Ji Yun Kai was sober!
In the burning July, the scorching sun was heart-piercing, and even staying in a shaded room was still too hot. But as Ji Yun Kai laid in bed covered with a quilt, she felt cold all over, a chill that seemed to radiate from the depths of her bones, making her teeth chatter.
“Am I actually not dead?” Her head was heavy and dizzy, her body weak. Ji Yun Kai forced her eyes open and was momentarily stunned at the unfamiliar environment around her.
She was surely blown to pieces along with the battleship. How could she possibly still be alive?
“What exactly happened?” Ji Yun Kai tried to recall, but couldn’t remember anything that occurred after the explosion. That segment of her memory seemed blank. The only thing she was sure of was that she couldn't possibly have been rescued.
“Forget it, no more thinking!” Ji Yun Kai gave up on pondering, prepared to get up and inspect the environment. But as soon as her left hand touched the bed frame, a sharp pain shot from her wrist.
“Hiss…” Ji Yun Kai sucked in a breath of air and fell back, hitting the back of her head hard on the bed head.
However, before Ji Yun Kai could even cry out in pain, she was stunned by the sudden rush of memories in her mind.
She was dead, her body blown to pieces. Now she was living as the young Miss Ji Yun Kai from the noble Apocalypse Ji family.
Her father was the current emperor’s teacher, a person of unparalleled prestige, her mother had died in childbirth, and her stepmother was her aunt, a beautiful, passionate woman, gentle as water.
And herself...
Before Ji Yun Kai could think more, the door was thrown open with a loud bang. A man in blue clothes rushed in, and without a word hauled her out of bed: “Ji Yun Kai, you’ve got a lot of nerve!”
“Ah…” Ji Yun Kai screamed as she landed, grasping her head and cursing internally: Damn it, why am I so weak?
The man threw her to the ground and scolded: "You little beast, the imperial marriage decree had nothing to do with your sister! Who gave you the guts to threaten your sister with death? The emperor's decree was to marry your sister as a concubine, it has nothing to do with not making you the queen, you should take a good look at yourself, do you have the qualifications to be a queen?"
“You...bastard!” Ji Yun Kai cursed indignantly. Ever since she came of age, she had never been abused like this before. This was the first time!
She, Ji YunKai, remembered this!
"Bastard? You little beast, dare to curse me, your father, as a bastard, who gave you such courage?" The middle-aged man said furiously, raising his foot and kicked towards Ji YunKai.
"Enough!" Ji YunKai quickly rolled on the ground, barely stood up, paused as he looked at the familiar yet strange man in front of him.
The memory of the original owner told her that this man was her father, the current emperor's mentor, Ji Xian. The emperor's mentor who was elegant and gentle to everyone else, but cruel to her.
"You dare to speak to me like this? Are you tired of living?" Outraged, the middle-aged man raised his hand and struck Ji YunKai with a slap.
"Stop..." Ji YunKai instinctively raised her hand to block it, only to find out her left hand was completely powerless.
Damn, she forgot her left wrist was injured and she had lost a lot of blood.
"Slap.." Ji YunKai, a beat too late, was directly hit by the emperor's mentor, she faltered and stabilized after several steps by leaning against the bedpost.
With a burning pain on her left cheek, Ji YunKai was so furious that she wanted to kill, but this body was exceedingly weak like Lin Meimei. Not to mention fighting back, even standing was difficult.
Bitterly, Ji YunKai spit out the blood in her mouth, hid her left hand behind her, and glared at the Emperor's tutor: "What do you want?" Bastard, is this really the original owner's father?
As soon as he entered the room, he began to shout and kill. Is this really an attitude towards his daughter?
The emperor's tutor should be thankful that she is weak now, or else... He would be doomed!
She, Ji YunKai, is not someone easy to bully!
"What do I want? It should be me asking you, what do you want? The decree for the "ceremonial marriage" has come down, what more do you want? Don't want to get married? Just look at yourself now, apart from the missing Yan Bei Wang, who else would marry you." The emperor's tutor pointed at Ji YunKai's right cheek with disgust.
Her right cheek was marked with a hand-sized dark spot, fiercely branded on her face, thoroughly ruining her beautiful complexion, yet Ji YunKai seemed completely oblivious at this moment.
"Prince Yan Bei?" Ji Yun opened his mouth in stunned confusion, his mind clouded momentarily, as if a part of it was missing.
"Don't pretend to be clueless, you beast! You bear no regal demeanor befitting a queen, and your betrothal to the Emperor has already been rescinded. He will not marry you. It's a done deal. In five days, your wedding with Prince Yan Bei will take place. Don't search for death in the Ji Household – if you wish to die, do so after your marriage in Prince Yan Bei's residence." Emperor Mentor Ji saw Ji Yun's feigned ignorance, and so, spoke even more blatantly.
"The Emperor... He..." Ji Yun stood stupefied on the spot, a rush of memories flooding into his mind. Before he could react, his right hand moved instinctively to cover his face.
He had been betrothed to the Emperor, but they had broken the engagement ten days ago on the grounds of his ugliness and incompetence, unworthy of the title of Empress Dowager.
He was deemed ugly because of a blotch on his right cheek, as large as a handspan. But that blemish wasn’t natural; it was a residual mark left from testing medicine for the Emperor.
A month ago, the Emperor had been poisoned, and no physicians were able to cure him. The original owner of the body, who was a doctor for 15 years, risked his life to enter the palace and cured the Emperor with his body, saving the Emperor's life but ruining his own face in the process.
Three days ago, because of a single word from his half-sister, the Emperor bestowed him to Prince Yan Bei as his consort.
“What, dare you resent the Emperor?” Emperor Mentor Ji looked at Ji Yun with disgust, completely shattering his gentle, calm demeanor.
Ji Yun did not respond immediately but merely fixed his gaze on Emperor Mentor Ji. His inky black eyes devoid of emotion, making Emperor Mentor Ji uncomfortable. He then spoke slowly, “Me, bear grudges against the Emperor? Being a citizen of Tian Qi, I am willing to die for the Emperor.”
This was the most authentic thought of the original owner: he didn't regret disfiguring himself to save the Emperor; he did not resent the Emperor for breaking off their engagement. His resentment lay in the fact that the Emperor had thrust him into a fiery pit because of a casual comment by his half-sister.
Prince Yan Bei’s residence was not a desirable place.
If it had been a month ago, all the women in the city would have envied her. But now, people only felt pity. That's because Prince Yan Bei, the hero who held a massive army, had a name that shook the world and unparalleled in the universe, was terribly ill at this moment, making him a figure of attraction that made countless noble ladies bow to him. She was now on the verge of becoming a widow.
However, becoming a widow was not the worst part. The worst part was a rule in Prince Yan Bei's residence: "The consort of Prince Yan Bei need not share his life but must share his death!"
To put it bluntly, if Prince Yan Bei dies, his consort must be buried alongside him!
