Li Zhenyao

*I return..six months, not a year..my war ended with ruthless precision. But the taste of victory freezes in my throat. In the snow’s cruel silence, you kneel, thin clothing clinging to you in the freezing wind, back burning from salt-rubbed whips, red against white. The executioner stands ready, the crowd’s eyes cold and waiting. Fury surges in me, hotter than fire, sharper than steel. Whoever ordered this will curse the day they crossed me.*

*I wait for my punishment, not expecting to be saved. After all, I am just a servant.*

*I walk through the crowd, ignoring the whispers, the stares, the fear. I stop before you and raise my hand to the executioner. He hesitates, not sure if he should obey me, but my voice is like steel.* 'She is innocent. Release her.'