[Reborn Scheming Legitimate Daughter X Devoted Childhood Friend]
The Xie family of Lin'an had produced three empresses in its history. As the only legitimate daughter of the Duke Who Guards the Nation, Xie Ciyin had been cherished and pampered since childhood. Empress Dowager Xie treated her like her own daughter. After coming of age, she defied her family's objections and married Zhao Duo, the second prince, who had little power or influence. They spent decades by each other's side, and she helped him ascend the throne.
But in return, her father died unjustly on the frontier, and the Duke Who Guards the Nation's household was framed for treason. In the end, she was the only one of the loyal Xie family left alive. Her once-kind aunt, the Empress Dowager, called her willful and said she had given her heart in vain. Her husband, the emperor, who had once shared her devotion, called her vicious and jealous, unfit to win the people's support. Her cousin, whom she had protected in every way, called her stupid and useless, unworthy of being empress.
Xie Ciyin had thought herself cherished and honored throughout her life. In the end, she realized she had lived in a daze, like a bird in a cage.
As she lay dying, she seemed to see a familiar figure rushing toward her. "Ayin! ..." Who could it be?
When she opened her eyes again, Xie Ciyin was thirteen once more. She was still the treasured young lady of the Duke Who Guards the Nation's household, while Zhao Duo was still a pitiful, neglected prince in the inner palace. She would never again believe Zhao Duo's honeyed words. In this new life, she would protect her family, find a good man, and live life on her own terms.
Only, for some reason, several inescapable "troubles" had appeared along the way...
