[A clueless, cold-hearted woman + a lovesick fake eunuch who is really a crown prince + childhood sweethearts + strong female lead + nation and family + clear-eyed realism.]
The late crown prince had a beloved fiancée, a cold-hearted woman who excelled at playing with people’s feelings. She once joked that she would marry no one but him, yet when he was buried, she did not even show her face.
Han Qiye, the powerful chief of the Eastern Depot, held authority over the court and stood at the pinnacle of power. He devised 108 horrifying forms of torture, though no one knew they were all meant to flay her alive and tear her limb from limb.
He would make her flesh split open and leave her wishing she were dead. He would cruelly end her feeble life and send her filthy soul to languish in hell for all eternity, never to be reborn.
The two daughters of the Marquis’s household were married off on the same day. The second young lady, Gu Qingluan, married Prince Jing in a dazzling ceremony, while the third young lady, Gu Hongzhuang, was forced to marry the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department… The good news was that she was snatched away before the wedding.
The bad news was that the one who snatched her was also a eunuch.
The world was in chaos. Five princes fought for the throne in the capital, while the princes’ and princess’s factions ran rampant. Those in power were cruel, treating the common people like dogs.
She decided to fight back, climbing step by step to the pinnacle of power.
She executed dukes and nobles, turning the world upside down.
With schemes to topple a city and strategies to slay dragons, she stirred up a storm that made ghosts weep and gods tremble.
…
The wedding candles burned bright, and the couple stood together, beautiful as jade.
“I heard those Eastern Depot tortures were designed for me. What, did I break some heavenly law by not staying celibate for you?” She sat cross-legged with her eyes shut, motionless, wondering whether she should kill the father but spare the child.
“Many lovers turn against each other because of rumors. How can you trust outsiders so easily and leave your husband to die of sorrow?” He slipped a hand beneath her silk robe. Beneath the red bridal curtains, how could she possibly resist him?
