Lening's original surname was Man. At that time, she was the seventh princess of the Li Capital. She also had a doting father - emperor and mother - concubine. Those were the happiest days of her life.
However, everything came crashing down when she was eighteen.
She remembered that year clearly. The war drums thundered on the walls of the Li Capital, and all she could hear around her were endless wails.
Together with the war drums, they formed the most tragic symphony.
Yu Ling's iron - clad troops charged into the capital like a thunderbolt. Along with the smell of blood, they directly fought their way into the palace hall.
Corpses were lying everywhere. The blood seeped into the floor tiles and meandered towards her feet. The once - magnificent palace hall was now in ruins. Treasures were rummaged through carelessly, and a candle had somehow set the gorgeous red silk on fire.
Combined with the blood in front of her eyes, for a moment, she felt as if she was in the inferno.
It was the first time Lening saw the emperor of Yu Ling. He came covered in blood, and the sword in his hand was dripping blood. He had gone on a killing spree. There was no trace of emotion in his eyes. He was like a demon from the inferno who had killed countless people.
Her mother - concubine hugged her and pleaded with him again and again. She clearly knew that he wouldn't spare them, but she still begged for that slim hope.
Her mother - concubine discarded the dignity of a noble concubine of the Li Capital, only hoping that he would spare Lening's life.
She couldn't remember clearly what exactly happened that day. All she knew was that she was grabbed by the guards and watched her mother - concubine die in front of her own eyes.
The emperor on the high throne looked down at her with a hint of disdain in his eyes.
Lening thought she was going to die. The emperor would use his sword to make her die in front of him like the others in the hall.
And indeed, the cold - blooded emperor raised his long sword, which was already stained with the blood of countless people, and pierced her heart.
Lening could feel her blood draining away. She fell to the ground, took a last look at the dilapidated hall, and slowly closed her eyes.
The corpses of the executed piled up like mountains outside the hall. The guards of Yu Ling set fire to them, burning everyone in the Li Capital to ashes.
Lening thought she was dead, but after an unknown amount of time, she opened her eyes again.
She felt as if she had slept an extremely long sleep. The fall of the Li Capital seemed like a ridiculous dream.
When she woke up again, she found herself in a pile of corpses. She stood up from the pile, covered in blood.
Lening didn't know why she was the only one who survived. Clearly, the emperor had mercilessly pierced her heart. The pain was still vivid in her memory, but now she could open her eyes again.
Moreover... the wound on her chest was gone when she woke up, as if it had never existed in the first place.
But everything in front of her told her that it wasn't a dream.
The fall of the Li Capital wasn't a dream, and neither was her own death.
As for why she could come back to life, perhaps it was a sign from heaven, telling her to avenge the people of the Li Capital who had died.
Lening looked at the mountain of corpses in front of her and silently made a determination.
She fled from the Li Capital. It took her a long time to find out why she could come back to life.
There was a legend in the Li Capital that there was an elixir in the imperial city that could make people immortal. As long as one got it, they could live as long as the sky.
But this was just a legend. Even Lening, who had grown up in the palace since childhood, had never heard her father - emperor and mother - concubine mention it. She just regarded it as a legend and didn't take it to heart at all.
But now, the emperor of Yu Ling had charged into the Li Capital for these unfounded rumors. He had killed so many people just for a baseless rumor.
Wanting to be immortal and live as long as the sky?
It was simply ridiculous.
But later, because of this, Lening began to believe that there might really be an elixir in the capital that could make people immortal, and at this moment... this elixir was in her own body.
Back then, when Yu Ling conquered the country, her mother - concubine hugged her tightly. Although she didn't understand the meaning of her mother - concubine's words at that time, now she seemed to understand a little.
"Never let others know about this thing, even if they destroy the Li Capital. What he wants to get, he will never obtain in the end."
Her mother - concubine hugged her, listening to the continuous wails outside the hall and the harsh sound of the knife piercing the skin. She stroked her hair one by one, and her voice was also a little trembling and reluctant. "Ning'er... my dearest child, as long as you are safe, that's my greatest wish..."
Her mother - concubine's tears fell on her hand. Lening looked down and saw the bright pearl on the ground.
She didn't understand at that time, but now, Lening seemed to know what her mother meant.
The elixir in the legend that could make people immortal really existed, but in fact, it couldn't make people immortal. It could only give people the ability to be undead.
And this didn't guarantee that there would be no side - effects. Her mother - concubine was afraid that something would happen to her if she took it. That was why she pleaded with the enemy who had destroyed the country, just to keep Lening safe.
But unfortunately, in the eyes of a madman, nothing could shake him.
But now, there wasn't much time to think about these things. Since she didn't die, she had to take revenge.
Take revenge for the hundreds of lives that had died in the Li Capital.
Lening hid herself in a safe place. She spent a long time planning how to kill the enemy who had destroyed her country, and also spent a lot of effort sneaking into the palace.
