1 Chapter 1 - Trashy Novel

"Why can't you love me?" The beautiful man was kneeling on the ground. His hand was desperately trying to hold to the man he loved so much. "Is it because I'm a male?" His grip tightened on the robe that the man wears. His face was full of tears. "If you don't like male, then why did you choose me in the first place? Why did you holds your hand to me and take me into this hellish place?" He asked to the man who looked at him with cold eyes. "Why did you give hope to me just as if you will give me the love that I wished for?"

"Are you really don't know or you're just pretending to not know? I did it because of you and your family."

"My family?" The male was hit by a sudden realization. He suddenly remembered the rumors he heard ever since he entered the palace. His family was the one who caused the Emperor to suffer during his younger day. "So it was like that…you made me your concubine because you want to have revenge on my family…"

"That's correct."

That answer was enough to shatter the male's hope to pieces. The hand that was desperately trying to stop the man has lost its power.

"There was never a day I ever felt love for you."

Ren Zhengzheng was cruel until the very end. He made the person who gave him everything and loved him with all his heart fell into the deepest despair.

'Beautiful Empress Chapter 10'

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Jin Qiu throws the book away and walked to the balcony of his penthouse. He chooses to enjoy a cigarette while watching the night view of the town. A light smoke was coming out from his mouth. That night was rarely calm but thanks to the novel he just read, he felt annoyed now.

He never read a novel and never had any intention to read one, but before, his subordinate dropped it.

The book cover looked quite interesting, with the title 'Beautiful Empress', so he thought that it would be some kind of interesting ancient story about an Empress or something like that.

At first, it was quite a normal story about a princess from a fallen kingdom who was about to become a slave and got saved by a handsome Emperor. It tells about how the two fell in love and the Emperor choose to take her in and made her the Empress loved by everyone. But then after she entered the palace, misfortune keep befalling her and the existence of a male concubine has finally revealed. A male concubine who has the same name like him. A male concubine that is said to be a very noble person and came from an old noble family with so much history. A male concubine who is only an illegitimate son but manage to rise as a commander because of his great talent in martial arts and spiritual power. Jin Qiu.

Since the age of 17, Jin Qiu won so many battles.

Jin Qiu, who keep winning the war at the west side and Ren Zhengsheng, who keep winning the war at the east side. The two became quite famous that they ended up meeting each other at the victory celebration. One is the Commander of the Strongest Troop at the Empire and the other is a young Emperor.

After meeting several times and talking about the war together, Jin Qiu started to harbor a feeling for Ren Zhengsheng, and that was when he was chosen to enter the palace. He was happy, so happy that he promised the man that he would give the plate of Jin Troop for the man, but things wasn't as good as what he's expected to be.

On his wedding night, Ren Zhengsheng never come to his chamber and instead, spending time with a prostitute introduced by one of the nobles. The next day, Ren Zhengsheng still won't come to see him and acted like he never existed. Thanks to that, the servants started to ignore him. Just as if being ignored is not enough, he suffered even more when Ren Zhengsheng fell in love with a princess from fallen kingdom and made her the Empress. Whenever something happened to the Empress, he would be the one who get blamed and get punished for it.

In the end, he was poisoned to death by someone in the palace and until the end, he never got the chance to feel the love he longed so much.

Jin Qiu, the talented commander who became a concubine and died miserably. Jin Qiu, the mafia leader feared by even the police.

They share the same name, but they didn't share same personality nor life. One is obedient while the other is rebellious.

As a reader, Jin Qiu simply thinks that the concubine is stupid. He know that the Emperor only want a revenge, but still blindly love the Emperor. It's pitiful in a way, and also annoying. If he was the concubine, then he would get rid of anyone who dares to do that to him or do something to make sure that the Emperor won't ignore him.

He is a mafia leader after all. The youngest leader that managed to rise to his current position after getting rid of his entire enemy. He is responsible for almost a hundred subordinates within the organization. Living a life like that concubine is unthinkable.

He let out a sigh, blowing out another smoke before he pressed the cigarette on the ashtray. He turns around at the sounds of automatic lock being opened. A moment later, he could see his right hand man, as well as his best friend walked into the room.

"Jin Qiu, I brought you the report about the club for tonight."

