My Rebirth as Ertai in My Fair Princess

In her previous life, Xiao Yanzi was hopelessly in love with the Fifth Prince, Yongqi. She waited for him in Yunnan for years, only to die alone and ill, clutching a letter saying that Yongqi and Zhihua had welcomed another son. Reborn in the first year after entering the palace, she resolves not to repeat the same mistakes. Emotional betrayal, in the form of Yongqi's betrayal in her past life and his wavering in this one, and the oppression of social norms, including the Empress Dowager's favoritism toward Zhihua and the palace's rigid rules about legitimate and illegitimate birth, form two obstacles in her path. Xiao Yanzi faces a difficult choice: keep chasing the emperor's elusive love, or hold on to the sincere affection within her reach? She chooses the latter, deliberately distancing herself from Yongqi and drawing closer to Fu Ertai, who has always looked at her with bright, shining eyes. A countdown threat looms: the day the Empress Dowager plans to find a match for Yongqi with Zhihua is drawing near, while Yongqi's possessiveness and resentment close in on her at every turn. Drawing on her memories of her past life, Xiao Yanzi deftly handles the palace's repeated tests and provocations. Despite the hostility of her surroundings, with the palace looking down on her as a wild-born princess, she protects her feelings and dignity. Her growth takes her from a foolish girl blinded by love to a clear-headed, wise woman who chooses for herself and takes control of her own destiny. In the end, she and Ertai win the emperor's favor and receive permission to marry. Candied hawthorns beneath the sunshine, tart and sweet, are just like the steady, warm life she has chosen for herself this time around.