Chapter 10

" She is hereby stripped from every obligation as a soldier. She will be demoted to be the chamber maid at the servants quarters because of her deceit instead of the punishment of death by hanging " said Su Chen with a cold note of finality.

The courtroom fell silent.

Ling mei let out a sigh of relief. At least her life was still intact. She didn't mind doing the job.

She was the least of all the maids in the palace ( lower than the lowest).All the servants were better placed than her. Other maids referred to her mockingly as the maid of other servants.Because even ordinary servants could delegate duties to her. She was meant to remain in the shadows and serve other maids; she was the lowest in the hierarchy and every other maid's post was more honourable than her own. Her job was very demeaning and demanding. She was ordered around by other servants and scolded her for no apparent reason. None spared her a kind glance.She was in charge of all the dirty, disgusting and irritating work in the palace.She cleaned the chamber pots, scrubbed the bloodied linens after births and executions, carried buckets heavier than her own frame, and received lashes not for her faults, but for being too visible in the wrong moment. She was stuck in the servant quarters which was like her prison.She never saw the palace's golden halls—only the filth that lined its corners.

But still, she endured.

Some maids envied her skin—clear as jade, smooth as porcelain—and her slim long, delicate fingers that retained their grace no matter the grime. Attempts were made to scald her skin with boiling water or scratch it with metal brushes, yet her natural beauty prevailed. It only made her more despised.If it were other normal people in her condition they would have given up on life. But giving up was not an option for her. She must survive no matter what happens!

Still, Ling Mei—now going by Lixi—refused to break.

Through quiet diligence and unwavering resilience, she ascended the servant ranks. First a kitchen maid in the Outer Court, then personal attendant to Lady Jing Yi—the King's most favored consort. She prepared her meals, dressed her hair, stood beside her bed through nights of sickness.

With her positive mindset, unwavering resilience and innate ability to excel , she soon climbed in ranks till she became a kitchen maid in the Outer Court.She was responsible for assisting in the preparation of meal for the royals. Ling mei now known as Lixi was the personal maid of the king's favorite concubine Lady Jing Yi.She was also tasked with the responsibility of preparing her meal and serving her. The news of Consort Jing Yi's pregnancy spread all over the palace. Most people were not happy about this turn of events. Though they still smiled quietly with her and pretended to be joyous. Particularly, Concubine Su Hee pretended to be extremely excited when she heard the news. They were both childhood best friends that ended up in the palace together. Concubine Su hee over rejoiced in a way that people could even mistake her for the one with the pregnancy. Some wished to have such a genuine good friend. She even brought expensive presents for the unborn baby when she visited her friend. Nobody knew she was a green snake in the green grass seeking an opportunity to strike. Though, Lixi had a bad feeling about her. But she doubted her intuition because of Su Hee's extreme show of happiness. She was shocked when the personal maid of Su hee met her discreetly and this had taught her to trust no one. That evening, Su Hee's maid, Jia Yi, approached her in secret.

"Lady Su Hee wants you to place this in Lady Jing Yi's food," she said, pressing a pouch into Lixi's hand. Her other hand extended a heavy purse, the weight of blood money.

Refusal to do the concubines bidding would only cost her life. So she had to play along.

Lixi smiled without warmth. "Keep the silver. It is honor enough to serve Concubine Su Hee. Consider it done."

Jia Yi stayed to watch. She saw the powder sprinkled and believed her eyes.She was convinced the job was done and left.

But Lixi was clever. What she used was a cooking blend—harmless, yet identical in color, scent, and grain. The real poison had already been poured down the latrine.

They secretly watched the concubine eat the poisoned food, they were so sure the girl didn't trick them.When Jing Yi survived, those who watched were baffled. Had the dose failed? Had she built an immunity?Was the poison not potent?

They didn't know they'd been deceived.

The king granted Lady Jing Yi the opportunity to go to sky pavilion to explore and for the safe delivery of her unborn child. Because she was his favorite concubine,he assigned a lot of guards and ordered a special carriage for the journey.

Su hee saw this as an opportunity to strike, infact she suggested the idea to the king while trying to act as a good friend who only had good thoughts. She never knew the king would buy her idea. This was a good opportunity to end her enemy silently.

Rain began to fall in thin, quiet sheets over the carriage.The moonlight shone dimly. The lanterns used to decorate the carriage was swinging gently in the wind. The stone floors on the road gleamed with rainwater. Jing Yi clutched her swollen belly, pain lacing through her frame.

Lixi, dressed in humble robes, sat by her side, every sense honed and alert.

Then came the faint hiss.

