Chapter 1 The Opening Gambit: Condemned to Annihilation

Chapter 1 The Opening Gambit: Condemned to Annihilation

Ruo Xi is dead!

Ruo Xi, who had reached the pinnacle of cultivation and refined an unparalleled divine pill, was cornered on Bright Peak by a group of hypocritical "righteous" people shouting slogans to exterminate the great demon.

The great demon detonated an immensely powerful aura, taking those hypocrites down with her.

Ruo Xi is alive again!

Ruo Xi, her consciousness somewhat hazy, opened her eyes slightly. Suddenly, everything went dark as a bloody hand pressed down over her mouth and nose. This person's other rough hand clamped around her neck.

"Princess, it’s a girl, but she has no breath; it’s a stillbirth." The voice, devoid of emotion, rang in her ears, and the person increased the pressure on their grip.

Stillbirth?

Is this old woman talking about her?

Just arrived and already dying?!

"Stillbirth? I don’t believe it. Nurse, bring the child to me, my child..." From the other side, a weak voice pleaded.

Ruo Xi tried to push away, but it was useless; her hands couldn’t reach, and she lacked the strength. She kicked out with her legs, but they barely touched the other person.

**Self-rescue, first things first!**

With that thought, Ruo Xi immediately held her breath, spread her small hands, and kicked her legs, feigning death.

"Princess, a stillbirth is inauspicious. If you wish to see her, take one look. Afterward, I’ll report to the matriarch and have her buried promptly, lest others gossip that Princess only gives birth to freaks, like the little prince, and now the little princess..." The nurse said, tossing the lifeless, motionless child onto the bed.

"My child, my child." Having just given birth, the extremely weak Xiaoyue extended her icy hand and tightly embraced her daughter.

The warmth of the embrace brought the nearly suffocating Ruo Xi back to her senses.

**This old hag must be acting under someone’s orders. This mother, despite being called princess, seems very weak and can’t protect me!** Ruo Xi remained still, but her heart was filled with anxiety.

"Hmm?" The sound of this tender voice startled Xiaoyue.

She looked down at her daughter in disbelief. There were no other children in this room, so...

"Ding dong!"

As Ruo Xi was contemplating self-rescue, the sound of a spring entered her ears.

The space?!

The storage space she had forged in her previous life was still there, along with various books and historical records she had tossed in during her leisure time, and the detoxifying, healing, and power-enhancing pills she had refined.

These pills were currently of no use to a tiny infant.

So, where is the historical record?

With a flicker of her thoughts, a historical record opened before Ruo Xi's eyes.

"Great Wei, 828th year of the dynasty, the 34th year since its founding. In these years, the borders of Great Wei have been unstable, and the country has suffered from numerous disasters and famines, making life difficult for the common people. The new emperor, Xiao Yin, known for his bravery in battle and decisive actions, rose from being an unloved prince to seize the throne. After three years on the throne, Xiao Yin has governed with ruthless means, maintaining relative stability at the borders and on the surface of the court. However, he has also earned the title of tyrant!"

Ruo Xi quickly scanned through the pages.

"The Princess Royal of Great Wei, Xiaoyue, renowned as the most beautiful woman, fell in love with the middle-ranking military officer Shangguan Jinghong six years ago. Despite opposition from the empress dowager and her own brother, Xiaoyue almost severed ties with them, requesting to leave the palace and marry into the officer's household. She used her substantial dowry to support Shangguan's family and her husband. However..."

Huh?

Ruo Xi read on, thinking this was a tale of romantic love.

But as she continued reading, she became furious.

"In the 37th year of Great Wei's founding, Shangguan Jinghong allied with the crown prince of the Northern Kingdom, directly attacking the capital of Great Wei. He held Xiaoyue hostage, forcing the doting emperor, Xiao Yin, to commit suicide at the city gates. The empress dowager, who had always loved Xiaoyue, hanged herself in the Fu Shou Palace!"

So, this is a love-struck mother?

Ruo Xi sighed deeply: "Forget it, it seems I can't rely on this mother at all? I wonder if she will come to her senses when Shangguan Jinghong uses her as a bargaining chip to destroy the royal family of Great Wei in three years, sigh!"

Xiaoyue: "... Is my daughter criticizing me?"

What did my daughter just say?

In three years, the country will be destroyed? Shangguan Jinghong will hold me hostage against my brother?

"Alright, Your Highness, stop holding onto it. A stillborn child is inauspicious." The nanny said, reaching out to take it away.

Ruo Xi felt a sharp pain in her arm as she was pulled.

"Mama, help! This old witch is trying to kill me. Please, save me!"

Ruo Xi's small hand tightened around her mother's inner robe, crying out inwardly.

"No, don't touch my child." Motherly love awakened within Xiaoyue. She was certain that this was her child's voice, and the child was still alive, gripping tightly onto her robe!

"Your Highness, what are you doing? We still need to report to the old lady!" Nanny Qi turned around, speaking in a sarcastic tone: "Since the princess has suffered a stillbirth, she is in shock and acting deranged. Come, help her lie down and rest."

"Your Highness, please let go and rest for a while!"

"Your Highness, your health is more important. The child is dead; let the nanny bury it."

Two young maids approached, pulling at Xiaoyao as they spoke.

"Let go of me, let go of the child!" Xiaoyue clung tightly to her child, shouting loudly: "Hongmei, Dong Ju, where are you?"

"Your Highness, we're here!" The two maidservants, who had been sent by Nanny Qi to fetch water, rushed back upon hearing the call, dropping their buckets and running into the room.

Hongmei grabbed each of the maidservants and threw them to the ground.

Dong Ju stepped forward, grabbed Aunt Qi's arm, twisted it behind her back, and pressed her to the ground.

"Ouch, you've gone too far, Dong Ju! Do you think I won't tell the matriarch?" Aunt Qi shouted while kneeling on the ground, glaring at Dong Ju with anger.

Dong Ju looked up at the princess who was tightly holding the child on the bed, feeling somewhat uncertain about the situation.

She and Hongmei had grown up alongside the princess as her personal maidservants. Since the princess married Shangguan Jinghong, she had been dedicated to supporting her husband in his rise to the rank of General. The princess served her mother-in-law diligently and never acted arrogantly within the household. She even instructed them not to defy anyone and to follow the instructions of the matriarch's personal maid.

"Hmm, looks like my dear mother isn't completely helpless after all. Mother, help me, that old hag is trying to strangle me!" Ruo Xi sensed the fight that had just occurred in the room and felt a bit more confident.

So, she nudged her head against her mother's chest.

"Princess, do you really think you can treat me like this without fear of me telling the matriarch?" Aunt Qi looked at Xiaoyao, who was slowly getting up from the bed while holding the child. Her expression still held resentment.

Xiaoyue looked down at the finger marks on the child's neck. She slowly walked from the bed to the old hag, lowered her eyes, and with a stern gaze, said, "Crush her hands!"

"What?" Aunt Qi was stunned.

Hongmei's eyes instantly lit up. She immediately rushed forward and swiftly knocked Aunt Qi to the ground. Then, she and Dong Ju each stepped on Aunt Qi's hands...