Rebirth of Poisoned Empress, by 颜若优雅

Chapter 1

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.