Now that she was alive, she had to avenge the innocent people who had died in the Li Capital. She couldn't let hundreds of lives be sacrificed in vain.
So Lening carefully sneaked into the capital of Yu Ling. After many efforts, she became a personal maid of Emperor Shao. Every time she was beside him, Lening would fantasize about stabbing the long sword hidden in her sleeve into his heart.
The blood would stain his bright yellow robe, and she would watch him struggle in death.
But after all, these were just her fantasies.
It wasn't the right time to take action yet. If he died, she would also be involved.
Maybe she would even lose her own life because of him.
Lening served Emperor Shao for a long time. After many efforts, she finally established a foothold in the palace. Emperor Shao was a suspicious person. After many tests, he finally let down his guard against Lening.
And this was also the best time for her to take action.
Lening heard a lot of rumors about the harem in the palace. Emperor Shao had five princes, and it was a crucial moment to establish a crown prince. Maybe she could take advantage of this to frame someone.
As long as she cleared herself of suspicion, she could escape unscathed after killing Emperor Shao.
The plan was already set, but Lening's actions were discovered by someone.
"Are you going to poison my father - emperor? And in my name?"
Suddenly, a person walked in at the door of the imperial kitchen. He leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms and looking at Lening standing inside the room. There was no trace of emotion in his tone, as if he was just talking about today's food.
Lening tightly held the medicine package in her hand. She was originally going to take this bowl of mountain - and - sea congee to Emperor Shao. She had clearly confirmed that there was no one around, but she was still discovered.
And it was discovered by the third prince, the one she wanted to frame.
"I don't know what the third prince is talking about. I'm just doing my job. This bowl of congee was specially prepared by your highness, and I'm just taking it to the emperor. I really don't understand the meaning of your highness's words."
Lening calmed herself down and pretended nothing had happened.
Now she couldn't be flustered by him. Judging from his appearance, he probably just guessed. Otherwise, the person standing in front of her now wouldn't be so kind as to listen to her defense.
Because he was afraid, afraid of her position beside Emperor Shao.
Qing Jing looked at the maid standing in front of him. She lowered her eyebrows and spoke in a neither overbearing nor humble manner. But he had just seen with his own eyes that she had sprinkled the medicine into the congee. But now she was saying that she didn't know anything?
This was really ridiculous.
"Since you've said so, why don't you taste a mouthful yourself to prove that what you said is true?" Qing Jing only believed what he saw with his own eyes. Since she said she didn't know anything, he would make her prove it herself.
Lening hesitated a little. Qing Jing could tell from her expression that she definitely didn't dare to drink this bowl of congee, because she had indeed put poison in it.
"If you can't prove your innocence, I will kill you myself to relieve my father - emperor's worries. Keeping such a person who is eyeing the prince and trying to frame him is like raising a tiger in one's side."
Qing Jing raised his eyebrows, and his words were full of threats.
Lening knew that this person would do such a thing. If she couldn't prove that she hadn't done anything here, Qing Jing would really kill her.
It didn't matter if she died, but if she couldn't take revenge with her own hands, then her death would be meaningless.
Lening lowered her head and thought for a long time. Finally, she looked up into Qing Jing's eyes and raised a smile at the corner of her mouth. "Since your highness doesn't believe me so much, I can only prove that I'm not lying myself."
As soon as the words were finished, Lening scooped up a spoonful of congee and drank it. After swallowing it, she looked into his eyes. "Well, your highness, what else do you want me to prove?"
Qing Jing looked at the person standing in front of him. Her expression was normal, and she didn't hesitate at all when she drank it just now. She looked as if there was really no poison in the congee.
Was it really just his own misjudgment?
"Alright, since your highness has nothing else to ask, I'm going to take the congee to the emperor. Your highness can rest assured. I'll just consider that you were just concerned about the emperor today, and I won't say more about it."
After saying that, Lening picked up the congee and walked out of the imperial kitchen past Qing Jing. After leaving Qing Jing's sight, Lening flashed into an empty corner. She covered her chest, and blood overflowed from the corner of her mouth.
Qing Jing didn't misjudge. She had indeed put poison in the congee, and she had indeed planned to frame him.
In order to deceive him, she had to drink the poisoned congee.
Now that he had discovered it, the matter of framing him had to be postponed for a while.
The most important thing now was to find a place where no one was around to die, and then...
Wait to be resurrected again.
The guards in the palace were strict. Lening hurriedly found a place to dispose of the poisoned congee. After confirming that this place wouldn't be discovered in the short term, she lay down on the ground at ease.
Lening counted the time. It would take three hours for her to be resurrected. After three hours passed, it was already dark.
She took out a handkerchief and wiped the corner of her mouth, wiping away the overflowing blood. Fortunately, she had been careful just now and hadn't dripped any blood on her clothes. It was relatively easy to deal with.
