The royal family feared the Mo family's mechanical arts, so they raised me in the depths of the palace from childhood. To win the Mo family over, my betrothal to the Crown Prince was all but certain. All that remained was for him to unlock the mechanical wild-goose puzzle I brought to the Golden Throne Hall, after which the emperor could officially grant the marriage.
In my previous life, I secretly told the Crown Prince how to solve it. Later, I gave him the full support of every mechanical art the Mo family possessed, helping him pacify the realm. I fought on the battlefield for him and washed my hands to brew tea for him, too.
Yet in return, after ascending the throne, he had the entire Mo family buried alive in the name of treason. Not even the two children he and I shared were spared.
“Even without all these useless contraptions, I could still crush the enemy and achieve greatness!”
“Because of you, I couldn't buy Chaoyao's freedom, and she died young. You brought all of this on yourself!”
When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day the marriage was to be granted.
The Crown Prince claimed to be ill and didn't come. In truth, he had gone to the entertainment quarter and pledged his life to Lin Chaoyao, a slave condemned for her family's crimes.
Later, I married his mortal enemy, with a bridal procession stretching ten miles, and became empress.
So why was he now weeping with regret?
