Wine of Blood and Regret

The golden phoenix crown felt unusually heavy on her brow. Through the crimson veil, Yan Li saw the silhouette of the man she had placed on the throne.

"Drink it, Empress," his voice was smooth as jade, yet colder than winter frost. "The realm needs peace, and your clan is too powerful to remain."

Beside him, her younger sister smiled behind a silk sleeve, eyes dripping with malice.

Yan Li took the jade goblet without shaking. She looked directly into his eyes and drank it to the last drop. "If there is an afterlife, Xiao Jing... I shall tear your kingdom down with my bare hands."