The cell was dark and damp. Rats and insects roamed and the stench was horrendous.
All prisoners who have been put on death row in the imperial city of the Great Qin Dynasty were either vicious, cruel, and unforgiving. But also, no one would ever return alive.
In the innermost cell of the dungeons, a disheveled man sat against the wall of the cell. Past his sallow and bruised features, a beautiful silhouette could still be seen. The scars marred at the corners of his lips were clearly visible and present from being repeatedly slapped. His eyes were lifeless and intertwined with the breath of death was also a sense of despair. The lost of any will to live emanated from his body.
"My Lady, this way."
Followed by the sickeningly flattering voice was the footsteps of a crowd of people. Two jailers led the way and was followed by a woman of exceptional beauty, as though born from flowers and the moon. The white attire gave off an even more ethereal atmosphere. She was a fairy who had fell from the clouds.
Slam!
The trail of newcomers paused before the cell. Seeing that the prisoner within the cell did not react the slightest, the woman made a gesture with the wave of her hand, "You're all excused. I wish to speak with my fifth brother in private." *Fifth brother means the woman's fifth eldest brother.*
"Yes. Yes. Yes."
The palace maid who trailed after the woman tossed the jailers a gold ingot which they readily accepted before nodding flatteringly and leaving.
From the very beginning, the man in the cell did not move the slightest. Not even the slightest twitch of his eyelids could be seen. The woman did not seem to mind. Rather, she smiled and walked toward him in a condescending manner. She gazed at him the same way one would look down at ants but the originally moist and bright eyes were now consumed by hatred and arrogance.
"Fifth brother."
No one knew how much time passed before the woman crouched down before the man. However, no sign of anger could be seen on the man's features as he was forced to look at her, "Fifth Brother. This honored self don't dare have you as a sister."
Qin Yunshen personally accusing him of poisoning the former emperor, mutilating the heirs of the imperial family, and forcing the title of poisoned empress on him, could not be done without this so-called sister's painstaking efforts. He couldn't blame anyone except himself for being blind though. Those ten years of sincerity were fed to the dogs. It was only for that illusion of warmth that made him trust those he thought were the closest to him and reduced him to this state.
"This honored self? Haha..."
When the woman heard the way the man addressed himself, she covered her mouth to laugh sarcastically, "Does fifth brother still take yourself to be the esteemed queen who rules above tens of thousands of civilians and ruled only by one? Please don't make your sister laugh. Fifth brother might not know, but this morning, His Highness has already passed the decree to crown me as Queen. As for you? You're nothing more than the bastard who murdered the former emperor."
She caught on to the pain that flickered across the man's face and the woman smiled even brighter. She could hardly contain the undisguised hatred in her eyes.
"Really? Between the two of you, one a traitor, and the other an adulteress, the two of you do indeed make a perfect match!"
After the short span of momentary falter from being stunned, Shen Liang suppressed the disgust in his heart to assume an expression of indifference. Had it been before, perhaps he wouldn't have been able to withstand it. After all, he had loved Qin Yunshen deeply for the past full decade. For him, Shen Liang had placed his own life in jeopardy multiple times. However, the moment Qin Yunshen personally condemned him for murdering the previous emperor, the imperial heirs, and titled him the Poisoned Empress, Shen Liang finally understood. Qin Yunshen never loved him. From the very beginning, what Qin Yunshen loved was the authority, power, and Hidden Guards, his father had left him with.
"You..."
The woman was incensed. She never expected that even after taking everything from Shen Liang, he was still able to maintain the arrogance of the legitimate son. However... *Men from historical China are able to take on multiple concubines but only one formal, legal wife. Only the wife's children are considered legitimate and can inherit their father's legacy. Concubines and their respective children hold no real status and depending on the time period, may be no better than slaves. At least that's the way it's supposed to be.*
As though she finally recalled something, the woman smiled and approached the man to whisper, "Fifth brother doesn't seem to care about his own life or death. But what about General Zhenguo's Mansion? Is fifth brother also indifferent about them?" *General Zhenguo's Manor would mean everyone who lived with or is relatives with General Zhenguo. This may include distant relatives, concubines of distant relatives, and even the servants who worked there, hence why this could mean and include up to hundreds of people.*
"What do you mean?"
Shen Liang's pupils dilated. It can't be...
Having finally succeeded in deriving Shen Liang's weakness, the woman took a step back, "General Zhenguo's Mansion assumed importance through amassing troops with the intention to rebel. Residents of the Manor, more than a hundred lives, not even the newborns, are to be spared. They have all been beheaded by His Majesty."
"No. That can't be. Grandfather..."
