It’s Hard for a Scheming Beauty to Drop Her Disguise

The powerful lower their heads, and a scheming beauty wins over the aloof emperor.

(I've changed parts of the blurb, and I apologize to everyone who was drawn in by the old one. I had a general outline in mind, but as I kept writing, I felt that given the leads' personalities, it would be difficult to follow the original plan. [Bows sincerely in apology])

Yun Sheng is the criminal blamed in rumors for causing the current emperor to fall off a cliff and nearly die. Three years later, on her wedding day, the emperor finally finds her. Yun Sheng expects a dungeon to be waiting for her, but instead she is taken to a magnificent palace.

After realizing that Qi Xuyao both loves and hates her, Yun Sheng begins trying to please him in every way, just as she did three years ago when she was a spy in the Eastern Palace. She hopes to make him lower his guard and accept her completely once more, as he did back then.

But even after her tender persuasion eases the hatred he feels toward her, Qi Xuyao still keeps her imprisoned every day. Yun Sheng can't bear the thought of spending her whole life in captivity.

So she plots her escape once again.

She thinks that this time Qi Xuyao will have lost all faith in her. After all, she has deceived him twice.

Two years later, the man finds her again. This time, Yun Sheng refuses to humor him and fights with all her strength against the cage Qi Xuyao has built for her...

"Qi Xuyao, let me go."

"But He Yunsheng, you're the one who came after me first."

Both leads are chaste + the male lead fell in love with the female lead when he was still crown prince, so even though she deceived him, he still reserves his entire harem for her alone (he's completely devoted to her) + male rivals compete for her + happy ending