A woman with long black silky hair, soft features and white clothing sat behind bars in a dungeon as her feet tapped anxiously on the concrete floor.
Hearing footsteps heading her way, the woman, Shen Xiatang got up immediately and headed straight towards the gates of her cell.
"Big Sister, big sister!" said a woman with even more dainty and frail features compared to Shen Xiatang.
"The Emperor has revoked your title, stripped you of your status and has ordered for you to be executed by noon." said the woman known as Shen Wen Ran.
"Impossible!" said Shen Xiatang.
"The emperor dotes on me. I have brought peace to the court several times, how can he suddenly treat me like this?!" Shen Xiatang said in panic.
"Its because of the bad rumors that are spreading across the capital!" Shen Wen Ran said in despair.
"Rumors?" said Shen Xiatang as she clung to the gates.
"What rumours?" Shen Xiatang asked desperately.
"There are rumors that you tried to poison the Emperor and the empress and the empress has fallen gravely ill due to that accident." said Shen Wen Ran.
"Impossible!" Shen Xiatang exclaimed.
"How can I possibly harm them when they are to be my in-laws!" Shen Xiatang said as she cried desperately.
"But everyone in the palace saw you personally prepare the tea for the Emperor and Empress." Shen Wen Ran said in pain.
"They even heard you say it was an act of filial piety to them and few hours after that the Empress collapsed from poison." Shen Wen Ran said and Shen Xiatang gasped in shock.
"Mom and dad have also had their titles revoked because of this, the whole family is in trouble!" Shen Wen Ran cried in sadness.
"I didn't do it! I didn't do it!" Shen Xiatang cried in frustration as she clung to the bars.
"Someone must have messed with the tea leaves to frame me." Shen Xiatang said as her mind suddenly cleared.
"Take this to Crown Prince Li Xuanlong-" Shen Xiatang said as she brought out a tiny piece of paper that she had wrapped the tea leaves she had served to the Emperor and Empress days prior.
"And ask him to investigate." Shen Xiatang said as she handed over the little piece of paper to her little sister
"He will surely get justice for me." Shen Xiatang said with confidence.
"To frame you, the culprit must have been in close contact with you before the banquet. Can you think of anyone you were in close contact with?" Shen Wen Ran said as she clung to the bars with renewed hope.
"I talked to a lot of people during the banquet but the people I stayed close to were you and the Crown Prince." Shen Xiatang said and Shen Wen Ran grinned in a sadistic way.
"For someone who has brought peace to the court numerous times, how could you be so short sighted to matters involving yourself ?" Shen Wen Ran said with a grin that morphed her angelic face into something else entirely.
"What?" Shen Xiatang asked, as her mind travelled at the speed of light.
Grabbing Shen Xiatang's hand at the speed of light, Shen Wen Ran put a knife in Shen Xiatang's hand and stabbed herself in the stomach.
"Big sister no matter what you do I will not finish the emperor off because you want to avoid punishment and ascend the throne with Crown Prince Li Xuanlong by force!" Shen Wen Ran shouted in a distressed tone with blood dripping from her lips but her eyes held a glint of amusement.
"Cruel to the end!" the Crown Prince said as he hurriedly grabbed the little sister who became unsteady on her feet.
"Did you lack anything?" the Crown Prince asked the woman in the cell as tears dripped from her eyes.
"Jewelry, money, properties and fabrics of the finest linen I gave them all to you!" The Crown Prince said and Shen Xiatang began to shake her head in pain as she dropped the knife in shock.
"The Emperor and Emperess approved of you, the court approved of you, we would have ruled the nation eventually but your greed wouldn't let you wait!" The Crown Prince said in agony.
"It wasn't me." Shen Xiatang yelled in agony as she stamped her feet in pain.
"I love your parents, I loved my sister why would I try to harm them?" Shen Xiatang said as she tried to reason with him
"Silence!" yelled the Crown Prince.
"All these things have happened and you still claim not to be responsible!" the Crown Prince yelled and Shen Xiatang shook her head in agony as tears fell down her face in waves.
"Don't blame her!" Shen Wen Ran said as she weakly grabbed the crown Prince's arm.
"She was blinded by love." Shen Wen Ran said and the elder sister grabbed her neck through the bars in fury.
"All of this is your fault!" Shen Xiatang said as she tried to strangle Shen Wen Ran.
"Enough!" the Crown Prince said as he flung Shen Xiatang's hands from the Shen Wen Ran's neck.
"I can't believe I almost married the woman who would try to strangle her sister in her last moments over the one that repeatedly pleads for her!" the Crown Prince said in sorrow before hardening his features.
"Anyone there." The Crown Prince said and two guards stepped forward.
"Drag her away to be executed." The crown Prince said in a cold tone and the guards marched into the cell to take Shen Xiatang.
"No!" Shen Xiatang cried desperately.
"I didn't do it, I didn't do it, You have to believe me!" Shen Xiatang said but the Crown Prince ignored her.
Seeing the satisfied look on her sister's face, Shen Xiatang began to scream in anger.
"Don't think you have won!" Shen Xiatang yelled as she was dragged away.
"Don't think you have won!" Shen Xiatang screamed as she thrashed.
"In all life times, in all generations for as long as your line will be, I will make sure that your children's children and their children's children, suffer for the injustice I have faced today. I will muddy their luck so bad that they will wonder what kind of bad karma they must have accumulated to meet a calamity like me!" Shen Xiatang screamed as she was dragged out of the dungeon to be executed.