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TEARS AND BLADE - FOR LOVE AND POWER

JaisonLuckow
7
chs / week
The average realized release rate over the past 30 days is 7 chs / week.
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Synopsis
The King of Bei’an is dead. Now, Princess Jingxue must survive the cold grip of a palace ruled by her father’s widow — the Queen who smiles with poison behind her lips. With her little sister in danger and enemies closing in, Jingxue learns that obedience is a temporary shield... and silence can be deadlier than a blade. Meanwhile, in the powerful Empire of Xiyan, three princes battle for control. Jingxue is forced into a political marriage with one of them — the cold, calculating heir whose loyalty belongs to no one. Trapped in a deadly game of power, secrets, and forbidden desire, Jingxue must decide: Her sister... or the empire? Her heart... or her life?
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Chapter 1 - TEARS AND BLADES

Night had fallen over the Kingdom of Bei'an, and heavy, merciless rain battered the stone walls. In the darkness—broken only by occasional flashes of lightning—two figures ran through narrow alleys, their feet sinking into the mud, their hearts pounding more from fear than from exertion.

"Over here, Lia!" whispered Jingxue, gripping her sister's hand tightly.

At around nineteen years old, Jingxue carried herself with the dignity of a princess, even when covered in mud. Her delicate, pale face contrasted with her long black hair, drenched by the rain, giving her an air of serene beauty. Her dark, ink-deep eyes revealed both terror and determination.

Behind her followed Lia, only ten years old. Tears mixed with the rain on her cheeks. Her silent sobs grew heavier with each step.

"I'm tired…" Lia whimpered, stumbling.

"Just a little farther," Jingxue urged, pulling her sister forward, her eyes fixed on the eastern gates of the imperial city.

But soldiers were stationed there.

Jingxue stopped abruptly, dragging her sister into a narrow alley. Rain dripped from the roof above, producing a muffled rhythm. Her lungs burned, and fear tightened around her chest like a vice.

"We have to find another way…"

Lia sobbed louder, breaking the silence with a sharp cry.

"Shhh! Lia! Don't cry… please…"

Too late.

"There they are!" shouted one of the guards.

Two soldiers rushed toward them. Jingxue tried to flee, but one of them grabbed Lia roughly. Jingxue screamed, picked up a piece of wood, and struck the guard. He staggered back, surprised.

But the second soldier was quicker. He kicked Jingxue in the stomach. She fell, her face sinking into the mud. She tried to get up, but her strength gave out. Lying there, she watched her sister being dragged away, screaming her name.

She reached out with trembling fingers.

"Lia…" she murmured, her voice faint, barely audible.

Hours later, a suffocating silence filled the throne room.

Beneath the faded gold panels, Queen Xuanfei sat rigid on the throne. The black fabric draped over it did nothing to soften her commanding presence. Around forty-two years old, her cold beauty exuded authority. Her hair was tied into a high bun, held with golden pins that shimmered beneath the lantern light.

Ministers and officials whispered nervously among themselves. The tension in the room was sharp as a blade.

Weishan, the captain of the guard, stepped forward and bowed discreetly beside the Queen.

"We've captured them."

The Queen showed no reaction. After a deliberate silence, she murmured,

"Keep them imprisoned."

Moments later, the royal physician entered the hall. He bowed before the throne and announced in a restrained voice,

"The King is dead."

The hall plunged into silence. Heads bowed. Some closed their eyes. Every breath in the room seemed to pause, as if time itself had stopped.

Locked in a dark room, Jingxue knelt beside the bed where Lia lay sleeping. The princess's face was streaked with dried mud, her hair stuck to her skin.

The door opened. Weishan stepped inside.

"The King is dead," he said, emotionless.

She didn't react immediately. She simply stared at the floor, breathing heavily.

"What will happen to us?" she asked hoarsely.

He paused at the doorway, cast her a brief glance, and replied,

"The Queen will decide. She holds the power now."

When the door closed again, Jingxue turned to her sister. She gently touched Lia's damp hair, the little girl still asleep.

"Father… why did this have to happen?"

Time seemed frozen.

Sitting on the cold floor, her body aching, Jingxue drifted into memories. Images from the past rose like ghosts—vivid, almost tangible.

She saw herself younger, seated in front of a Go board. Her father, the King, watched closely as she placed a white stone at the center.

"Why do you always let me win?" she asked, suspicious.

The King smiled warmly.

"Because one day the world will force you to lose. But while I still can, I want you to remember what it feels like to win."

Jingxue stared at him in silence, memorizing every detail of his face.

"Whenever you feel lost," he said, placing a black stone, "look to the board. Strategy is like life—you don't play just for the present. What seems like a loss may be the start of your victory."

She smiled. That night, she didn't know it would be the last time they'd play together.

The next morning, the door opened once again.

Meilan, Jingxue's handmaiden since childhood, entered the room. Her hair was neatly tied, her face thin, eyes tired yet kind.

"Princess… the Queen has ordered you to prepare for the King's funeral."

She approached, holding a dark robe folded with care.

Jingxue didn't respond.

She remained seated, her gaze distant.

Another day without her father.

Another day without freedom.

But something inside her had not died.

And it never would.

It was the will to survive.