Jin Qiu walked back inside and took the envelope from the man. He then took a seat on the couch and started to check on the document one by one. He received a report that the enemy has been sniffing around their club. It gets on his nerves, so he wants to take care of it as fast as possible.

"So the spy disguised himself as someone who wants to join us?" Jin Qiu grabbed a glass of vodka on the small table beside the couch. "They really looked down on us. How annoying." He commented while throwing the document down on the table. He looked to his friend. "Get rid of him. No need to get information since we knew who sent him."

"Sure." Said the man. He was about to pick up the document from the table when he saw the novel that Jin Qiu throw away before. "I didn't know that you like to read now."

"You left that novel and I have nothing else to do, so I choose to read that trash."

The man took the novel and smiled. "So you find this novel as trashy? How weird.. I think it's quite good. The Empress in this novel is someone who came from a fallen kingdom, but despite that background, she still manages to make the Emperor love her because of her knowledge and kindness."

"Have you lost your mind?" Jin Qiu looked at his friend with a frowned expression.

"Well… I know why you're so annoyed with this novel. It's because the pitiful concubine has the same name as you, right?"

The man just shakes his head for a bit with a slight smile on his face. He was about to grab another glass for himself when he heard the sounds of glass shattered.

He turned around and saw Jin Qiu fell on the couch with his eyes closed. "Jin Qiu!!" He shouted, running to the man who has been with him since he was a kid. "Hey, Jin Qiu!!" He took out his phone and immediately calling for an ambulance. His arms secured around the mafia leader who suddenly collapsed for no reason.

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Jin Qiu opened his eyes and blinked for a moment. 'Fuck'. He cursed before he got up and runs a finger through his hair, but soon he stopped. Instead his short neat hair, the hair that he brushed with his fingers was a long a hair. A soft long black hair.

"You're finally awake." A male servant placed a big bowl of water on the table. "You should stop causing trouble for everyone. Fainted because of cold? What are you? Five year olds? No doctor would even come here, so stop giving more work for the servants. I heard you are a commander, so how can you catch a cold so easily?"

Jin Qiu tried to ignore his headache and looked to the male who talked with an annoyed tone. The clothes that the male wore are not something he would see near him. A pair of common traditional clothing belonged to a servant. Something that he would only see in historical drama or movie.

"Bring me the mirror." Jin Qiu ordered.

"You're already wake up, so can't you move by yourself? The mirror is on that table. And hurry up use this water, my work is not only attending to your need."

Jin Qiu sighed and glared to the male. Coward, is the one word that came to his mind when he saw the male servant flinched by his single glare. "Tell me who the boss is and who's the servant here. Is it I'm the servant or you're the servant? Go bring me the mirror before you annoy me more than this."

Though unwilling, the male servant still went to get the mirror and giving it to Jin Qiu.

Jin Qiu stared to his own reflection and frowned even more. This is not the masculine and manly face that he always sees in the mirror in his bathroom. The reflection he saw in the mirror at the moment is a beautiful face that can pass as a woman with a little make up.

Light black, straight hair slightly covers a long, beautiful face. Sharp violet eyes, set tightly within their sockets. Smooth skin alluringly compliments his eyes and hair and leaves an intriguing memory to anyone who see him.

He's not a fan of fantasy story where someone goes to another world, but he's not stupid enough to not accept the fact that at the moment, that's exactly what happened to him.

A beautiful man who is a commander and a servant who treat him rudely. Jin Qiu doesn't really want to think about it but he feels like he knew what world he came to.

"What's my name?" Jin Qiu asked the male servant.

"Huh? Why would you-"

"Just answer my question and stop asking me back."

"It's… Your Highness the First Concubine, Jin Qiu." The servant answered while lowering his gaze. For some reason, he felt that the man in front of him would harm him if he's being rude again.

First Concubine Jin Qiu. What he feared really happened. He really became the abandoned concubine from the trashy novel he read before. The concubine who will be abandoned by everyone just because of his family.

How did he end up here? Why did he end up becoming the poor concubine? And what happened to his body? Did he die? Or he's in coma or something?

He has a lot of question, but he doubt that anyone would know about the answer that he's looking for. And now the most important thing, how will he live his life as the abandoned concubine?

"How long have I entered the palace as concubine?"

"It's one month, Your Highness." The male servant answered obediently now.

One month, it means the time he came to is one year before the start of the novel, one year before the Empress entered the palace.

