"So you decided to become Emperor."
"Yes. Not for power. Not for status. For her." He walked back to his chair and sat heavily. "I wanted to build an empire where she could be safe. Where her brilliance could flourish. Where we could be together without anyone threatening her. So I fought. I schemed. I eliminated my brothers one by one. I killed anyone who stood between me and the throne."
His voice was matter-of-fact, recounting murders like business transactions.
"It took me eight years. Eight years of brutal political warfare. But I won. I became Emperor. And I was finally ready to bring Lin Mei to the palace, to crown her as Empress, to give her everything I'd promised."
He paused. The firelight cast shadows across his face.
"Three days before the coronation ceremony, someone poisoned her."
Silence.
