Palace intrigue + domestic scheming + possessive emperor + love seized by force + marriage before love + devoted to each other. Tempestuous waves VS deep, still waters; brutality VS compassion.
When they first meet, on her wedding day, he storms in, topples the previous dynasty, and kills her husband.
“Empress Yang, you truly are the most beautiful woman under heaven! How about becoming My beloved consort?”
Her brows shoot up. “Dream on, you tyrant! You destroyed my kingdom and killed my husband. We are sworn enemies!”
“Hmph!” He raises a long, slender finger and lifts her pointed chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
Patiently, he says, “Beautiful, I have endless patience. One day, you’ll come around!”
In everything he does, he is decisive, cold, ruthless, and utterly domineering. Yet with her, he puts on a fierce front while his heart overflows with tenderness, turning and twisting through a thousand emotions.
…
Bound by the curse of being an ill omen, despised by her birth mother and persecuted by the empress dowager and empress, the heroine keeps her composure and uses her medical skills to break free and rise like a phoenix.
They save each other in turn. She heals the wounds and loneliness of his childhood, while he gives her unconditional protection and trust…
(This story is set in an alternate world. Please don’t nitpick the historical details. No transmigration or rebirth.)
It should be Shuangjie