The envoy was unceremoniously expelled——even with the handwritten letter of Hu Lu Khan, Yuan Qi didn't bother to accept it today. Looking at the envoys' eyes filled with shock and disbelief, the Emperor felt even more pleased and excited. She walked up to Chenluo, patted her shoulder, and laughed: "Today you made the great Tianchao look good, really opening my eyes!"

  With a single slap, it was just an instant, the beauty fell straight down like a wooden puppet - that pale face and the crimson on her lips were particularly striking.

  At this moment, Yuan Qi felt his heart and soul were lost, shocked and grief-stricken, he didn't know what to do...

  Morning dew felt as if she was wandering in the clouds and fog, dazed and confused, all sorts of experiences from long ago floated by like a mirage...

  That was her past life, a brief and brilliant one. There were many things that she never wanted to mention again, as if the fresh red scars would bleed at any moment. Some of them had even become legends in some people's mouths, while some inner secrets were not even clear to herself, but were later revealed by Hulü Khan, who was on the opposing side, with a smile...

  That was the beginning of it all...

  ****

  The 17th year of Jingyue

  That was the last prosperous age of the previous dynasty, Emperor Jingyue was extravagant and luxurious, strongly recruiting countless strong men, spending more than a decade building the connected heavenly palace in the capital city, majestic and magnificent, like a fairyland.

  The emperor did not love the trivial matters of court politics, but rather liked to seek immortality and ask about the Tao with Daoist priests and fangshi. For a time, half of the capital city was shrouded in incense smoke, that strange sandalwood fragrance lingering for years without dispersing.

  Many years later, even the Taizu of this dynasty, Yuan Xu——also known as "the former emperor" in Yuan Qi's mouth, who governed the world with politics and harmony, still had Taoist scholars talking about that grand event of the Taoist school with extremely admiring tone.

  However, the Emperor Jing of Le was indulged in the Taoist way, while the Tartars in the north were ambitious and targeted the Central Plains. After probing the reality, they were delighted to find that this prosperous dynasty was actually a mere shell, a big piece of fat meat waiting to be devoured.

  They flashed and attacked the North Gate, with 100,000 elite cavalrymen rushing in like fierce wolves. In just over a dozen days, they effortlessly arrived under the capital city.

  The Jingyue Emperor did something that left everyone aghast and created an unprecedented joke in Chinese military history - he believed the words of a charlatan, and actually ordered several hundred "heavenly soldiers" who claimed to be possessed by gods to open the city gates, thinking they could defeat the enemy.

  The result is naturally self-evident.

  This role is called "national shame", those barbarians in the golden palace, burning and killing, looting and raping, doing all sorts of evil, finally they even committed bestiality, and burned down the jade buildings with a single fire.

  The great fire raged throughout the night, casting a bloody glow over the horizon, as if the cries of countless wronged spirits echoed in the endless bleeding moans.

  The people of the capital all covered their faces and wept in sorrow.

  ****

  There is a person who does not cry.

  She was a little girl.

  She stood at the top of a big tree on the outskirts, her feet touching the tender branches, but as stable as a rock.

  She was only eleven or twelve years old, delicate and lovely, yet already showing that extraordinary beauty - a face not like a real person, but rather like an immortal descending into the world.

  Especially those eyes, at first glance, they seem as clear and cold as ice and snow, but deep within the pupils, there is a mysterious and melancholic darkness.

  Once someone is captivated by it, even their very soul seems to be drawn in.

  She stared at the raging fire, her eyes fixed on it for the entire night without blinking.

  "This prosperous imperial court is already a case of gold and jade on the outside..."

  She gazed coldly at the flames that filled the sky, as the ancient city, which had stood for thousands of years, collapsed in the midst of brutal destruction, groaning.

  "These Tartars are too arrogant...... seeing a few local chickens and dogs as kings and generals, they think that China has no one!"

  Her eyes turned cold and gloomy, and with a stern glance at the miserable scene, she finally jumped down from the tree.

  Walking along the winding path for a few steps, I saw that the scenery around me was like a painting, with birds singing and flowers fragrant, it's truly a paradise on earth.

  She walked to a mansion hidden in the corner of the mountain, without looking at its elegant and refined ancient charm, but only glanced at the white ribbon under the eaves, with a hint of mockery on her lips.

  How hypocritical... If you really have the country's interests at heart, why not die on the battlefield? Why hide in this separate palace, enjoying blessings while pretending to be a hero?!

  She didn't go straight in, but instead ignored the contemptuous gaze of the guards and walked diagonally to a small courtyard beside another mansion.

  ****

  "Dust Miss, you're back."

