"I am Xie Ai of the Snow Kingdom, titled the 'Winter Emperor,' the reincarnation of Frost Immortal Lord Xu Qiuci, Your Ancestral Majesty!" Xie Ai stood upon the ice bridge, utterly certain of her identity.
Guan Daoquan shifted slightly aside, allowing Hong Junyan on the throne to meet Xie Ai's gaze.
"You are not," Hong Junyan said indifferently.
"Why does the Ancestral Emperor say so!?" The Winter Emperor sounded surprised. "Because I opposed you? Why shouldn't I oppose you? The one I serve is His Majesty of today! The enlightened Son of Heaven of our Snow Kingdom, accomplished in letters and martial arts, who loves his people as his own children. Since ascending the throne, he has worked tirelessly, repeatedly thwarting the schemes of great powers and preserving the Snow Domain's territory. He has devoted himself to governance and greatly revitalized the Snow Domain. He established schools, benefited merchants, let the people recuperate, and won their hearts!"
She pointed her halberd forward. "Because you, an old thing too stubborn to die, broke free of frost and returned, and a dignified Son of Heaven must kneel and become your subject, surrendering everything to you! By what right? You were absent when All Under Heaven was in turmoil. You avoided the sharp edges of those mighty lords and wise rulers. You fled for over three thousand eight hundred years. You were not the one who protected the Snow Kingdom, nor were you the one who developed it. How can you claim that the Snow Kingdom is yours?!"
"I am not disloyal—I am loyal to the present sovereign! When the lord is humiliated, his ministers must die. How could I endure it? Of course I rebelled against you!"
She spoke with righteous fervor, raising both hands atop the ice bridge as she called