After Liwei left the house, Xie Ming remembered something and went to their bedroom. She opened her closet as she was looking for something. She frowned when she couldn't find the thing that she was searching for.

  After searching for a long time, she finally found the thing that she was searching for. " Ah, it's here." she breathed out in relief upon finding out the silver engraved box that she was searching for. It's been days since she had touched and worn this hairpin.

  The hairpin which used to be dear to her, the souvenir of her being the Empress and her past, was now the cause of her agony and pain, the carrier of the curse.

  She gulped remembering how beautiful Tan Xiu looked wearing this hairpin but the last memory of her causes her to shiver. She thought about Jian Yan as Yuan Hanying but she can't imagine him being the ruthless cruel Emperor who ruined her life and those memories are still tormenting her.

  " Is this the same curse given by that woman? What can I do to end this curse?" she wondered if this curse is attached to her because of that woman who cursed her to face the same agony and pain as hers. She pursed her lips to think about a way to end this curse but couldn't figure out any.

  " Should I try to break it?" she thought. There is a belief when a jade breaks, something terrible was about to happen but the jade takes the damage and saves the owner from the upcoming disaster.

  Although it was only a belief, she was not sure if it would work or not. She never tried to break it before after knowing that it is the carrier of the curse, she just hid it in the deepest corner of her closet.

  She looked at the beautiful jade hairpin which could enhance anyone's beauty but right now she doesn't want to be adored by this cursed ornament.

  She raised her hand and threw it on the floor with a force for nothing. When she picked up the hairpin there wasn't a single scratch over it. She tightened the grip around the hairpin and tried to throw it again, repeating the same action multiple times but to no avail.

  The hairpin remains untouched and beautiful as ever.

  She pursed her lips and looked around to search for something heavy. She found a metal showpiece in the room and placed the hairpin on the ground. She hit the hairpin multiple times with the statue with force, but the hairpin didn't even receive a scratch even after the multiple attempts to her disappointment.

  Her hands trembled to see that even after so many efforts, it was the same as before. "What……what's happening?" the hairpin remained as it is even after smashing it so many times. It's just a jade hairpin, how can it be so strong?

  "Miss, are you okay? I heard some noises coming from your room, so I came over to check." Yu Mei who just entered the room asked worriedly, seeing her sweating profusely and her complexion turned ashen.

  " I am fine." Xie Ming said while breathing heavily and hid the hairpin behind her back and forced a smile while trying to hide her scare.

  " Are you really fine? But you don't look good." Yu Mei tried to walk closer to her while looking around the room noticing the things on the ground, and the metal statue was on the ground as well. She couldn't help but wonder what happened in the room, to create a mess to this extent.

  " I am really fine. You go and do your work. I just want to rest." Xie Ming took a deep breath, signaling her to leave while waving at her,

  Yu Mei was worried about her but in the end, she left the room without saying anything-

  Ji Dynasty-

  Zhao Ming was sitting on the bed with her back against the headrest and was staring at the door. She looked to her left side longingly and stared at the empty space where Ji Cheng used to sleep.

  It's been two weeks since he found out about the truth that she is not Zhao Ming but Xie Ming. She wanted to explain to him that it wasn't her choice nor she wanted to take Zhao Ming's place, but circumstances forced her to do so.

  Moreover, she wanted to tell him that both of them are connected to the past. He knows that He and Liwei are connected to the past but he wasn't aware of the whole story yet. That day, while Shen Jia was explaining to him about the things, he stopped her in the middle, not letting her complete her story.

  Since that day, she made multiple attempts to meet him and explain everything but failed. He didn't meet her nor came to the chamber since that day. At first, she heard from a few maids that he was going to another consort's room, leaving her alone in the room which caused her hope to be torn apart.

  She knows that the other consorts also have the right to be with him but she can't help but feel like a waste. This was the thing she hated the most because she can share anything but not him.

  However, later she found out from Feng Ju that it was just a rumor going around in the palace, rather than going to the other consort's room, he was sleeping in the guest room all this while.

  She was surprised and laughed bitterly as she was not sure if she should feel happy or cry at the fact that he wasn't going to other consorts but neither coming to their chamber because he hates her to the point that he doesn't want to see her anymore.

  Since that day, she was living in this large chamber all alone, she tried to immerse herself in the harem work, but couldn't. The rumors spread faster than a wildfire.

  The situation was returning where people gossiped wherever she went, talking about how Ji Cheng left her and was living separately from her. He ignored all her pleas to see him.

  She sighed heavily and looked outside noticing that it was already dark. It was dinner time but she doesn't want to have any since she doesn't have the appetite to eat anything right now. She looked around, noticing how cold it was since he was not here.

  She pursed her lips and suddenly stood up and called out, " Lu Shi, come in." she called her in and Lu Shi who was standing outside entered the chamber right away.

  "Your Majesty, you called me for something?" she asked politely.

  " Yes. I need your help with something," she said, smiling bitterly-

  [ Read this novel only on W e b n o v e l . c o m ( remove spaces). If you are reading this elsewhere, other than w e b n o v e l then this novel has been stolen. Support the original author by reading it on w e b n o v e l, not the thieves, and get the latest updates. Follow the author on Instagram for more: kamlyn_love. Regards Kamlyn]