  Not even a greeting was exchanged, the only servant girl just called out and lazily got up from her chair to return to the main house.

  "You don't have to come tomorrow."

  The girl said coldly from behind.

  The maid listened, turned around, and stared at her young master in shock.

  "Although there's no profit here, it's quiet and there's no fighting... But tomorrow I'll let 'the other side' send someone over."

  The girl indifferently spoke out her innermost thoughts, and the last sentence made her heart skip a beat.

  "Chen's wife you used to serve was quite inconsiderate..."

  This crucial sentence finally made the maid collapse, she knelt down crying: "Miss, spare me, I dare not be lazy and slow again... Please don't make me go back to Chen's wife."

  "If you want to stay here, just be content with your lot and take good care of my mother...and one more thing,"

  The girl stretched out her slender fingers and lightly pressed on the wooden chair. It instantly turned into powder and fell down with a rustling sound.

  "If you dare tell anyone what happened here..."

  Her voice was crisp and pleasant, but what she said were the most terrifying words in the world.

  The slave girl's body was already trembling like a sieve, and she didn't dare to resist in the slightest.

  "I don't dare to, Miss Dust... I don't dare."

  She left quickly, and the girl entered the house, looking at the simple furnishings of the room, then at her mother's pale and haggard sleeping face under the dim lamp, thinking that 'the other side' was full of laughter and filial piety, with indignation surging like a wave, overflowing throughout her body.

  She thought of the maid's words just now, adding another layer of sorrow and resentment.

  She softly said to the void:

  "My name is Lin Chen, I am not the dust trampled under people's feet."

  Her eyes, amidst the coldness, exuded a fiery confidence, as well as... ambition born of hatred.

  But somehow, that small figure reflected on the window paper, fluttering and lonely, is a different kind of desolation and sorrow.

  ****

  Lin Zhen's birth was a strange and amusing matter.

  Her father was a renowned figure in the Jingyue dynasty, known as the elegant and refined son of Zhao Yun. He was exceptionally handsome, with an air of elegance and refinement. He had a deep understanding of poetry, calligraphy, painting, music, and chess. Every evening, this man, who was likened to "Pan An reborn", would gather with a group of young scholars at the "Jade Flute Pavilion" to engage in lively discussions and debates, creating a scene that would be remembered as a legendary tale for decades to come.

  He was born into the prestigious Lin family and was outstanding in his own right. He met Emperor Jing's beloved daughter, Princess Yanlin, by chance, and they fell deeply in love with each other.

  Like traditional talented men and beautiful women, good things are hard to come by. The emperor is reluctant to marry off his beloved daughter to a family with such a large and rigid social status, and he is hesitant and indecisive.

  Lin Zhaoyun thought all was lost, and in despair, he became reckless and dissolute, frequenting brothels, where one day he woke up to find himself sleeping with a prostitute who had a tattoo of "lowly birth" on her forehead.

  So-called cheap registration refers to the descendants of some criminals in this dynasty, who have tattoos on their foreheads and can only engage in lowly industries such as prostitution, tea boys, or even pederasty under official control from generation to generation. If they leave, they will be severely punished.

  In a brothel, ordinary women only need to pay the ransom money to leave freely and be with their loved ones elsewhere. However, those who are born into this lowly status can only remain in the eighteen layers of hell for generations to come.

  Lin Zhaoyun is such a free and easy person, having had a one-night stand with this dirty woman would be shameful to talk about.

  He hastily ran away and for several days afterwards, whenever he thought of it, he felt sick and frightened.

  He and Yanlin Emperor finally got married after two months, but just then, a shocking news came from the brothel.

  The prostitute had refused to serve customers after the incident, and even after being beaten and humiliated, she wouldn't budge. For two months, she did all the hard labor in the brothel, scrubbing floors, washing clothes, and enduring beatings, but she didn't care about anything else, just holding her belly and curling up to protect it from being hit. The madam noticed something was off and finally discovered that she was pregnant with Lin Zhaoyun's child after a one-night stand.

  The truth came to light, and it was the newlywed Princess Yulin who cried every day, hating her lover for his infidelity. Lin Zhaoyun also knelt down to plead and make a poisonous oath. The couple's quarrel became unbearable, but the head of the Lin family took pity on his flesh and blood and secretly smoothed things over, finally sending the woman to the side courtyard of the Lin mansion.

  When the child was born, Yanlin Emperor's concubine also became pregnant - she cried every day and still couldn't avoid hurting her fetus. Lin Zhaoyun came to that separate courtyard with great reluctance under his father's urging, and when the midwife reported that it was a girl, he only took a glance and said disgustedly: "Just call her Lin Chen, dust of dust and dirt."