Shen Liang's indifference from having already accepted his death shattered. The dim light flickered and highlighted the horror in his eyes... He was helpless. From the moment he disbanded the Hidden Guards, he had already lost any and all chances of resistance.
"The Token of Clemency?"
The woman interrupted him and sneered, "fifth brother, you really had everything. Although since the moment your father insisted on marrying Father, he had already broken off all relationships with the General Zhenguo's Mansion, but the old general still took out the token to save you without a second's hesitation. However, how could they possibly imagine that this was all to disrupt their former arrangements? And you, fifth brother, you had disbanded the Hidden Guards yourself. fifth brother, the person who really ruined the General Zhenguo's mansion was you. Hahahahaha!"
"No. This can't be. Qin Yunshen wouldn't..."
Wouldn't what?
The flustered and helpless Shen Liang was unable to continue on. When Qin Yunshen was still the unfavored fourth prince, Shen Liang had already married over and became the consort of the Fourth prince. Afterwards, Marquis Donglin's backing and the Hidden Guards left to him by his Father had been Qin Yunshen's biggest support. Although General Zhenguo did not support Shen Liang's decisions and even his own grandfather and several of his uncles had attempted to persuade Shen Liang otherwise, he had been adamant in his willful behavior. Despite their continuous appraisal that Qin Yunshen was not a man to be trusted, Shen Liang had been nothing but dedicated to Qin Yunshen. However, the moment Qin Yunshen was able to sit steadily on the throne, the first person he dealt with was Shen Liang. He pinned the crime of murdering the former emperor directly onto him. For Qin Yunshen, Shen Liang was nothing more than someone he could easily discard, much less General Zhenguo's Mansion?
Thinking of this, Shen Liang closed his eyes in pain. Tears from remorse burned his eyes. It was him. He was the one who was blind and harmed General Zhenguo's Mansion! He killed them! He killed his own grandfather and the hundred lives of the Manor!
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
The harsh reality was the last straw that caused Shen Liang's collapse. Shen Liang grasped his head and roared. Pain and anguish filled his screams and blood slowly started to pool out.
"There's also another matter Fifth brother might be unaware of. Eldest brother's death wasn't an accident. He died because of you. Let this honored self contemplate just how many people died for you, fifth brother?"
The more pain he was in, the giddier the woman became as the cruel truth is revealed from her delicate lips.
"Ah..."
When he heard the woman's words, Shen Liang stood up and grasped her shoulders as though his mentality had collapsed. The woman shrieked from fright and when she raised her head to take a look, she was greeted by a horrid sight. Blood pooled from Shen Liang's eyes, nose, and lips. He was like a ghost. Both the woman and the maids who had came with her were frightened to the point they forgot to break free and even breathe.
"How did my brother die? Was it you? Was it you who caused his death?! Wasn't it?!?!"
Shen Liang was completely insane. All that could surface in his mind was the bloody memory of his brother's body pierced by hundred of arrows.
"Let, let me go. Are you all dead? Get him away from me. Hurry..."
After the woman was finally capable of reacting, the former glee she had attained dissipated into fear as she shrieked for the guards and her own maidens. Along with her, the rest of the group also reacted and dove forward to pull Shen Liang away.
"Shen Qiang, my brother! He was murdered by you, wasn't he?!"
It was unknown where he had gained the strength but even with 7-8 people fighting against him, they could barely constrain Shen Liang. Shen Liang's grip was an iron grip that refused to let the woman's shoulders go as his words resounded throughout the cell.
The eunuchs and palace maids attacked Shen Liang's arms but Shen Qiang still felt as though her shoulders would break under Shen Liang's grip. Shen Liang couldn't thin of anything and could only scream in pain and anger, "Right?! Was my brother murdered my you? Was he..."
The moment Shen Liang was born, Shen Liang was accused by a renowned Taoist priest for being the scourge of the stars. His Dad also just had to have died from blood lost from giving birth to him. As such, his Father hated him and wanted nothing more than to kill Shen Liang himself. It was his brother, the eldest son of Marquis Donglin, Shen Da, who cried and was adamant about saving him. And it was also because of Shen Liang that Shen Da left home the moment he reached fifteen and died on the battlefield from being pierced by hundreds of arrows. His body was then left on the city walls for the enemies to humiliate and treat derogatively.
All along, Shen Liang thought his eldest brother's death was an accident, caused by unpredictable factors on the battlefield. But now, Shen Qiang was telling him his brother's death wasn't an accident. He was murdered by schemes. How was it possible for Shen Liang to accept this?
"So what if it was? You have nothing to blame than him stealing my brother's title of being the legitimate eldest son. Shen Da deserved to die. You deserve to die. Cut his arms off! Cut it off for this honored self now!"
Shen Qiang was also insane. The envy and jealousy that had accumulated from young overwhelmed and surged from her. Her previous elegant and beautiful appearance could not be seen in the slightest.
