Deep in the Palace, Flowers Fade Too Soon

When Lin Chuxue first arrives at the Minister of Rites’ residence, she’s a baby. She dreams of growing up to roam the world with a sword at her side and see all it has to offer.

Later, deep within the imperial palace, all she wants is to keep to herself. Once her three-year pact with Lin Huai is over, she can finally choose whether to fight for what she wants. But she has never truly had a choice. She’s imagined all sorts of possibilities: What if she’d never met Lin Huai? What if Lin Huai had been just Lin Huai? What if she hadn’t loved him...

Would things have been better that way?

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What Xiao Shiyu wants used to be simply to stay alive. Now, he wants Jiao’er and a life of his own.

He wants to see all the wonders of the world with Jiao’er, and one day, he will.

But until then, he can only be the emperor.