Hey and I'm back to the world of DW fanfiction! I've had a really long break from writing on this site and it's quite sad but this story is featuring Diao Chan as a main character, it's a remake of my previous story A New Heart. Every character in this series, minus Diao Chan just for this story, will use their DW8 outfit and appearance.
This chapter is the beginning, kind of a prologue of start and will not feature Diao Chan. Instead it'll feature Empress He, using her Blast appearance. Li Ru will also appear and he'll be stealing Li Jue's Blast appearance. This story is semi-AU as it won't follow history much at all. It's the first of a series so I hope you all can read and review it!
Diao Chan for this story will use her DW3 outfit with her DW8 appearance, so basically her DW3 DLC costumes. Any other character, bar Li Jue (because Li Ru uses his) will use their DWBlast or DW8 outfit and appearance.
Perfection. Deception. Connection. Those three words were what Empress He considered to be the rules she lived by. The first two, perfection and deception are truly marvelous traits especially during these times.
It was true, everyone loved, admired and dreamed of the idea of perfection and having it. While Empress He knew she wasn't perfect, no one was truly perfect after all, she was pretty damn close to the ideal of perfection.
Deception was a wonderful talent few people have and something even less people could see through, luckily for her she was one of the few able to both use it and see though it. That mere thought filled her gorgeous head with pride.
Connections. Connections. Connections. They proved very useful in various ways, her family connections had been the exact thing that got her married to the Emperor and in turn her half-brother He Jin used his connections with her to get a higher position. She even used her connection with him to solidify her power in the imperial court.
Beauty was a thing that could also get you very far in life, however beauty was proved to be futile if you didn't have the brains to use it to your own advantage. It was a double-edged sword at times, capable of harming both you and your enemies.
She, and plenty of others certainly, considered her to be an extremely great beauty as well as an intelligent woman. With a malicious and sultry laugh, the fond memory of how she poisoned and killed Consort Wang and got away with it returned to her. Perhaps she'd be fortunate enough to have that same plot work again.
With luscious hair almost as dark a brown as ebony, enchanting brown eyes and dreamy pale complexion brought in as many men as her elaborate headdress and black, creamy and purple dress did with jealous looks of women.
Empress He was currently the main power in China as her biological son had died just a few months ago and her husband long deceased. There was no immediate threat to her throne and she loved the power it gave her.
Regardless of the fact there was no immediate threats it didn't mean she was free of enemies. Dong Zhuo was growing in power, his tyrannical and corrupt attitude frightened her and she was aware that he would make a grab for power soon.
"How insulting." The seductress murmured to herself before reaching into her overly large sleeves, her hand returned holding a small bottle of light purple liquid or in other words a vial of poison.
"Dong Zhuo thinks he can trick me, ha. How delusional is that man, does he not know how many men I have conquered as an Empress?" Twisting off the lid, she placed the vial down for a second as she poured wine into four cups.
"I didn't fuck my way up to the top. I earned that top spot and I intend to stay on the top for a very long amount of time." She stated bitterly, her voice full of annoyance and determination.
"Oops." Giggled Empress He as she divided the poison evenly into three of the wine filled cups, the purple colouration disappearing into the wine as she swirled each cup of wine so it'd blend in. "My hand must of slipped."
A cunning smiled planted onto her face, she slipped the now empty vial back into her robe as she sat on the extravagantly large, fluffy looking, gold and white bed. The smile still on her face as she waited for the rats to walk into her trap. Sharp claws were well hidden in her dress, she was the predator and Dong Zhuo the prey.
Dong Zhuo was set to arrive any second with his dreadful nephew Dong Huang and his devious, irritating son in-law Li Ru. He was well aware that slimy Li Ru killed her son and she wanted to exact revenge on him. A servant walked into the room, bowing lowly as Empress He looked at her with bored eyes.
"Empress He, your guests have arrived." She spoke and the temptress waved her hand and spoke regally, "Let them in and leave once that has been accomplished." The pitiful looking girl nodded and hurriedly left to obey the orders given.
