Chapter 8: Beware of fire, theft, and best friends

Only after Eunuch Xiao Lizi had swallowed the entire plate of food, and was even forced to lick the sauce clean from the plate, did Emperor Liu Sheng finally let go.

He kicked the limp, mud-like Eunuch Xiao Lizi out the door, as if discarding trash.

"Get lost."

"Take your master and get as far away from me as possible."

Eunuch Xiao Lizi scrambled on the ground, and his terrified subordinates clumsily helped him up, fleeing in a panic from this Shura field they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

Before leaving, Eunuch Xiao Lizi cast a venomous glance back, squeezing a harsh threat through his teeth.

"You... you just wait for me! I... will never let you off!"

Emperor Liu Sheng snorted coldly, ignoring him completely.

He closed the door and slid the bolt into place.

Turning around, he saw Taishi Feiyan looking at him with an extremely complex expression.

In that gaze, there was shock, relief, worry, and even a trace of... infatuation.

The moment the door closed, it seemed to also close the floodgates of her emotions.

The anger, grievances, and humiliation that had accumulated for so long finally erupted at this moment.

"Ahhh!"

She let out a scream and violently threw the pillows, blankets, and everything else she could grab from the bedside onto the floor.

She rushed to the table and swept her hands across it with force.

"Clatter!"

The remaining food and dishes on the table were all swept to the ground, shattering into pieces.

She acted as if she had gone mad, venting the resentment and hatred in her heart.

Emperor Liu Sheng did not step forward to stop her.

He just stood there quietly, watching her vent.

He knew she needed an outlet.

Those deep-seated national hatreds and family vendettas, the humiliation of being deposed and imprisoned, the pain of being betrayed by a former friend—if these were not vented, they would drive anyone mad sooner or later.

Finally, Taishi Feiyan grew tired.

As if all her strength had been drained, she slowly slid down along the table leg and sat on the floor.

She buried her face in her knees, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably, and the sobs she had suppressed for so long finally escaped her throat.

Starting from whimpers, it eventually turned into wailing.

She cried heart-wrenchingly, as if her heart were being torn apart.

Emperor Liu Sheng walked over, squatted beside her, reached out, and gently patted her back.

He said nothing.

Sometimes, silent companionship is more powerful than any comforting words.

After crying for who knows how long, Taishi Feiyan's sobs gradually subsided into intermittent hiccups.

She raised her head, and in her phoenix eyes, red and swollen from crying, burned an overwhelming hatred.

"Do you know who Imperial Noble Consort Su Waner is?"

Her voice was hoarse, yet carried a cold sense of determination.

Emperor Liu Sheng shook his head.

"She was once my best friend."

A desolate and ironic curve appeared at the corner of Taishi Feiyan's mouth.

"We grew up together, studied together, practiced martial arts together, shared everything, and were like sisters."

"I thought that, apart from my father and brother, she was the person in this world who would least likely betray me."

A flash of painful reminiscence crossed her eyes.

"My brother helped The Dog Emperor ascend the throne, which created many enemies; my father was always very clear about this. Therefore, he had long arranged a way out for our family."

"He secretly transferred most of our family's wealth, as well as the 'Overlord Guard' composed of three hundred elite death soldiers, outside the capital to be managed by a distant uncle of mine. Once a crisis occurred in the capital, this force would be enough to give our Taishi Family a chance to make a comeback."

"This matter was the highest secret of the Taishi Family. Apart from my father, only my brother and I knew about it."

Speaking of this, her voice trembled, and her fingernails dug deeply into her palms.

"But I... I told this secret to Imperial Noble Consort Su Waner."

"I treated her as my own, as my most trusted sister. In front of her, I had no secrets."

"And what was the result?"

Taishi Feiyan let out a miserable laugh that sounded like a cuckoo crying blood.

"It was precisely this person I trusted the most who stabbed me in the back with the cruelest knife."

"She turned around and took everything I told her, embellished it, and turned it into 'ironclad evidence' of my Taishi Family's intention to rebel, handing it over to that The Dog Emperor."

"Witnesses, physical evidence, everything was complete."

"The Dog Emperor was already wary of the Taishi Family; with this 'evidence,' he was overjoyed and immediately ordered my brother to be captured and beheaded, and had the entire Taishi Family executed, leaving none behind."

"As for the Su Family, because of this immense merit of 'denunciation,' they rose rapidly. Her father, from an inconspicuous Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, leaped to become the current Prime Minister, wielding power over the court."

"She herself, from an obscure Lady, was exceptionally conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort, assisting in the management of the six palaces, with unparalleled influence."

The cold words echoed in the empty room, every single word soaked in blood and tears.

Emperor Liu Sheng's heart also sank.

He finally understood where that bone-deep hatred of Taishi Feiyan came from.

Betrayed by the person she loved most, sold out by her best friend.

Family destroyed, imprisoned.

This kind of pain is enough to destroy anyone's will.

"There are already rumors in the palace."

Taishi Feiyan wiped away her tears, her eyes becoming cold and firm once again.

"The Dog Emperor will soon issue a decree to depose the Empress, and then confer the title of new Empress upon Imperial Noble Consort Su Waner."

"Stepping on the corpses of over a thousand members of my Taishi Family, she is about to sit in the position I once held."

She looked at Emperor Liu Sheng and said word by word.

"Emperor Liu Sheng, I want to kill her."

"I want to make her fall from the clouds when she is at her most glorious and triumphant, smashing her to pieces!"

That overwhelming hatred made even Emperor Liu Sheng feel a palpitation.

"What do you want to do?"

He asked in a deep voice.

"I don't know."

Taishi Feiyan's eyes dimmed.

"Imperial Noble Consort Su Waner is now deeply favored by the Emperor, and wherever she goes, she is guarded by elite palace experts and the Imperial Guards, with strict security. Trying to kill her in the palace is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

"What's more, we can't even leave this Cold Palace right now."

A look of anxiety appeared on her face.

The thought of revenge burned like a fire in her heart.

But reality was a basin of ice water, forcing her to calm down.

Emperor Liu Sheng also frowned.

Although his strength had greatly increased, the Imperial Palace was full of hidden masters.

There were definitely more Xiantian experts than just him, and there might even be old monsters at the Grandmaster level sitting in the palace.

Charging in blindly would be no different from throwing an egg against a rock.

This matter must be considered carefully.

"No rush."

Emperor Liu Sheng held her cold hands and said steadily.

"A gentleman takes revenge, ten years is not too late. We have plenty of time."

"What you need to do now is to take care of your health. As long as we are alive, there will always be a chance for revenge."

His words were like a warm current, allowing Taishi Feiyan's anxious heart to calm down a little.

She looked at the man in front of her, and a sense of unprecedented reliance grew in her heart.

Yes, as long as he is still by her side, there is still hope for everything.

Just as she wanted to discuss some more concrete plans with Emperor Liu Sheng—

"Clang! Clang!"

Outside the Cold Palace, there was a sudden burst of dense clattering of armor and chaotic footsteps.