Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan

Author:Sue Lynn Tan [Tan, Sue Lynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2022-10-03T12:00:00+00:00

Kneel before your emperor, and I might be inclined to mercy,” Wugang commanded.

My eyes flared in disbelief, taking in his pearl-encrusted headpiece, the gold dragon-shaped hairpin pinning it into place. The way the soldiers behind him bent their heads in complete subservience.

“Emperor?” Liwei repeated wrathfully. “You dare much, you fraud.”

Wugang’s smile was riddled with malice. His slender fingers lifted a yellow jade ornament by his waist, so brilliant it appeared gilded over, carved with a pair of dragons encircling the sun. Only one person carried that seal; it was death for another to take it.

“How did you get my father’s seal?” Liwei’s tone sank with dread. “What did you do to him?”

A long pause, a measured cruelty. “He’s alive, for now. He’s still of use to me, as is his court. We must retain some semblance of order. However, the guards and attendants who remained loyal to him, who attempted to fight back, did not fare so well.” Wugang shrugged. “Fortunately, their deaths sufficed to convince those more reluctant to concede.”

My stomach churned until I thought I would be sick. He spoke of killing so easily, just as he had taken Ping’er’s life with no more hesitation than crumpling a sheet of paper. While I could not honestly claim to bear any respect or affection for the Celestial Emperor, those who hurt Liwei, hurt me too. What of General Jianyun and Teacher Daoming? I assured myself they would be safe; they were high-ranking members of the court, valuable hostages. While Minyi would be safe in the kitchens. I dared not ask after them, I dared not show I cared, for he would use that against me.

How had this happened? My mind spun, the pieces falling into place: Queen Suihe’s strange words earlier, Wugang’s efforts to malign Liwei, to isolate the Celestial Emperor from his other advisors, assuming control over the Celestial Army. I had thought he was maneuvering himself to become the emperor’s sole confidant, his chosen heir—not to usurp the throne from the Celestial Emperor whose position had always seemed unassailable. Wugang’s carefully cultivated loyalty had blinded all to his true intent. He had orchestrated everything, not on the emperor’s behalf, but for himself—to seize my home and the laurel … along with the power it could bestow.

Wugang had never forgiven the Celestial Emperor and the immortals for the humiliation wreaked upon him. He had waited all this time to exact his vengeance, just as he had done with his wife and her lover. And while I could understand his pain, while I cared little for the Celestial Court—Wugang had drawn those closest to me into the vicious web of his schemes, destroying our lives with the same callousness as the immortals had ruined his.

“You are nothing but a fraud, a vile traitor, and coward.” Liwei was almost shaking from anger. “My father trusted you, he gave you everything, and this is how you repay him?”

“He trusted me because I did his bidding without complaint. His loyal servant. He

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