The Imperial Palace, a couple of weeks ago.
The Empress Mother's chambers were shrouded in the darkness and silence of the deep midnight when a servant announced quietly from the other side of the door. "Your Majesty, General Shao is here to see you."
The Empress Mother rustled in the layers of her blankets and furrowed her eyebrows at the sudden visit. "Let him in." She ordered weakly as she sat up, her sleep-bleary eyes focusing rapidly.
The door creaked open. General Shao stepped in and bowed.
Without getting up, the Empress Mother spoke with her back ramrod straight. Even without her full regalia and with her hair down, she looked as if she was sitting on her throne in the throne hall. "Gang Rui, what brings you here at this hour?"
General Shao didn't reply immediately but made himself comfortable by sitting beside the Empress Mother on her bed. Her eyes followed his movement as he settled in beside her. General Shao then reached a hand out and provocatively swept the back of his hand over the side of the Empress Mother's face down her neck before resting his palm on her shoulder. The man then held his face close to her ears and breathed in his gruff voice. "I'm here for the final stage of my plan."
The Empress Mother tensed and her head whipped towards General Shao. "What plan?"
General Shao sneered coldly before murmuring in his low voice. "My plan to usurp the throne."
The Empress Mother shot up from her bed. The sudden movement made her vision sway. But she gritted her teeth and ordered the servants outside to leave before hissing her words to the general. "What are you talking about? Is this some sort of joke?"
General Shao snickered as he stood back up. "I bet you wish it was a joke."
"Explain." The Empress Mother's voice hardened.
General Shao sighed. "I wanted this to be over as soon as possible. But, well. I might as well indulge you one last time."
The Empress Mother only stared at him.
General Shao started to pace around the enormous room. "Well, to give you a better picture, I'll need to tell the story from the beginning." General Shao started. "For one, I'm adopted. My original surname was Lee. Not Shao."
The Empress Mother froze. Lee was not a common surname and it was almost exclusively reserved for the relatives of the Great Emperor Lee Gang.
Noting her reaction, the ugly sneer on the general's face grew wider. "Yes, it's a surname that you're well accustomed to, isn't it? I was born Lee Rui, the biological younger brother of your beloved late husband Lee Gang."
The Empress Mother's eyes widened at the revelation, but General Shao continued. "As you may have known, Lee Gang was a heartless bastard. But when I was still young and naïve, he was always a hero in my eyes. Until the day he decided to condemn me to death just so that there won't be anyone to contest his throne. He was twenty at the time and I was six. "
JE LEEST
THE DAY EMPEROR: 阳明王 【The Night Emperor Book 2】
Historische fictie"There are enough bad things in life, hold on to whatever it is that gives you joy." In the months after Ye An had ascended to the throne, she has learned about all the secrets that were kept from her. Secrets that had spanned generations. But is th...
