1 Prologue

*Pa!*

A painful, crisp sound resounded about in the halls of the dreadful Cold Palace. There were two women in the middle of it. One in an extravagant dark pink hanfu with headwear in gold and rubies while the other was clad in a depressingly white outfit, her hair devoid of any hairpin and hairstyle.

"Being thrown in the Cold Palace... hah! Even if you were a former empress, being sent to the Cold Palace is as equal as being a lowly concubine!" the woman sneered as she grabbed the other woman's face which had already been worn out from the harsh treatment she received ever since she was sent to the godforsaken place.

"Hah! Still thinking that the Emperor will still save you? Think again. Your maternal family is ruined. You aren't even capable of bearing an imperial son. What use do you still think have?"

"I even heard from the Emperor himself. That new concubine he brought in? The one who was granted the title of Imperial Consort Lin?" her face turned ugly at these words. "My father heard him say at the court meeting this morning that he was to make her the Empress."

"Sooner or later, that Phoenix seal in your possession would soon be snatched away too, and at that time, you'll be even more worthless than a water maid," her nails dug in the other woman's flesh, making her cry out in pain. Satisfied in seeing the wretched state once known as the mother of the country, Noble Consort Yun flicked her sleeves and left the Cold Palace.

"Your Majesty! Quick, quick! I'll help you get to the bed!" fretted her servant, Li Su. But Jiao Chang Huan stayed rooted in her spot, sobbing tears of anguish. Her tears caused the bleeding crescent marks to sting in pain. "Your Majesty, we need to treat those wounds! Your face will be ruined if it will scar!" Li Su reminded her.

"Haven't I done a good job at being the country's mother, for keeping the peace in the Imperial Harem?!" she furiously wiped her tears. "Why must His Majesty be so cruel as to crown a new Empress while I am alive? Better kill me than live through it!"

Li Su immediately knelt by her side and held her hands, saying, "Her Majesty must not say that! I'm sure there is still a way to get you out of here! I'm sure there is still a way for Her Highness to win back His Majesty's favor!" as she said that, the Empress could not help but cry harder. She pulled Li Su in an embrace and sobbed furiously.

'I hate this!'

'Why is my father not trying to save me! Hasn't my family's wish always has been for me to become the Empress?!'

The Empress's crying lasted for half a shichen (1 shichen = 2 hours) before she had come to feel tired and slept in her servant's arms. Luckily, Li Su was a strong servant, and was able to get the Empress to her bed. Li Su patiently wiped the teartracks that had dried in her mistress's face. She sighed unhappily for her mistress. When she was a little girl, she was almost sold to be a slave in training to work in the brothel. Luckily, the Empress knew that she was the estranged daughter of her wet nurse, and thus bought her to become her servant.

'Aiyah, why must my mistress be so unfortunate?' she lamented before putting away the basin of water and the wet cloth. Stretching her joints, she went to another furniture before lying down and falling asleep.

Sadly, none of them knew that that night was the last they were ever going to see each other.

::

In the dead of the night, a dark figure stood silently outside of the Cold Palace. The smell of gasoline hung thickly in the air, making one feel suffocated if they were to breath. Wordlessly, he dropped the flaming torch in his hand and jumped over the wall to escape before the Cold Palace was engulfed in bright orange flames.

Such a beautiful scene however brutal it may be.

::

Hot. It was hot. The Empress was sweating buckets which made no sense as the Cold Palace was known for its harsh, bitter cold.

"Your Majesty, please wake up!" Jiao Chang Huan opened her eyes to stare at a bewildered Li Su, a wet cloth covering her nose. A mere whiff of the air around her made Chang Huan choke and hold her breath.

Smoke! The Cold Palace was on fire!

'The Emperor...' her throat felt dry as she recalled the man. He had been indifferent when she was sent here. Could it be... 'His Majesty has ordered for my death?!'

Chang Huan scrambled to get off the bed before they yelp when a pillar falls down. The Empress quickly covers her mouth with her sleeve and attempts to crawl out of the place. Chang Huan looks around and spots an open window. Feeling a sense of hope rising in her heart, she grabbed Li Su and pointed to the window's direction. Li Su immediately gets what she is trying to say and nods but a piece of wood had fallen down and barred their exit, shattering all hope that was left in them.

'Will this... really be my end?!' Chang Huan thought in despair, her tears flowing endlessly down her cheeks. Li Su is crying in fear beside her and Chang Huan knows why. Though her servant does not fear death, she fears pain. Better to cut her head off than to die being burned to death!

In this life, she can count on one hand the good things she has done for her, while she herself cannot count how many times Li Su has helped her. Forcing down the wail that threatened to erupt from her chest, she gripped Li Su's shoulders and faced her through tear stained vision.

'Oh, right, this Empress just remembered. This Empress is not about to be the Empress anymore. A used woman of the Emperor who fell out of his favor... It is better for me to die right now.'

"Li Su, this Empress orders you to escape through that window!" she tells her. A few moments later, Li Su's eyes widened in disbelief as she grasped the Empress's arms. "No! Your Highness, you must live on! This servant's life is worthless compared to yours-" the Empress hugged her and slipped something in her hand.

"Li Su, this Empress wants you to live on and live a good life. The treasure that I have pawned and hid, take it. I have no child for me to pass it on. You are the only person that had stuck to me through all of this. This Empress wants to repay all these years of your service," she forced her voice to not waver while the young girl bawled. "Take the treasure and use it to live a good life. Now go!"

"But, Your Highness!"

"Go!" perhaps it was Li Su who was startled, as the moment her mistress answered, a cold shiver ran down her back. Gulping down her saliva, she looked resolutely on the figure of her mistress from the sill of the window before bitterly jumping down.

'Mistress, in my next life, I will surely repay you by a thousand folds! I swear on it!'

The wooden beam fell upon the Empress's head right after Li Su's figure vanished. Chang Huan sucked in a breath because of the pain before she fell down, black spots forming in her vision.

'What a pity, I did not get to have a good view before I died...'