Of course, the minute Shu Juan saw Su Xin holding a handkerchief against her eyes, she  was spontaneously put in a state of panic.

“Young lady! Are you alright?" She approached the bed and put her hands on her master's forehead.

"Calm down. There's nothing to worry about. I was just-"

Su Xin's voice fell.

A loud, unnerving scream suddenly shattered the peace.

It was a cry of grave anguish which chilled her to the bone. She felt her blood run cold from her scalp to her spine, making gooseb.u.mps erupt from her skin.

The scream disturbingly rose and fell as though the man who owned it was tortured slowly.

Qu Feiqing stood tall as she held the beaten man by the strands of his hair. The former imperial guard who had just committed treason by a.s.saulting her could no longer be recognized.

She was persecuting the traitor to serve as a warning to all of her attendants1.

Not showing any signs of remorse, Qu Feiqing took back her b.l.o.o.d.y hand and wiped her fingers clean. The man on her feet was already a goner, instinctively holding on for his dear life.

Qu Feiqing saw the man's jaw move— he was trying to commit suicide. She immediately grabbed the man's chin and dislocated it with a powerful tug.

"You should know by now the fate of those who betray me. Did you think you can easily escape from me through death?"

Her lips curled in a chilly smile and her ire permeated the air.

Back in ancient china, Politics was already a nasty game of betrayal and greed. It was a matter of tactic, whether who would able to utilize the best p.a.w.ns obtainable. She did expect that sooner or later, at least one of her attendants would betray her, but certainly not the man who was currently in front of her. He followed her for three years, protected her countless of times and served his loyalty sincerely. Or was it really sincere?  

She never relented in treachery, and her men knew her methods are hideous. She had to instill fear, or else she would be kicked off the throne by the people belittling her capabilities.

An air of nonchalance surrounded her, like killing a person who had been her constant companion through the years of feuds was just a piece of cake. Yet, people around her knew that the betrayal was just as perplexing to them as it was to her.

Qu Feiqing looked at the imbecile writhing before her. He could no longer be called a person but a mutilated flesh who would cease breathing anytime by now. Reduced to the most lowly condition.

“Speak, why did you betray me?"

The man sputtered blood as he tried to regain his wit, his breath erratic. With the last of his strength, he answered the emperor.

“A rightful king should not defy the heaven and disobey human natural order. Otherwise, anybody has the right to punish him."

The speech was said majestically as though it was of a saviour's last words to arouse the rebelling heart out of the people around him. Qu Feiqing sneered at his theatrics and raised her arm to give the signal to her attendants. Too weak to fight, his life would be taken by the hands of the people whom he used to work with.

She then strutted back to her room, the shouts of desperate pleas brandis.h.i.+ng her ear, but she heed no mind to it as though she was deaf from the wind.

But it was not her ears that were deaf, but her cold heart, which refused to respond with sympathy and only received betrayal in every turn.

Born as a member of society's branded weaker s.e.x was the ridiculous reason why some people abhorred Qu Feiqing as their ruler.

What's wrong with women being emperors?

Aren't women people too?

They had no ability to fight her. Everytime they rebel is just a losing battle.

Who stipulates that women must only be virtuous and delicate? And who said that it must be a man's business to defend his country?

Qu Feiqing believed that the ability of running a country in full gear with the ardor of promoting the best interests of people and has a clear conscience2, is what makes a person worthy of being called an emperor.

But even so, many people are still unsatisfied, simply because G.o.d blessed her with a womb.  

She walked until the screams died down and silence permeated the air once again.