He will need to think a way to change the story so that he wouldn't end up as pitiful as the concubine in the original.

"What is the Emperor's plan for today?" Jin Qiu stood up from the bed and walked to the water. His washed his face using the clean water and felt so refreshed.

The male servant looked at Jin Qiu for a moment. "Today, His Majesty will go to hunt with the subordinates."

"Hunting, huh?" Jin Qiu smirked and wiped his face with the towel. "Good timing. Prepare the most comfortable clothes that I have and take me to the weaponry."

"What? What are you planning to do, Your Highness? You know that you're not allowed to join such event. Going there will only make His Majesty get even angrier with you."

"You can believe me or not, but after today, he will never get angry at me again."

The male servant looked at Jin Qiu who replied him with a smirk. The more he looked at the man in front of him, the more he noticed that the man changed in some way. It's not the same soft and well mannered Jin Qiu who can't do anything when the servant mistreated him. The one standing in front of him now is someone worthy to become a commander. Worthy of the name Jin Family.

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Ren Zhengsheng slowed his horse and aimed at the deer that unaware of his presence. Calmly, he released the arrow that pierced the deer's neck, killing the poor animal in one blow. The nobles who joined the hunt all clapped their hands and complimented him. The empty compliment that he doesn't even need to hear keeps coming from their mouth.

"Song Yun." Ren Zhengsheng called.

A man riding a white horse approached the Emperor. "Is something the matter, Your Majesty?"

"The next time I went out to hunt, you don't have to bring all those troublesome nobles. It will only distract me."

"I don't think that's possible, Your Majesty. The reason why we brought them here is just so they would be less aware of your existence and get more support for you. It will be hard if you make every single noble in this Empire as your enemy."

Though he doesn't want to admit, Ren Zhengsheng knew that what his advisor saying is right. Ever since he took over the throne by killing his family, there are a number of nobles who refused to support him, causing civil war everywhere. And it's been quite a pain to take care of it.

Ren Zhengsheng moved his horse to another spot and saw a deer larger than before. After the hunt, they would be having a banquet at the palace, so it would be great to catch this one.

He was getting ready to shot at the deer when an arrow went passed him and stabbed the deer's head. He turned around along with everyone who came with him and saw someone that shouldn't be there at all.

"Jin Qiu."

"Yes, it's me." Jin Qiu replied playfully. He ignored the shocked gaze given by the nobles and approached the Emperor. "Long time no see, Zhengsheng."

Ren Zhengsheng tried to ignore the man by moving his horse away, but unexpectedly, Jin Qiu followed him. "What is this? You should know by now that I don't really want to marry you, yet you still act this way? Usually, you would look at me with that broken hearted expression on your face."

"So you want to see me making that kind of expression? Unexpectedly, you're quite a sadist."

Ren Zhengsheng watched as Jin Qiu riding the horse in front of him. He could see that Jin Qiu looked so relaxed, very different from before. How did the man changed so fast? And what changed the man to become like that?

"I heard that you caught a cold."

"So you know? You know but didn't come to see me at all? You didn't even send a doctor to check on me. What a cold hearted Emperor, but well… I know. You don't even care about me."

The nobles who followed behind them just watching and listening without saying anything. They has already heard about how the Emperor treating his concubine, though they don't really know the reason. What they knew is that the Emperor aiming for the commanding plate of Jin Troop. And all this time, they heard that Jin Qiu always obedient in front of the Emperor, but not now. It doesn't look like the Jin Qiu that everyone has been talking about.

"The military power that owned by Jin Family," Jin Qiu started. "You will never get your hand on it unless you follow what I want."

"What did you say?"

"I know that you married me in order to have revenge to my family and taking over the military power. But you should know that if I'm not willing to give it to you, you will never get it. You don't even know where I hide the plate, right? I don't care about what you do to my family, but I won't allow you to treat me like this anymore."

Hearing that, Ren Zhengsheng started to laugh. He laughs for so long but Jin Qiu doesn't feel disturbed at all. He then raised his hand. "Song Yun." He called the advisor. "Take everyone away. I need to talk alone with my 'beloved' concubine, so no one should disturb me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Jin Qiu just watched as Song Yun brought the nobles away from that place. In the novel, Song Yun is one of the two people who treated Jin Qiu kindly in the palace, so maybe he should make some good relationship with that man later.