Lixi sensed that trouble was looming. She soundlessly opened the curtain of the carriage to take a peek at her surrounding outside but her jaw dropped. She could see countless bodies of the soldiers sent to escort them scattered on the stone floor.

Her heart stopped.

They were drenched in the rain and lifeless. Poisoned arrows stuck to different parts of their body.She heard sounds before but she just didn't want to believe her suspicion. But they had actually been ambushed and she must survive it.

The first assassin dropped, beams like a shadow—dagger glinting. Lixi twisted and grabbed the hilt of her concealed hairpin blade, and drove it upward through his ribs before his feet even touch the floor.

Thump. The body hit the ground.

In the chaos Lady Jing Yi ran out of the carriage in disbelief at the sight before her. Her maid was not ordinary. But she needed to protect her life and baby at the moment. Every other thought could wait. She was feeling nauseous over the sight of the dead assassin and several bodies of soldiers around her. She practically started retching.

Li xi came to her aid to ensure she was safe. They ran to an abandoned pavilion to hide.

But the killers followed.

Black-robed shadows poured down from the rooftops—blades gleaming, chains clinking. Thirty of them.

Their leader's voice was ice. "She dies tonight. Her child dies with her."

Lixi stepped forward standing between them and Lady Jing Yi who had already passed out due to the trauma. Rain soaked through Lixi's robe, plastering it to her skin. Her hand reached beneath her sash—and drew her double-edged blade.

"If you want her," she said, voice cold and sure, "then you'll have to bleed for her."

They came.

Ten assassins rushed at her like wolves all at once.

Lixi danced among them, her blade singing—cutting, twisting, slashing. She flowed like water, struck like lightning.She spinned low, the sword slashing an attacker's neck, then she yanked—crack!

One dead. Two more fell with broken knees and pierced eyes.

She grabbed a spear from a fallen man, twisting it into a wide arc, knocking back three more. One tried to leap over her.

A very bad choice.

She took a throwing knife from her sleeve and released it backward—shhk!—without looking. It lodged in his throat. He dropped with a gurgle.

Five remained in the first wave. They encircled her.

She dropped her double edged sword.

They smirked cruelly. Weakness?

She suddenly uncoiled her sleeves, revealing twin iron fan blades, their edges razor-sharp. A flick of the wrist—two fans whirled like silver wings.

Snap! Snap!

Two of the men fell, their jugulars severed. The last three rushed her fiercely—

She flipped over one, kicked another in the knee with a sickening crunch, landing on the third's back, and drove both fans into his shoulders. He collapsed lifelessly.

Ten down. Twenty remaining.

Now the true elite stepped in.

Archers on the rooftops. Whip-wielders. Blinding powders.

Arrows were flying in the air.

She ran along the stone railing, dodging sideways, her body weaving through the falling shafts. One arrow sliced her arm—blood seeped slowly from the—but she didn't slow down.

She rolled forward, snatched a fallen attacker's crescent blade, and threw it in one motion.

Thud! One archer fell badly from the rooftop, arrow still notched.

Another arrow nearly hit her. She grabbed a wooden pail lid—CRACK!—used it to deflect the shaft as she ran, then hurled it like a disc—breaking an assassin's jaw.

Two rushed with chain whips—trying to entangle her arms.

She leaped upward, stepped on one of their shoulders, and came down like a spear, elbow-first, shattering a collarbone.

A third grabbed her ankle mid-air.

She let him.

Because as he pulled her down, she inverts, grabbed his head with both knees, and snapped his neck on landing.

Only five assassins remained—one being the commander.

He stepped forward. His blade was obsidian-black, curved like a fang.

"You've killed more men than I've named," he said, drawing the blade with a dark stare. "But you're wounded, slowed. You can't protect her forever."

Li xi breathed deep, crimson blood on her lips. She said nothing.

He lunged at her.

Their fight was savage. Grace versus force. Light against shadow.

Their duel was faster than the eye—strike, parry, spin, elbow, knee, slice. They fought across the stone floor, over bodies, under lanterns. He used brutal sword arts—Northern Fang style, built for strength.

She moved softer, faster—Drifting Lotus, a style long thought extinct. She bled, but not fatally.

He pressed her hard—slashing her side, cornering her against a column.

He raised his sword to finish her—

—and she spat blood into his eyes.

That heartbeat of blindness was all she needed.

She took a hidden bone spike from her shoe, shoves it up beneath his ribs, and into his heart.

He gasped and fell down.

The rain continued

Li xi stood in a courtyard of bodies—thirty trained killers, all dead. The ground was painted with red.

