Betrayed. Murdered. Forgotten. Lin Yue, once the beloved empress of the Tian Empire, is cruelly cast aside by the man she loved most, Emperor Tian. Conspired against by her closest confidante, Lady Zhen, and watching as her family is destroyed, Lin Yue's life is tragically cut short in a haze of blood and betrayal. But fate grants her a second chance. Awakening ten years before her death, Lin Yue finds herself in the body of her younger self. Armed with the knowledge of her tragic future and the determination to rewrite her destiny, she swears to rise from the ashes of her past like the mythical phoenix
Chapter 1 Death of an Empress
Blood soaked the silk beneath her feet, the once vibrant red robes of Empress Lin Yue now stained with the dark, metallic scent of betrayal. The grand hall, where she had once ruled with grace and dignity, echoed with the mocking laughter of the man she had loved.
Emperor Tian stood before her, the smirk on his lips a dagger to her heart. The throne she had shared with him was now a symbol of her downfall, a reminder of how blind she had been to the truth. Beside him, the woman who had once been her closest confidant, Lady Zhen, smiled wickedly, her eyes gleaming with triumph.
"You were always too naïve, Lin Yue," Lady Zhen said, her voice like silk hiding a blade. "Did you really think you could keep your position forever? You were never fit to be empress."
Pain seared through Lin Yue's chest, not just from the wounds inflicted upon her, but from the crushing weight of betrayal. Her empire, her family, all destroyed by the hands of those she trusted most. Tears blurred her vision as she stumbled, the cold marble floor rising to meet her as she collapsed.
"This is where it ends, Empress," Emperor Tian whispered, his voice cruel and devoid of warmth. "You were nothing but a stepping stone."
Lin Yue's breath hitched as darkness began to swallow her whole. But even in her final moments, a fire burned within her. The injustice, the betrayal, it was too much to bear. With her last breath, she swore vengeance, not just upon the emperor, but upon all who had wronged her.
"By the heavens, if I am given another chance, I will destroy you all," she vowed as the world around her faded to black.But fate, it seemed, had other plans.
Suddenly, a sharp gasp escaped her lips, and Lin Yue's eyes snapped open. She was no longer lying in the cold, bloodied hall. Instead, she found herself in a familiar room, her chamber, the one she had lived in years before her downfall.
She bolted upright, her heart racing as she frantically looked around. It couldn't be. She was supposed to be dead. And yet, the soft sunlight streaming through the windows and the warmth of the bed beneath her told her otherwise.
Lin Yue's hands trembled as she touched her chest, searching for the wounds that had killed her. But there were none. Her body was whole, unmarked. She leaped to her feet and rushed to the mirror.
Her reflection stared back at her, but it wasn't the broken, defeated woman who had met her end at the emperor's feet. No, this was her younger self, ten years younger, before the betrayals, before her family's destruction.
Tears filled her eyes once more, but this time, they were not of pain. They were of anger, burning rage that filled her very soul. She had been given a second chance.
"I won't be the same fool twice," Lin Yue whispered, her hands clenching into fists. "This time, I will write my own destiny."
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