1: A Debt of Atonement

"Brother.... Brother! Please..."

A young woman knelt on the cold wooden floor with tears spilling from her brown eyes, looking very vulnerable and exhausted.

A smooth baritone voice spoke with evident anger. "No. I do not care even if you kneel down before me, I will never change my decision nor will I speak for him in front of Father Emperor."

The young man then stood up, planning to leave the young woman alone. However, the young woman quickly grabbed a hold of his leg, her tear stricken face wetting the smooth fabrics of the man's clothes.

The young woman continued to cry as she spoke, "Xiu'gē, I beg of you... If you help me see Shen Gongzi again for the last time, I will follow your words forever! Just please, let me speak to him."

Qiu Xiuyi scoffed at his sister's pathetic appearance, but eventually, his eyes softened, still having a flicker of affection and sympathy for his sister.

"Qiu Minghua, you are actually willing to risk our Palace's reputation for this so called love you share with Shen Xinghuo?!" Qiu Xiuyi asked with indignation.

Qiu Minghua went silent for a while— unable to look at his older brother in the eyes.

"Gē, it's not that I have not thought of the consequences if ever we got caught. But Xinghuo is being falsely accused, you know it too!"

"Lower your voice, Minghua." Qiu Xiuyi ordered.

The way Qiu Xiuyi spoke as if it did not matter to him whether his friend, Shen Xinghuo dies made Qiu Minghua unable to control her anger.

"I hate you!"

Qiu Xiuyi froze. It was the first time his sister has ever told him that she hates him— and it was because of a man.

Qiu Xiuyi felt hurt and helpless for a while "Minghua.." Qiu Xiuyi hardened his heart and spoke with ruthless apathy. "Shen Xinghuo is a criminal."

"GĒ!!"

"You are not allowed to leave this room."

"Xiuyi'gē _ "

"Once you step out of this room, you will not be Princess Qiu Minghua anymore."

Qiu Xiuyi removed himself from Qiu Minghua 's hold leaving the room with the door closing with a thud. Qiu Minghua stared at the closed door for a long while, she felt something inside her break— as if the once warm palace suddenly became ice cold, and it numbed her heart completely.

_

Inside his own room, Qiu Xiuyi rubbed his temples.

"Xiao Hui!" He called.

A man emerged from the shadows, quickly kneeling in one knee in front of Qiu Xiuyi's feet.

"Master, the Princess has sneaked inside the prison to see Shen Xinghuo."

Qiu Xiuyi squinted his eyes, he sighed. "Minghua, why are you so stubborn?"

"Master, what should we do?" Xiao Hui inquired.

"Alert the guards. Make it look like Shen Xinghuo coerced Minghua to free him."

"Master is wise, Xiao Hui shall follow." Xiao Hui then cupped his hands and left the room.

Qiu Xiuyi made his own preparation, he removed the thick coat leaving only his white sleeping robes before scattering a few strands of his hair until it looked like a mess— only then did he slowly walked out from his room and went to Qiu Minghua's boudoir.

Seeing the dignified figure of their master arriving in front of the room where he confined his sister, Qiu Minghua. Qiu Minghua's fidgety maidservant quickly ran towards him and kowtowed.

"Where is the Princess?" Qiu Xiuyi frostily asked.

"Your Highness, the Princess has escaped! It's.... It's all this servant's fault! P_ please punish this servant!" The young maidservant kowtowed until blood seeped out from her forehead.

"Guards!"

Several Imperial guards came and saluted to Qiu Xiuyi.

"Take this maidservant away and flog her a hundred times! Find more people and follow me!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Two guards dragged the maidservant who seemed to have already accepted her fate without any scuffles.

Qiu Xiuyi then led the remaining Imperial Guards to "find" the missing Princess, Qiu Minghua.

This loud ruckus caused the entire Palace wake up and got in their toes to see who have fallen from the ladder. They were surprised to see the quiet and dignified 4th Imperial Prince, Qiu Xiuyi in a mess— lividly holding a sword against his sworn brother, Shen Xinghuo's neck.

"Qiu Xiuyi! What is the meaning of this?!" The Emperor roared in anger.

Qiu Xiuyi immediately snapped back to reality and lowered the sword, gritting his jaw in anger.

"This son greets Father Emperor." Qiu Xiuyi greeted

"Rise up. Quickly, tell me what is happening!"

Shen Xinghuo's dark eyes, full of disbelief stared at Qiu Xiuyi. However, this was not one of Qiu Xiuyi's current concern.

Qiu Xiuyi's eyes darkened, "I have found out that the spy, Shen Xinghuo have continuously threatened Minghua and coercing her to help him escape from the prison. Thankfully, I found out about it early and managed to save Minghua. Father Emperor, Minghua is muddled! I will take responsibility for everything!"

Qiu Xiuyi kowtowed catching the people suck their breaths in. Never in their life did they thought that there would be a day that they'd witness a dignified Prince like Qiu Xiuyi to kowtow.

Qiu Minghua struggled from Xiao Hui's grip and yelled, "GĒ!! I_ "

Qiu Xiuyi coldly casted a look at her and then to Xiao Hui through an angle the others could not clearly see. Suddenly, Qiu Minghua fainted.

"Carry the Princess inside her Palace and invite an Imperial Physician in." The quiet Empress who have just been observing gave out an unexpected order.

"I thank the Empress and the Emperor for your benevolence." Qiu Xiuyi kowtowed once again.

The Emperor massaged his temples exhaustingly.

"How can that be? Shen Xinghuo is inside the prison, how can he threaten Minghua?" Qiu Jin, the 6th Prince asked in a provocative manner.

The Emperor then stared at Qiu Xiuyi— he was trying to discern if Qiu Xiuyi spoke of the truth.

"I have the letters and the guard who I caught lurking inside Minghua's room." Qiu Xiuyi looked for approval in the Emperor's face before he motioned for Xiao Hui to hand over letters to the Emperor's eunuch and two guards pushing a gatekeeper on the ground.

"Your Majesty, this penmanship is indeed very similar to Shen Xinghuo's, and the content is just like what His Highness, the 4th Prince have said."

"Father Emperor, I would also like to report regarding the Prime Minister Shen's Residence's involvement in the previous war and the current breaking of the diplomatic relations with the neighboring South Kingdom."

"This Jade seal and the Imperial Seal of the opposite Empire was found by Minghua. This is what Shen Xinghuo had planted in Minghua's Palace."

"QIU . XIUYI !! " Shen Xinghuo broke down to anger and fiercely struggled from the guards' hold, he was trying to grab Qiu Xiuyi, his eyes looking at Qiu Xiuyi as if he wanted fo kill him.

Qiu Xiuyi steadily knelt down, unfazed by Shen Xinghuo's murderous glare at him.

The next day, the news of the last remaining bloodline of the Prime Minister Shen's Family, Shen Xinghuo's public execution flew everywhere, there were many common folks who threw eggs and rotten fruits at Shen Xinghuo as he walk towards the guillotine.

It took Qiu Xiuyi 2 days of planning and a night to execute his plan to make Shen Xinghuo a sacrificial lamb.

It took him 2 days and 1 night to ruin their lifetime of brotherhood.

It took him 2 days and 1 night to kill his sworn brother, for the sake of protecting his own loved ones.

And if there was a next life dedicated for them. He would spend it atoning for his betrayal towards Shen Xinghuo.