She walked back inside, soaked in blood and rain, and knelt beside Lady Jing Yi.

Unfortunately, Lady Jing Yi experienced a miscarriage. Her sobs echoed in the empty halls. But Lixi managed to save her life through her extraordinary medical skills. Jing Yi was safe and alive. If it were to be an ordinary physician. Jing Yi would be dead.

Outside, the thunder rumbled.

The king later heard of what happened. He was quite furious over the loss of his child and the attack on his favorite concubine. He was pleased at the maid's bravery and heroic acts. So he rewarded her by making her a bodyguard to Prince Su Chen. His son needed such tough warriors by his side. He was impressed with this maid. Though, investigation was ongoing to discover the culprits responsible for the attempted murder.

Prince Su Chen respect for her increased. Infact, he was filled with admiration for her. Infact, he would love to marry her if he had the opportunity. He was official with his new bodyguard though he once chipped in that he would marry her but she waved it off because there was great disparity in their status. And she wasn't really on perfect terms with the prince. She only fulfilled her duty.

Some weeks after the incidence, Jing Yi was found dead in her residence with a suicide note. It was said that she took her life because she couldn't bear the pain of losing her baby. Li xi was so devastated when she heard the news. She was sure that this wasn't an actual suicide case but murder.All these occurred because of her new position. She felt sad when she remembered the late concubine's kindness to her. She decided to get to the root of the matter. She conducted secret investigation personally and discovered that Lady Su hee had a hand in the death of Jing Yi. She found the poison used to kill the concubine and the ink used to write the fake note. Li xi anonymously brought this to the attention of the king and a thorough search was done in Lady Su hee's residence. It was done without her proper notice; she was taken by surprise. The soldiers found those incriminating items/evidence in her custody. She was later convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. She died publicly and shamefully. Li xi was glad that her Lady's name had been cleared.

After everything had settled, the king started searching for a wife for his only son because he perceived that his death was looming due to old age.He selected the daughter of the commissioner of war for his son. Because, he needed to strengthen alliance and support for his son to take over the throne.This was brought to the notice of Su Chen who was unhappy.

"Your Highness, I would have preferred to marry my bodyguard Li xi "said Su chen

His father was very enraged. He felt his son was under a spell. They were not on the same level and class. This was very unreasonable.

" You will have to make a choice between the throne and Li xi. Choose wisely, I won't compel you. You must accept one and forfeit the other " The king said gravely.

Su chen chose the throne over Li xi his friend so he was bound to marry the lady his dad arranged for him.It had always been his life long ambition to be a king.

Yes! He admired Li xi a great deal but nothing was capable of stopping him from achieving his aim.

When he saw the girl he was amazed by her beauty. She was rumoured to be the fairest girl in that area and he had confirmed it first hand; it was true!

Though, he tried to compare both Ling Xiao and Li xi. The new girl was prettier facially but Li xi had the most beautiful and palest skin he had ever seen. She was as white as a porcelain with spotless skin. Her hair was a great mass and much more longer than that of Ling Xiao with a shiny look and silky feel. She was much more taller than the other girl.Though, facially Ling Xiao looked more prettier than Li xi but in reality she wasn't even a match for Li xi at all by a million times. It was because Li xi was masked. That was not her true face.Ling Xiao could never be a match to Lixi in anything.He knew Li xi was flawless in character but he would abandon her and choose Ling Xiao because of the throne.

It happened that Lixi knew Ling Xiao. They had once lived in the same town. Ling Xiao had been a childhood enemy that always mocked her and oppressed her. She had treated Li xi inhumanly and with contempt on different occasions. Ling Xiao was so pompous and proud, she looked down on people. She was too proud of her beauty and treated others like they didn't exist.

The prince became mean to Lixi in order to please Ling Xiao and garner her support.He treated her like trash. Ling Xiao genuinely liked the prince. She was still jealous of Lixi.Ling Xiao attempted several attempts to kill Lixi but she escaped all. The palace was a living hell for Lixi, it was full of sorrows because she was framed and attacked on a daily basis. Though they couldn't succeed because of her high level of intelligence and strength.

She survived it all.

She decided to leave the palace and have her peace of mind. She left the couple ( Su Chen and Ling Xiao) a wonderful parting gift for their wedding(a golden comb carved with phoenix feathers)

despite their wickedness. Though, Su Chen felt pained because he had lost her forever but he consoled himself that she was just something beneath him. His wife was very happy at her absence.

The prince watched her walk away. His heart clenched, but his crown was more important. Infact, even his new bride .