the end,.." he continued while caressing her face gently, "..I had never loved you. In my eyes, you were nothing but just a knife in my hands who I could use however and wherever I want by just saying few sweet and affectionate words. The person I truly love is someone else, and you know her very well." Just then she heard sound of footsteps. Xia Junying hurriedly withdrew his arms and threw her back to the ground and stood up. She could not help but hiss in pain. A woman came out of the bushes in golden robes and Xia Junying went forward to hold her hand. Seeing them holding each other's hands, she could not help but feel her heart breaking. Just as she lifted her head to see the face of the woman, she was again shocked, but this time, she felt angry and betrayed. The woman smiled at the man and came forward and greeted her with an overly sweet smile..
" Hello big sis, hope you are having a good time" said Xi Mei, her younger cousin sister, while smiling sweetly
Xi Xifeng did not say anything and just glared at her angrily, wishing she could strangle her to death but was helpless as she watched them perform.
"I treated you like my own younger sister, protected you and tried my best to support you in every possible way, but you betrayed me, I never expected that you could be so shameless and now showing off in front of me when I am dying, great" she said angrily while having due to breathlessness.
"Big sis, it's not appropriate to say that, isn't it ? After all, it is nobody's fault that you are in this state. If you could could have been a little more careful, then perhaps you would have still been the mighty supreme general of the Empire, but now you are lying in this unknown place, on your last breath, and nobody would know about it. Next day, we will hold your funeral with great grandeur and luxuriously and so many people would come to see you off, but no one would know that there is no body inside the coffin and your body will rot here in the wild, being eaten by dogs, and nobody would know and care. Imagine what a scene would it be, I can't wait to see it" she said while clapping and smiling happily while the fourth prince kept gazing at her with an affectionate look and wide smile.
"Ha, you must be feeling very smug after playing with your elder sister like this, right ? " Said Xi Xifeng, while laughing but soon started coughing while more bood flowed out from her mouth. Seeing this, Xi Mei smiled even more widely and stopped right before her so that the golden robes were slightly touching her face while she looked down and gave her a bright smile...
" Of course, after all from childhood till now you had snatched everything from me. Everyone adored you, respected you, pampered you, feared you and I could only remain a useless figure in your shadow and do nothing as I watched you advance to the top. Now that you are dying, I can finally step out from your long shadow and create my own identity" she said while smiling visciously.
Hearing this, she could not help but smirk coldly and say "even if I died, do you think you could get away from all this peacefully ? My brothers will definitely come after both of you and take revenge for betraying and killing me. You will never be able to escape"
Hearing this, Xi Mei's expression changed. She finally felt a little relieved when she saw her frightened look. But her relief was short lived as Xia Junying, who was watching from the sidelines till now, came forward stood just behind Xi Mei and gently patted her head while saying soothingly " you don't have to worry, nothing will happen to us".
Seeing this, Xi Xifeng could not help but smile mockingly, laughing at herself when she remembered that he had never talked to her in this way.
After soothing her, he squat down next to Xi Xifeng as he said in a clear voice " your brothers could never come after us, after all, before finding us, they have to make sure that they are alive, isn't it ? Hahaha" after saying this he started laughing hard.
When Xi Xifeng heard this, finally her expression changed and she asked angrily "what do you mean ? Where are my brothers ? What did you do with them ?"
He again said "while you were away during the campaign, I had already dealt with all your brothers. Your big brother was tried and executed for betraying the country, your second brother died while treating a patient when he was murdered by the family members for mistreating the patient, your third brother died during a fire at the royal kitchen and at last, your younger brother was thrown off the cliff by his classmates when they went for a school tour. Seeing their deaths, your father and mother could not hold on and they both died one after another due to heat attack. I had deployed my people at the borders to ensure that the news could not reach you. So. While you were ridiculously fighting for the country at the borders, your brothers and parents had already died terribly and you didn't even know about it." After saying this, he again started laughing while Xi Mei, who was listening, also laughed and gave her a pitying look, as if pitying her terrible fate...
While Xi Xifeng was burning in rage, and when she wanted to lift her hand to slap him hard, she realised that she could not lift her hand. She again tried to lift her other hand but it was also unsuccessful. She twisted her body but her body did not move at all. She tried to speak but her mouth could not move. She froze as a terrifying thought came to her mind, she turned her eyes and saw his smiling face and realised what it was. But it was too late...
When Xia Junying saw her unsuccessful attempt to move her limbs, he came closer to her face and said in a fake pitying tone "oh, are you having trouble moving you body, I guess the poison on the dagger has started taking shape..."
When she heard the word 'poison' her eyes opened wide and she glanced at him with disbelieving eyes...
He seemed to understand her unsaid words as he continued " you must be thinking that how is it possible since no one knows where the most lethal poisons is except you and your blood siblings, isn't it ? Even I was also troubled, but then your younger sister came up with the idea of killing you with your own blood. So, while you were not paying attention, she secretly started following you and found out the secret research laboratory of your second brother, and then I got my hands on it. This poison could definitely make one stronger if taken in small amounts, but it can also take lives if given in large amount. I used it to make myself stronger, and also to kill you. Great, right ?" After finishing speaking, he and Xi Mei both laughed...
" Moreover..." Xia Junying continued." Let me tell you something else, my third brother, Xia Lingjing, who loved you selflessly but you rejected his love and even ruthlessly stabbed him when he did not give up pursuing you, somehow came to knew of our plan to kill you, so he directly entered my palace alone and just armed with a sword and started fighting me, so that he could stop me from proceeding. But of course, he was defeated, and in the end he also died at my hands and his body was thrown to be fed to the dogs, only for the woman he loved by all his heart but who had given up on him mercilessly and stomped on him without a thought" he said in a somewhat gloating manner and laughed while Xi Xifeng lay there motionless, her eyes burning in rage and also clouded in despair, but unable to do anything...
After they finished laughing, he glanced at her, who had become completely paralysed, with only eyes moving and breathing laboriously and then, as a last desperate attempt, stepped on the dagger which was smeared in poison heavily and went even more deeper in her body. She could not speak and could only tolerate the bursting pain in her body. After making sure that she would not survive more than a few moments, he stretched out his hand towards Xi Mei and said in a gentle tone " let's go !". Xi Mei happily held his hand and then the couple went back, followed by their army.
While they went back, Xi Xifeng looked at their retreating backs and just laughed inwardly at her miserable fate and her foolishness. The man who she loved, and the woman who she doted on, betrayed her and left her to die, while the man who she had rejected without a thought loved her selflessly and in the end even sacrificied his own life for her sake, even though she had made fun of his love and crushed his heart by her own hands...
Slowly, as the poison took effect, her eyes burning with rage till the last moment closed and her heartbeats started getting slower, and just before breathing her last, she made a vow, that if she got another chance at life, she would use it to make herself more stronger, protect her family and love the man who loved her selflessly with all her heart. This time, she would stand together with him, by his side, and never leave him alone and love him till the end. And at last, she would make sure that those who betrayed her and her family will pay a very painful price for it...
Thinking this, she took a deep breath, and then her heartbeat stopped, and she died...