"Could it be that you set your eyes on Song Yun now?" Ren Zhengsheng asked in a mocking tone. "You have such a passionate gaze while you look at him."

"Why do you care about who I like? You don't even love me."

Hearing Jin Qiu talked this way towards him, Ren Zhengsheng can't help but remember the time when he first met the man. The beautiful commander who has a high pride and strong. At that time, Jin Troop would always say that Jin Qiu is untouchable.

"You said there's something that you want to talk about with me, so why don't you get to the point?" Jin Qiu asked.

"Did you forget our agreement before the marriage? I asked you to give me the authority of Jin Military once you become a concubine and entered the palace, and you're agree to it. Don't tell me you changed your mind?"

"You're the one who broke the agreement first."

"What?"

"Why do you look so surprised? I said that I will give you the military power under the impression that you love me, now that I know you only want revenge towards my family, why should I give you the military power?"

Ren Zhengsheng frowned and was about to reach for his sword, but he stopped when he saw the smirk on Jin Qiu's face. He knew more than anyone that when someone made that kind of expression, it means that the person came to win. Jin Qiu has already win this battle even before it begin.

"Why did you stop? You're about to take your sword and kill me, no? With your ability, I'm sure you can do that easily." Jin Qiu stated while keeping his calm demeanor. He knew that the Emperor won't kill him. Not now. Jin Troop is very loyal to Jin Qiu, and if the Emperor kill him only after one month entering the palace, Jin Troop will become his enemy and he would have a hard time to suppress them.

"Did you come here because you know?"

"Of course I know. Though I'm not the head of Jin Family, I'm the one who got acknowledged as the Commander of Jin Troop. If you kill me one month after the marriage, the troop will retaliate and it will affect the whole Empire. So, you can't kill me. At least not now."

Ren Zhengsheng smiled. "How clever. Then what do you want? Since you know that I can't kill you now, you must've come here with something in mind, right?"

"It's very simple. I want the authority that's supposed to belong to me. And I want you to treat me properly in front everyone so no one would look down on me or mistreat me again. Like I said, I don't really care what you want to do to my family, but I won't accept you treating me like this."

"You mean you want me to love you?"

"Don't get me wrong. I won't desire for your love, so I don't care whether you love me or not now. All we need to do is pretend and as exchange, I will help you utilize the Jin Troop to your heart content. You need them for the upcoming war anyway."

"Do you plan to stay in the palace even after I destroyed your family? You know that there will be no one to support you once that happen."

"I planned to leave the palace after everything is over."

Ren Zhengsheng can't believe that the man is saying that he will leave the palace after everything is over. The man who looked like a fool when he knew that he will enter the palace as concubine is now saying that he will leave the palace.

"Is there any reason as to why you will leave the palace after everything is over? And what will happen to Jin Troop?" Ren Zhengsheng asked.

"My reason is not your concern, but you don't have to worry, I won't disturb you so you can marry and make whoever you like as the Empress." Jin Qiu replied. He raised the bow and released an arrow that hit right on a hopping rabbit not far from them. "And when I left, I will give you the full authority of Jin Troop."

It was too good.

Ren Zhengsheng felt suspicious because the condition is too good. He hates Jin Qiu as much as he hates Jin Family. Everything was only an act when he approached the commander. At the moment, Jin Qiu is providing him a situation where he can have his revenge and the power of Jin Troop, he doesn't have a reason to refuse this offer. And more than anything, he felt like Jin Qiu will show him something more interesting, so he choose to go along for now. "Sure, I will accept your condition." He replied. "I shall treat you lovingly from now on."

"Lovingly? That sounds scary coming from your mouth so no need. Just make sure that you won't give me a cold shoulder in front your subordinates. Give me the respect I should have as your concubine."

Jin Qiu lowered his bow and moving his horse away from that place. He said what he needs to say so there's no need for him to stay there anymore. There are still a lot of things that he needs to do.

"Qiu er, I planned to go even deeper to the forest, why don't you join me in the hunting?"

Jin Qiu looked at Ren Zhengsheng with disbelief. A minute haven't passed yet since they made the agreement, but Ren Zhengsheng has already changed his tone of talking. Without answering, Jin Qiu left the place in hurry. He wants to stay as far away as possible from that kind of person.

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