Yan Meilin's whole body trembled as she glared at Xia Yuqing, her voice breaking with fury. "Anyone can say a lot of things about the Emperor. Anyone can insult him, anyone can question him. But you—" her voice cracked into a roar, "you, Empress Xia, you are not allowed to call his love for you dirty!"
Xia Yuqing didn't flinch. She only smiled, calm and composed, as if Yan Meilin's rage was nothing more than a child's tantrum.
That smile sliced into Yan Meilin's chest like a blade, making her fury explode even more. "Why are you like this?" she shouted madly, thrashing against the chains until her wrists burned.
The clinking sound echoed around the room. "He has done so much for you! He broke the rules, went against every law, favored you, pampered you, and put you above everyone else. He placed you at the very apex of his heart!"
"Why can't you just accept him and give him happiness?"
