The Blood-Stained Empress

C4: Red Wine

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Huang Siming POV:

Huang Siming silently observes the endless rows of bowed heads. Prideful and ambitious men and women are submissively lowering their heads to him. Families from all sorts of backgrounds, with different malicious intentions hidden behind their backs, are under his rule. An entire nation. Huang Siming clasps his hands together and slowly walks to his throne at the center of the room while searching through the crowd. His gaze finally lands on a single table.

Today, his plans will come into motion. How many tears will be spilled? How much blood will be sacrificed? How many relentless ghosts, thirsty for revenge, will haunt him from today forth?

Huang Siming seats himself on his golden throne. "You all may now rise. Let the banquet continue."

Li Meixing POV: 

As everyone sits back down and the dancers resume their performances, the atmosphere of the imperial hall returns back to its warm and bustling state.

Li Meixing shyly peaks at Huang Siming and makes eye contact with him. Her cheeks flush with color and she flashes a smile at him. He smiles in return and looks as if he is about to mouth something, but a eunuch carrying an important message turns his attention away from her. Li Meixing dejectedly goes back to her previous state of watching the dancers perform.

Her boredom doesn't last for long. Prime Minister Song, a large man with hollowed cheeks and broad shoulders, stands up with a glass of wine in his hand. "Let this official toast the emperor." The conversations in the hall slowly die down, and Prime Minister Song clears his throat. "Today, we celebrate the coronation of our Qi Kingdom's emperor, Emperor Huang Siming. His youthfulness will certainly lead this kingdom to glory in the future, and his intelligence is unmatched. No one knows better than His Majesty, for he has been blessed by heaven! May he live on for thousands of years to guide us all!" Prime Minister Song ends his speech and tips his head to drink the entire glass of wine in one gulp. The hall bursts into applause.

Next to Li Meixing, Prime Minister Li stands up as well and raises his cup. "This official will make a toast as well. His Majesty is wise, and his reforms have already improved our beloved Qi Kingdom. His Majesty is the beacon of hope to all of our people, many of who have suffered from the past war. May he be prosperous and let the gods smile upon us!" One by one, the three other prime ministers stand up to praise Huang Siming and make a show of congratulating his coronation.

Once everyone is done with their toasts, Huang Siming himself stands up. The golden dragons embroidered in his robes catch the light from the chandeliers above in the process and cast a glow onto his figure. "This emperor thanks everyone for the toasts. Since no one has toasted our Qi Kingdom, this emperor will do so." He pauses for a moment and lets his eyes fall onto a single person. Li Meixing tilts her head slightly to one side. Is he looking at her? No, more like... she glances at her father. Eh?

"Our Qi Kingdom is no longer the kingdom is used to be," Huang Siming continues. "In the days of Emperor Huang Jin, my grandfather, this kingdom was prosperous and vast. Everyone was affluent and full of spirit. After the war against Su Kingdom, our kingdom lost much of its land and wealth. Today, the Su Kingdom is built on our people's pain and grief. As emperor, I promise that we will reclaim what is rightfully ours. Let us all drink to the prosperity of our kingdom!" Everyone in the hall stands up to drink and applauds his speech. Her cheeks rosy with happiness and pride, Li Meixing tips her head back to allow the red wine to trickle down her throat.

All of a sudden, the doors slam open. Ten imperial guards dressed in their signature red uniforms bow before the throne, followed by five more guards dragging figureless black masses. The musicians and dancers abruptly stop performing, and the vibrant chattering that filled the hall just moments ago turns into hushed whispers.

Li Meixing turns toward her father. "Why are the guards--" Before the rest of her question can leave her mouth, a series of high-pitched screams from noblewomen draw her attention back to the center of the hall. She watches as the guards ruthlessly kick at the black figures. Wait. They look like...

"Your Majesty, these three assassins were found in the imperial kitchen just moments ago with poison," the lead imperial guard announces. An anxious flurry of conversations arises amongst the officials.

Prime Minister Song stands up. "Trying to poison His Majesty is a capital crime, and doing it during the banquet when one can be sure that the guards aren't stationed at the kitchen makes it evident that the evildoer's intentions were as such. If you were the one who did it, just admit it now!"

Huang Siming slams his hand down onto his throne to silence everyone. "Who sent you?" he asks the assassins. He doesn't seem shaken at all; rather, his lips are curled in a confident smirk. Li Meixing decides to settle down her racing heart after seeing his posed appearance. It's okay. Huang Siming is unshakeable.

One of the assassins defiantly raises his head. "We have sworn not to tell." His voice is a raspy lisp. Moments later, he falls to the floor. His eyes are wide open and there's a faint smile hanging on his face. Blood oozes out of his mouth and traces his chapped lips. A chill runs down Li Meixing's spine. Her eyes are frozen on the grotesque image of the assassin's unhesitant suicide.

"They have poison in their mouths!" a guard shouts. The other guards immediately spring into action and lunge at the other two assassins to pry open their mouths. One of the assassins slumps onto the ground with the same expression as the first one, but the last assassin isn't as lucky. The guards pin his arms behind him and crudely remove the poison from his mouth.

A guard points his sword at the apple of the assassins' throat. "Who sent you? Your family's lives are on the line. Don't think that your keeping quiet would benefit your future generations in any way."

The assassin looks visibly shaken and swallows down his fears. He turns slightly to the side so that his eyes make contact with someone on the other side of the hall. His wavering pupils then pass by Li Meixing before returning back to Huang Siming. "Prime Minister Li."