Ashen body

"I...Hate him..."

Liao Ling sat as the ashes fell like snow, embracing a charred body.

"Hate...HATE...HATE!"

Her teeth grit together so hard they were bleeding. 

"huh?" 

She looked around and saw that there were small specs of floating lights rising up. 

Her eyes turned to where it was coming out from.

"No! No! No No No!!!"

The charred body was slowly turning to specs of light and slowly disappearing. 

Liao Ling held Meng Yu even closer to her as if she were to let go, he would leave no trace in her world. 

"P-please...don't take him away from me!" Her sobbing, begging face scrunched as tears fell down. Yet the body was still on the verge of vanishing.

"!?"

The body full scattered to lights and flowed slowly towards her. 

"Meng Yu...is that you?"

As if to respond, the lights entered into her body and she felt a current of spiritual energy.

The area around her began to bloom flowers and in the next sec, were burnt to ashes. 

Liao Ling lifted her palm and a blazing fire as red as blood flowed out, burning everything around it. However, to her it was extremely warm and comfortable, just like it was a extension of her body. 

"Meng Yu...I see...This power, I know what to do now."

She wanted to believe in it, even if it was false. That her husband will always protect her.

.....

.....

.....

"L-Lin-er, you-"

Liao Lings, father looked at her weak figure, dismayed facial expression, and the charcoal on her clothes. 

He had never seen his bright daughter be so distraught before to the point where he didn't know where to start to comfort her. 

"Ling-er-" 

"The Royal Commandment is here!"

"What!?"

Liao Lings father screamed in suprise as the eunuchs announced their arrival. 

Liao Ling weakly kneeled with her father supporting her. The rest of the family also kneels. 

"Liao Ling, is beautiful and eloquent, her actions have moved me, the emperor. Thus, 3 days from now, she will have the honor of marrying me. The 7th prince is dead, however before he died, he wrote a divorce letter. Thus, Liao Ling does not need to go into 3 years of mourning."

The eunuch finished reading. 

Liao Lings father crumbled his clothes in a attempt to calm down, finally he let it out with a red glare in his eyes, "Emperor, don't push me so far!"

"You-"

The eunuch were stunned to see the general insulting the emperor. Insulting the emperor could result in the executions of family 3 generations. 

"I accept."

Liao Ling emotionlessly put her hands out to receive the edict. 

"Ling'er!?"

"V-very well!"

The eunuchs quickly handed her the edict and left in case something were to happened. 

"Ling'er you don't need to accept this, I will fight this tyrant!"

"Yet, why couldn't you save my husband?" she spoke in a monotone voice. 

"I-I can't risk our families wellbeing for others, even a son-in-law."

She cries and looks at her father. "He was my husband. Not an outsider."

Without speaking another word, she left to her room and closed the door behind her. 

Liao Lings father stared helplessly. Regretting that his hesitation may have caused the doom of his family.