[Political intrigue + strong female lead + rivals vying for her + empress + 1 vs. 3]
Princess Jiang Shuyao of Shunhe discovers that her mother, the empress dowager, was murdered by the new empress. The crown prince, her brother, whom she had been close to since childhood, turns out not to be their father's son, and even wants to marry her and make her empress. Su Weicheng of the Dongyang Su clan, her ally, has a questionable identity. He says he wants to become emperor... and make her his possession.
*
The day Jiang Shuyao escaped the palace alive, she met Yan Jing'an. At a glance, she knew he was the one who could help her overthrow the imperial regime.
So she seduced him, treated him tenderly, and even risked her life to save him through a carefully laid scheme, all to make him fall in love with her.
He said he had never been loved by his family. Jiang Shuyao promised she would give him all her love from then on.
He said there was no one left in the world who cared for him. Jiang Shuyao took an arrow for him, fell from a cliff, and risked her life to save him.
The two married in Dingcheng. By the time they returned to the palace, Jiang Jiuji had become emperor. His eyes reddened. “She should have been my empress!”
What hurt him most was that, back in Dingcheng, he had personally arranged their marriage. He had been the one to give the woman he loved to Yan Jing'an...
On the day Jiang Jiuji's wedding was held, Jiang Shuyao became empress. Yan Jing'an asked her with red-rimmed eyes, “My lady, I want you to tell me yourself: you don't love me anymore.”
But her answer was, “I'm sorry, Yan Jing'an. I want to be empress.”
That day, in the rain, Su Weicheng caught hold of her. “What Yan Jing'an can't give you, I can. What if I help you overthrow the imperial order?”