"Yes!"
"Ah..."
No one knew where the two men materialized from but with the flash of the lowered knife, Shen Liang's two arms which were clamped tightly on Shen Qiang's shoulders were harshly severed. Blood gushed out, staining Shen Liang red. It also stained Shen Qiang's attire and the eunuchs and palace maids were frightened and scattered.
Crash!
Without their constrain and after the beating incurred, Shen Liang, who had just lost his arms collapsed on the ground. He was battered and not an inch on his body unmarred. is two severed arms lied lifeless not far away but the physical pain was incomparable to the pain in his heart. Shen Liang hated that he had stupidly reduced himself to this point. That he never knew the truth until today.
"My brother's death, did Qin Yunshen have any part in it?"
When the pain and hatred reached an extreme, Shen Liang found he couldn't feel anything anymore at all. Even though his injuries from his severed arm was still bleeding out.
"Shen Da wasn't on the same side as us. But he had amassed great achievements. Did you think that with him alive, His Majesty would have been able to wed you?"
Was that really the case?
Hearing that, Shen Liang's heart, which he thought was already numb from the pain, experienced another bout of sharp pain. His brother really was like the rest. They had all died because of him.
"Do you know why His Majesty crowned me as Empress? Besides personal reasons, it was also because of Father's aid. Father had already reached an agreement with His Highness. The moment he assumed control over the court, he would abolish your title as Empress and crown me. Besides the deceased Shen Da, who really took you to be a relative? Legitimate son? Don't kid me. You're worth less than a dog."
Shen Qiang who was covered in blood took advantage of Shen Liang already having his arms severed to draw near again. She crouched down arrogantly before him. Shen Liang slowly raised his head.
"Pu!"
A mouthful of blood sprayed on her face, "So what? Regardless of how many times I die, I am still the legitimate son of the Marquis Donglin Manor, the Empress of the Great Qin Dynasty? You? Aren't you just the bastard slut of a concubine? Do you think you can sit in that seat steadily? Qin Yunshen is able to disregard our marital status as husbands, my grandfather's affection and contribution for many years to abolish my title and condemn me today, then he'd be able to ruin the Marquis Donglin manor and abolish you tomorrow! For those who had once harmed and humiliated me, listen well. Even if I become a fierce ghost, I'll see you to the end!"
Shen Liang's eyes flowed with tears concentrated with blood and stared firmly at Shen Liang. Not a trace of warmth remained in his heart. He really was a Poisoned Empress in that moment. If given the chance there was no need to doubt that Shen Liang would definitely force the Great Qin Dynasty to ruins.
Shen Qiang did not expect Shen Liang to dare resist even at this point. Her features distorted and deformed in disgust from the blood sprayed on her face, "Beat him. Beat him to death for this honored self!"
"Yes."
The group of eunuchs and palace maids immediately complied and attacked. This time, Shen Liang didn't make even cry out from the pain. He only stared firmly at Shen Qiang.
"Gouge his eyes out."
Having inadvertently met Shen Liang's gaze, Shen Qiang's heart skipped a beat and a shock pulsed through her.
Snap!
The sharp blade came out from its sheath and with a decisive maneuver, the round mass of blood fell out. Shen Liang's eyes were bleeding. His sockets pooled out blood and he still refused to cry out in pain. From what was left of his senses, Shen Liang faced Shen Qiang and with a mouthful of blood, cried out, "Shen Qiang, Qin Yunshen, listen well. Even if I turn have to turn into a ghost, I will haunt you to death, in both life and death!"
Crack!
With the poisonous oath made past a mouthful of blood, Shen Liang slammed his head into the ground fiercely before anyone could make another move. Blood splurt out in the spot, bursting from the brain plasma and splattered on the ground.
Two hours later, the Imperial Palace Study received the news.
"Your Majesty, news has come from the death row dungeons that Empress Shen committed suicide after the abolishment!"
The young eunuch hurried in and called out. Qin Yunshen who was reading over a script delivered by the ministers was stunned and the cinnabar dripped onto the recital. A trace of confusion flickered across his handsome features, but soon dissipated at a speed no one that made it hard for anyone to see it at all.
"Prepare a burial."
No one knew how much time had passed, but Qin Yunshen picked up another recital. Toward Shen Liang's death, he only returned those three words and that was it.
"Yes."
The eunuch cautiously peered at him and didn't dare to question how the burial should be prepared. He simply bowed down respectfully before retreating. It wasn't until Qin Yunshen was the only one who remained in the Imperial Study that he discarded the cinnabar and leaned back. Shen Liang's silhouette surfaced in his mind. Dead? He never intended for Shen Liang to die!