Tags: Strong leads, childhood-to-adulthood romance, revenge and political intrigue, devoted emperor and empress, boundless affection, household and palace intrigue, hidden identities, salvation.
A spoiled ten-year-old heiress of a manor meets her "sickly" fiance, covered in dust and grime.
After the great merchant family of Jiangnan collapses, twelve-year-old Xiao Heng seeks refuge with her, in a wretched state. Everyone in the household looks down on him, but she alone stands in front of him, whip in hand: "He's mine. Who dares lay a finger on him?"
In the sprawling mansion, her mother has long since died. Her father's affection is divided among his concubines and their children, and she is surrounded by false kindness. Elsewhere, he lives under another family's roof, enduring humiliation as he bides his time. Her sincere heart beneath her spoiled exterior is a glimmer of light in his abyss; the sharp edge concealed beneath his frail appearance becomes her anchor in an unfamiliar world.
After years of keeping his head down and building his strength, he places first in the imperial examinations, seizes power, and slaughters his enemies. Then a jade pendant bearing a dragon design appears: he is the orphaned son of the deposed Crown Prince, the current emperor's grandson! The truth tears their past apart, but their love only grows stronger with time.
From the distant reaches of the martial world to the heights of the imperial court, he climbs to the throne through a field of thorns. He leaves the harem empty, crowning only her as his empress. She protected him when he was powerless; in the end, he gives her an empire at the height of its glory. Together, the emperor and empress raise a loving family and write an enduring legend that began with her fierce protectiveness.
