Liu Zhaoxue knew full well that cooperating with the Five Poisons Sect was like seeking the skin of a tiger.
Yet the circumstances she found herself in no longer allowed her to wait for another opportunity.
Unless she was willing, like her aunt Liu Xiangning, to accept her father's arrangements.
—To form a marriage alliance with another Aristocratic Family, or simply marry into the imperial family.
But Liu Zhaoxue was unwilling.
So, before she was promised in marriage, she could only let her ambition swell.
Either she would sacrifice herself for righteousness, overcome every obstacle, and become the one who held power in the Liu Family of Jingzhou.
Or she would die...
Death was death. It was still better than carrying the title of Jingzhou's greatest beauty only to become a tool for marriage alliances.
Liu Zhaoxue had long since come to terms with that.
But her plans had only just begun, and with Shuzhou's situation still unclear, she had no choice but to be more cautious.
Especially since the Liu Family of Jingzhou had come to Shuzhou and lost two young masters of the Main Branch in succession. That alone was enough to prove the Xiao Family's influence in Shuzhou.
Liu Jing did not count. He was an illegitimate son whom the Liu Family had never valued, and his abilities, temperament, and methods were all far inferior.
But Liu Wen was different.
Not only was he the second young master of the Liu Family Main Branch, his mother had also come from a prominent Jingzhou clan. He lacked neither wealth, resources, nor personnel.
Moreover, he had some cleverness, and his talent on the Martial Path was not weak either.
Liu Wen's unexpected death in Shuzhou this time had also made Liu Zhaoxue feel, for the first time, that matters