After finishing all this, she walked out of the room. Everything went smoothly on the way. When she arrived at the emperor's palace, she was grabbed by a maid.
"A Ning, where have you been all this time?" There was a hint of anxiety on the maid's face, and her expression became flustered.
Lening looked at her expression and secretly thought that something was wrong. Could it be that the third prince had reported the matter between her and him in the imperial kitchen to the emperor?
It had taken Emperor Shao a long time to relax his guard against her. If the third prince said something, even if he couldn't produce any evidence, with his suspicious personality, he might become suspicious of her.
Then all her efforts in the palace for so long would be in vain.
But if the third prince really told the emperor about this, although he said it was a frame - up, Emperor Shao was such a suspicious person that he would rather kill by mistake than let it go.
If he really said it, Emperor Shao would also become suspicious of the third prince. He couldn't be that stupid...
Forget it. Now it was still unclear what was going on. She had to calm down first.
Lening calmed down her wandering thoughts. Looking at the maid in front of her, she pretended to be calm and said, "I just felt a little uncomfortable, so I went to rest this afternoon. It was my fault that I didn't report it to the emperor. Is the emperor angry because of this?"
The maid was a little stunned when she heard this, and then waved her hand. "Of course the emperor isn't angry because of this. A person died in the imperial kitchen today, and the emperor found out that your name was on the list of people who entered and left the imperial kitchen during that period."
"So... does the emperor suspect me?" Lening frowned when she heard this. The meaning in the maid's words was very obvious.
A person happened to die when she entered and left the imperial kitchen, and she... was really worthy of suspicion.
But Lening hadn't heard about the death when she entered and left the imperial kitchen. It must have been the third prince's idea.
The matter of her framing him had been caught on the spot. Although she had proved her innocence in front of him, Qing Jing must still have concerns and grudges in his heart.
She would become a knot in his heart, and the only way to untie it was to kill her.
She had framed him before, and now he was framing her.
It was really... troublesome.
"I didn't mean it like that. It's just that when the emperor heard this news, he ordered people to look for you, but they couldn't find you anywhere. Now he has some concerns..."
The little maid leaned close to Lening's ear and whispered this sentence, with a look of worry on her face.
Lening clasped her hands in her sleeves and tightly pinched the handkerchief in her sleeve. There was still her blood on it. Now she had to think of a way to turn the situation around.
She couldn't die.
Absolutely not.
"It's okay. I'll go and explain it clearly to the emperor. Thank you for coming to tell me this." Lening put away the wandering thoughts in her mind, showed a smile in the direction of the maid, and said calmly.
Although the maid was still a little worried, she had said everything she should say. Seeing Lening so calm, she didn't say anything more. She nodded and then stepped aside.
Lening walked into the hall step by step. The candles around the hall flickered for a moment. She looked at the person sitting on the high throne, bowed her head, and said, "Greetings to your majesty."
Emperor Shao rubbed his forehead. When he heard this news today, he was actually half - believing and half - doubting. But it was really hard to imagine that the person who had served him by his side would actually have such thoughts.
He waved his hand and said calmly, "A Ning, do you know about the murder case that happened in the imperial kitchen today?"
Lening didn't change her kneeling posture and answered calmly in a low voice. Now what she had to do was to calm down. There was no direct evidence indicating that she was the one who did it.
Otherwise, the person she would see now wouldn't be the emperor, but the guards in the prison.
"Your majesty, I did enter the imperial kitchen today, but I didn't hear that anyone had died at that time."
"What did you go to the imperial kitchen for?"
"The third prince saw that your majesty was over - tired, so he ordered someone to make a bowl of congee for your majesty. I just went there to get the congee for your majesty at that time."
"Then why didn't you bring the congee to me for so long, and even disappeared for the whole afternoon?"
"I saw the third prince when I was getting the congee. He suspected that someone had put poison in the congee, so he asked me to taste it myself."
"Was there any poison in the congee?"
"If there was really poison in the congee, it wouldn't be me who came to see your majesty today."
Emperor Shao looked at the person sitting below, answering calmly with her head down. Every word she said was neither overbearing nor humble, and there wasn't much emotional fluctuation in it. She didn't look like she was lying.
He tapped the chair with his hand and then said, "Alright, I understand. If you really don't know anything about this matter, I will clear your name."
"Thank you, your majesty."
Lening bowed to Emperor Shao again and said loudly.
Emperor Shao didn't say much. He just waved his hand to let her retreat. Lening didn't stay either. Now she was just telling the truth. She didn't know what attitude the emperor would have towards her.
Whether he was concerned or believed her words, Lening didn't know anymore.
"I can only take one step at a time..." Lening looked at the crescent moon outside the hall and sighed in a low voice.
Emperor Shao watched Lening's back as she left. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his fingers tapped the chair one by one. No one knew what he was thinking at this moment.
On the other hand, Lening, who was about to go back to rest, was stopped before she reached the small pavilion.
The man