"Ah Beauty He! It's lovely to be in your presence once again." The pig look-a-like Dong Zhuo snorted as he walked in, his little piglets flanked both of his sides.
"I was informed you had pressing matters to discuss with me." Said Empress He with a devious smile on her face, her alluring voice spoke once more. "Come, sit. Have some wine, my gift shall we say." She offered, sitting and taking a sip of her cup of wine, the only one that contained no poison.
"Always elegant and graceful, you truly are divine!" Praised the sickly looking Li Ru who's skin was as white as ice, but to He's dismay he didn't take a sip of the fateful drink as Zhuo and Huang raised the cups to their lips.
Dong Huang, Zhuo's foolish nephew, downed the liquid immediately and when the fit of coughs started He's eye twitched when Zhuo hesitated to sip his. "It's quite strong!" Huang claimed as the coughs continued, blood having been sprayed onto his hand.
Huang's eyes widened with horror and realization as the light died out and they rolled back into his skull and he feel face first to the table, dead. Empress He wasn't able to suppress a chuckle at his stupidity.
"What is the meaning of this!" Growled Dong Zhuo with a loud and clear voice but Empress He's catlike movements shocked everyone as she had already unsheathed her sharp, retractable claws and dung them into Li Ru's side.
"I believe the meaning is your death." Purred Empress He as she switched targets and pounced onto Dong Zhuo with the blood on the claws having dropped onto the floor but the fat pig was quicker then Empress He presumed and before she was able to comprehend it, Zhuo's serrated sword had penetrated her side just before her claws slashed his stomach.
A feminine gasp was heard as the sword was deep in her side, nearly going straight her and he pulled it out and the dark, crimson blood poured out of the venomous beauty, reminiscent of a waterfall.
"A mere servant and yet you have the nerve." Empress He uttered softly but furiously, denial replacing the victorious smirk on her face. How could she miscalculate? Her plan had been foiled and a mere swine was her murderer. Oh how the mighty fall.
"Now now, my dear Beauty He. I was going to let you live but unfortunately you proved yourself to be useless and deceitful shall I say. Your reign must come to an end and I will rule through your son Xian. He will become a puppet and once I decide to cut his strings, I will become Emperor." Dong Zhuo chuckled darkly with a sadistic look in his soulless eyes.
Empress He frowned as the lights were slowly assimilating and her life began to fade away and slip out of her grasp. She shook her head out of pity with a hint of denial.
"You truly are a fool. Do you think such an outrage will be forgiven? The people will not let you get away with this." Empress He spat, wobbling slightly before letting out a evil and maniacal laugh.
She collapsed to the floor ungracefully, hands in front of her face as her pretty pale head hit the ground. Her life began to flash before her eyes and all of her most important memories rushed through her head, simultaneous with the blood that was rushing out.
Empress He struggled with ferocity to survive, clutching futilely but desperately at the polished tiles as if they'd give her the strength to survive. They proved to be of no assistance as Dong Zhuo and Li Ru laughed with such joy at her struggle.
Just before the darkness overtook her eyes, almost in a seer like trance He saw the image of a young dancing girl, dressed in commoners clothing but with the beauty even greater than that of the prettiest Goddess.
More images of the girl ran through her head as she danced through the ages, the world turned lifeless to something full of love and energy. And that was when the dancer danced over the burning corpse of the swine Dong Zhuo.
Eyes wide as Empress He decided to add prophet to her long list of talents as she began to cackle like a crow, her laugh loud and unending as she gave in to her wounds and stopped her struggling. How fortunate was she? While Empress He may of failed, that dancer would succeed in murdering that damned pig.
Finally dead, Empress He was no more but her laughter would echo throughout the palace and all of Luoyang throughout the night for everyone to hear and remember. It marked the beginning of a change in China, a new power struggle and new heroes would arise. Perhaps it would even provide a change of heart for some people.