The news of Emperor Jingzhi's demise spread quietly, as if everyone had already anticipated it. It wasn't in the dead of night but during the pale morning sunlight that bathed the entire Imperial City, when the death knell rang without a sign, it first felt surreal.
However, it wasn't a surprise that Emperor Jingzhi had died, it was about time, and even his death was not a glorious one. Caught in a scandalous act by day, he died over the body of a new favorite concubine whose hands and feet had been bound. Blood sprayed directly onto the young girl's face, gush after gush, and then he fell abruptly, motionless. The girl's horrified screams and her face and body covered in blood left those who rushed in completely confounded.
