Chapter 1: Bloodshed Prison

The oil lamp in the death cell flickered, casting a blurry shadow.

Beneath the dim light, Jiang Chenhe's robe was tattered, covered with crisscrossing bloodstains from long-unhealed wounds. Despite the festering infection, she seemed to feel no pain, her gaze coldly fixed on the woman at the end of the stone steps.

The woman, adorned with a phoenix crown and flowing robes, approached gracefully, the hem of her dress brushing against the blood-stained flagstones, emitting a faint, mocking sound that struck at Jiang Chenhe's heart. Yes, she was Lu Chengjun, her good sister, the dying woman she had rescued from a beggar's den. She had treated her with sincerity, supporting her every step of the way. But what had the woman done in return?

Publicly showing affection while secretly undermining her relationship with her parents and conspiring with her fiancé to scheme for the position of queen.

But that wasn't enough...

Five years had passed, and in that time, Jiang Chenhe had been tormented to the point of being neither human nor ghost. Yet Lu Chengjun refused to let her go, intent on squeezing out her last bit of value.

Yes, she had become a tool for Lu Chengjun to achieve a good reputation.

Every month, Lu Chengjun would visit the death cell with a physician to tend to her wounds. Now the entire palace of Daqi was praising Empress Lu's kindness and gratitude, even showing kindness to the malicious woman who had caused her to miscarry. What a compassionate heart she had!

Compassionate? Haha...

As she watched the approaching figure in splendid attire, Jiang Chenhe thought coldly. However, Lu Chengjun's expression left her stunned.

Unlike her usual coldness, her smile was twisted and eerie. "Jiang Chenhe, you should accept your fate now... Haha..." She seemed almost deranged, walking closer with abandon. "You, who have always been so high and mighty due to your noble birth, the cherished daughter of the Jiang family, are no longer! "

Jiang Chenhe was shocked, completely unable to understand what Lu Chengjun meant. "Lu Chengjun, have you gone mad?"

"I'm not mad," Lu Chengjun laughed recklessly. "Don't you know, Miss Jiang, the Jiang family has been exterminated. From now on, there is no more Jiang family. You, Jiang Chenhe... oh... you have no parents, no siblings, just an orphan, like I was back then."

She seemed to take great pleasure in it, her gaze burning as she looked at Jiang Chenhe, as if admiring a beautiful sight. "I wonder how Miss Jiang feels now, is it very desolate, very helpless, haha..." She said, bursting into laughter.

Jiang Chenhe was stunned, and it took her a long time to regain her senses. Her fingers trembled uncontrollably, followed by her lips and then her whole body. She felt as if her internal organs had been rearranged. Her gaze was cold and unyielding as she stared at Lu Chengjun, her voice trembling. "You're insane... Lu Chengjun, you're a madwoman! The Jiang family raised you for three years, taught you manners, educated you, and treated you as their own daughter. Yet you were able to do such a thing. The Jiang family lost over three thousand lives, all of whom treated you well. You... you're worse than a beast!"

"A beast?" Lu Chengjun's sinister laughter echoed in the death cell. "Haha, I simply left behind those who were useful, such as you, Jiang Chenhe. I must thank you for taking care of me, for taking the blame for me, for making Yangu fall in love with me, and for granting me a lifetime of glory and favor. Are you regretting it now? It's too late, too late!"

She sighed softly, as if filled with regret, while Jiang Chenhe wished she could tear apart that beautiful face. "Lu Chengjun, you will not die a good death, you will not die a good death!"

However, at that moment, with a loud bang, the iron door of the death cell was kicked open. Following closely behind, a nobleman in imperial attire strode in, kicking Jiang Chenhe in the chest. Her body, like a broken kite, slammed into the wall and then crashed heavily to the ground.

"Thud..." Jiang Chenhe spat out blood, her body convulsing in pain, curling up as if her soul was about to leave her body, but she stubbornly stared at the culprit.

She was all too familiar with this person. He was Dugu Yan, her childhood companion and sweetheart. But now, he glared at her with a fierce look, as if he wanted to tear her to pieces. "Wretch, the Jiang family conspired and rebelled, committing treason against the throne. According to the law, the entire clan should be exterminated. I, considering the Jiang family's contribution to my ascension to the throne, spared your life. Yet you, ungrateful as you are, cursed the Empress Consort. You deserve to die!"

"The Jiang family contributed to your ascension to the throne?" Jiang Chenhe burst into laughter. She propped up her trembling body, her eyes filled with scorn.

"Do you still remember that it was the Jiang family who gave you all this? I thought you had been blinded by this woman, forgetting that it was the noble consort who adopted and nurtured you into an emperor. I thought you had forgotten that when you were humiliated, it was the Jiang family who stood behind you to redeem your honor. I thought you had forgotten that when you were in danger, it was the Jiang family who saved you time and time again. Otherwise, why would you wipe out all the kindness and grace of the Jiang family with just one sentence of sparing my life? Do you think that by sparing my life, you can repay the great kindness of the Jiang family? Or do you think that by sparing my life, you can sit securely on your throne, forgetting that your hands are stained with the blood of your benefactors? I tell you, Dugu Yan, it's impossible! Your ingratitude will bring about your downfall!"