the cat in emperor's arms

autumn

Qin Hua was silent for a moment, then lowered her head and said:

"My mother is narrow-minded and refused to follow me into the residence. She still lives secluded in the countryside, and I do not know where she is now."

Yuwen Xiong glanced at her, then suddenly burst into laughter.

His laughter echoed within the cold stone walls, making it even more sinister.

After a while, the laughter gradually stopped.

"Alright, my good daughter, rise quickly."

Qin Hua struggled to stand. Her face was pale, yet expressionless. It seemed that the mud and blood covering her body had not affected her in the slightest.

And King Jiangling didn’t care either.

He slowly walked over, his face softening slightly as he sighed, "You are the child who resembles me the most… Even Chen'er isn't as decisive as you. That is why I place the most hope in you."

Qin Hua’s long eyelashes fluttered. "How could your daughter compare to the heir?"

"I regret finding you so late," Yuwen Xiong said, "If you had grown up by my side, you would surely have inherited my legacy."

Yuwen Xiong patted Qin Hua's shoulder, speaking meaningfully:

"But I know, if one day I ascend to the throne as emperor, you will be my most honored daughter."

A burning light flashed in Qin Hua’s eyes, and she said solemnly, "Father, please give me one more chance. I will not disappoint your expectations."

The candlelight illuminated her profile, like a hidden dagger, a beautiful woman with thorns.

"Good, good! I believe in your abilities…"

...

Qin Hua draped a thin black robe over herself, groping along the wall as she slowly walked through the secret passage.

It was as if she had narrowly escaped death. Cold sweat and coagulated blood stuck to her body, making her extremely uncomfortable. Her teeth chattered, yet her eyes, sharp like poisonous arrows, showed no sign of weakness.

King Jiangling was right; they were the same kind of people.

Ambitious, power-hungry, willing to pay any price.

And she would not be like her weak and incompetent mother, who could only endure silently. She would prove that the path she had chosen was not wrong.

The world is full of fickle men.

But she would not place all her hopes on men.

This time, she had been careless and failed. She had used her beauty as bait, which had always worked, but for the first time, she met a man like Pei Shenyu, who remained completely unaffected by her charm, with a steady mind.

Qin Hua bit her teeth in resentment.

Pei Shenyu, just you wait—

One day, she would repay this humiliation.

The corpse on the ground lay with its clothes wide open, but the black headscarf still indicated the man’s rank as a military officer. His throat had been slit, and he died with his eyes wide open, unwilling to close even in death.

The assassin struck when he was lost in desire.

"Your Highness, should we immediately pursue the traitor?" A soldier behind him asked for orders.

"No need to pursue." Pei Shenyu felt the corpse’s neck with his fingertips, his expression indifferent. "It’s been four or five hours already; you won’t catch her."