At her King's service

Encounter

Amidst the golden hues of the setting sun, Emperor Ying Zheng stood in the courtyard of the imperial palace, his heart heavy with both power and melancholy. Rumors had reached his ears about a mysterious knight, shrouded in blue armor, whose swordsmanship surpassed all others. This knight didn't attack or spoke against Qin directly but people seemed to be enamored with his actions of justice, his sword skills, and his elusive identity.

Rising the recompense for his capture only humiliated the empire and left them having to deal with many wrongly captured innocents, victims of greedy hunters.

"Han Shen…" he whispers, and wishes he could get out and look for him moving every rock on the way, but the empire cannot run itself.

As the night drew near, the courtyard was engulfed in an eerie silence, broken only by the faint rustle of the wind. The emperor decides to continue this overthinking in his quarters, when he feels the cold sharp edge of a sword in the small of his neck and the sound of a sigh coming from the enigmatic figure holding it behind him . The knight in blue leather armor emerged from the shadows, his presence commanding attention, eyes locked onto the Emperor.

– Stop feeding the greed of the hunters you send after me. I am here. Tell me what you want. – declared a raspy breathy voice trying to hide its owner's identity 

Ying Zheng's anger rises for not hearing him coming but mostly for not having this encounter as a King in front of his prisoner or subdit

– What I want? – he chuckles and leans as he grabs the sword from the closest standing armor

Steel clashed against steel as the Emperor engaged the mysterious knight in a fierce battle. Their swords danced with deadly precision, and sparks flew with every strike, illuminating the darkness around them.

The blue-armored knight's movements were fluid, like water flowing in a river, while the Emperor's style was calculated and powerful, like a mighty storm. Each exchange left them in a delicate balance, neither willing to yield an inch.

The moon's silvery light cast an ethereal glow upon the courtyard. The Emperor noticed a grace and elegance in the mysterious knight's fighting, unlike Han Shen's whom he had faced before. This swordsman skill was unparalleled, and challenging.

In a split second, their swords locked, and their eyes met through the narrow gaps in the knight's mask. A flicker of recognition crossed the knight's eyes when Ying Zheng's neck showed the jade pendant he kept from Li er.

The Emperor exploited this opening in the knight's defense to pull the mask's ribbon, slipping it to reveal a lustrous cascade of black hair. His heart skipped a beat as he reached out to move it aside.

To his astonishment, he found himself at the edge of the abyss produced by two eyes holding a mix of vulnerability and resilience, and as she gazed at the Emperor, her identity was laid bare.

A/N: Hi!
Thanks for giving this little fanfic a chance! Most probably you have watched The King's Woman, a 2017 Chinese drama and found, like me, there are next to zero fanfics around :(
This story happens after the TV show's ending, and is planned to be a slow burn.
Please do not expect an accurate history of the Qin empire depiction.   And please use that Thumb up and Comments so more TKW fans can find this 🫰