The Empress’s Revenge

A thunderclap ripped through the window, shattering the night thick as ink. Cold rain poured through the gaping hole in the roof, mingled with the stench of rotting grass and mold, lashing against Chu Lingxi's face. The bone-chilling cold jolted her awake. The moment consciousness returned, it brought not the relief of narrowly escaping death, but the terror of plunging into an abyss. This was the Cold Palace—the very place where all her nightmares had begun in her past life. She... had been reborn. Back to the very first night after being deposed as empress and banished to the Cold Palace! Lightning flashed once more, illuminating her face, pale as paper. In those phoenix eyes that once sparkled with life, there were no tears, no fear—only a heart-stopping clarity that followed utter stillness. Memories seared like a red-hot branding iron, burning deep into her soul. She recalled how she had drained the vast fortune of a century-old military family to prop up Xiao Xuance—then merely a prince—as he climbed step by step to the pinnacle of power. On the day he ascended the throne, he had held her hand, promising to share the vast empire with her forever, never to betray her. How utterly laughable! The moment his throne was secure, he turned on her with ruthless cruelty. A single charge of "treason and collusion with the enemy" led to the execution of her entire maternal clan, the Chu family. Hundreds of heads rolled outside the Meridian Gate, blood flowing like a river. And she, the Empress who had helped him ascend to the heavens, was stripped of her title, banished to this sunless cold palace, becoming a laughingstock for all the world to see. The final scene of her past life: the twisted, savage grin of Zhao Dequan, the chief eunuch. He personally pried open her jaws, forcing a bowl of dark brown poison down her throat. His voice, venomous as a serpent, hissed: "Deposed Empress, rest easy on your journey! His Majesty declared that a criminal woman like you is unworthy of life." Agonizing pain and bitter resentment scorched her heart and bones. "Hah..." Chu Lingxi curled up on the moss-covered, broken bed, a hoarse, chilling laugh escaping her lips. The waves of hunger and cold that washed over her paled in comparison to the towering hatred now burning within her soul. Xiao Xuance, did you think killing me once would grant you peace? I crawled back from hell! This lifetime, I will make you witness how you lose everything you hold most dear, piece by piece! "Squeak—" The rotten palace door kicked open with a loud creak. Wind and rain swept in, carrying a chill that cut to the bone. A eunuch holding a greasy oil lamp stood at the doorway, followed by a young palace maid shivering violently in the gusts—her personal attendant, Xiao Chan. The man was Zhao Dequan. That face—even if it were reduced to ashes, Chu Lingxi would recognize it! Zhao Dequan strode in with measured steps, his contemptuous gaze sweeping over the dilapidated side hall, now filthy as a pigsty. Finally, it settled on the bed, where a disheveled figure lay. A smug, cruel curve lifted the corners of his mouth. "The Empress has decreed," he drawled deliberately, his sharp voice piercing the empty chamber. "The deposed Consort Chu, having committed grave offenses, is unworthy of charcoal heating. Beginning tomorrow, she shall receive only half a bowl of thin porridge daily as punishment!" He knew full well this decree was merely a casual utterance from the Empress, its true purpose being to provide men like him with an excuse to hoard supplies and flex their authority. Xiao Chan's face drained of color as she collapsed to her knees with a thud. "Head Steward Zhao, have mercy! My mistress is frail. Without charcoal in this weather, she will die. I beg for your mercy!" "Insolent!" Zhao Dequan flicked his eyelid and kicked Xiao Chan squarely in the chest. "What mistress do you speak of? She is but a discarded consort! Dare utter another word, and I'll rip out your tongue first!" Xiao Chan tumbled to the floor, clutching her chest and coughing violently, yet dared not utter another syllable. Zhao Dequan hummed with satisfaction before lifting the lantern and striding toward the bedside. The dim light illuminated Chu Lingxi's half-damp robes, tracing the delicate curves that remained undeniable even in her fallen state. His gaze instantly turned lecherous and sticky, openly scanning the gaping collar of her disheveled dress. "Tsk tsk tsk," he purred, deliberately lowering his voice as he leaned close to Chu Lingxi's ear, his breath carrying a sickeningly stale odor. "My dear Empress, in days past you sat so high above us that you never even deigned to glance my way. But now? Look at you now—even the lowest dogs in the palace live with more dignity than you." His words dripped with vulgarity as a hand, rough as bark, boldly reached for her slender, pale neck. The icy touch of his fingertips sent a wave of goosebumps across her skin. "My beauty, if you just play nice and serve me well... I promise you'll live more comfortably in this cold palace. At the very least, I won't let you starve or freeze to death. How about it?" Behind her, Xiao Chan clamped her eyes shut, burying her head deeper, her body shaking like a sieve. Chu Lingxi on the bed remained motionless, eyes shut tight, seemingly devoid of all sensation as that filthy hand roamed over her skin. Only she knew the raging, storm-like murderous intent churning beneath that seemingly lifeless form! Zhao Dequan! Very well! Debts from past lives, humiliations in this one—I've recorded every single one for you! Seeing her offer no resistance, Zhao Dequan's eyes brimmed with even greater smugness. Believing her utterly broken, he grew bolder, his fingers straining to probe deeper. Just then, Chu Lingxi's body convulsed violently beyond her control. A suppressed, agonized cough erupted from her throat. Startled by the sudden commotion, Zhao Dequan recoiled in disgust, withdrawing his hand as if he'd touched something filthy. "Useless thing!" he spat, straightening up and resuming his haughty, superior demeanor as the steward. "Mark my words, if you want to live, you'd better know how to behave!" " With that, he turned away, satisfied, lantern in hand, and strode off with a smug, cold laugh. The palace doors slammed shut once more, blocking out half the storm outside while plunging the chamber into deeper darkness. After an unknown span of time, Chu Lingxi slowly opened her eyes on the bed. In the darkness, her eyes glowed with an eerie brilliance—like two cold, ghostly flames, or poison-tipped blades, their sharp edges gleaming. She sat up, letting the icy rain drench her body, her gaze fixed intently on the rotting beam above her head, swaying precariously in the storm. She remembered it all too clearly. In her past life, it was this very beam that had snapped suddenly in the dead of night three days later, crushing to death an elderly palace maid sent to watch over her. At the time, she had seen it as retribution, a release. But now... This beam would be her first grand gift to Zhao Dequan! Yet that alone was nowhere near enough. Killing Zhao Dequan himself would be easy, but behind him stood the Empress, Xiao Xuance, and the entire devouring imperial palace. Now, unarmed and of lowly status, attempting to shake that towering edifice of power would be like an egg colliding with a stone. In her past life, she possessed the strategic cunning of the Chu military clan yet remained ignorant of the palace's treacherous, clandestine survival rules—hence her utter defeat. This time, she would not only seek vengeance but also survive, thriving above all others! To endure in this cannibalistic realm, one must first master its rules—both those written in plain sight and those concealed in shadow. Power stemmed from mastery over these rules. Her gaze pierced the darkness, as if she could see within this forgotten, neglected palace courtyard those who possessed the most ancient wisdom of survival. A thought began to grow wildly within her heart. She needed a key—a key that could unlock the gates of this hellish realm, allowing her to see all the traps and escape routes clearly.