[Dual rebirth, heroine’s growth, palace intrigue]
In her previous life, Qiao Yunhe could never understand, even as she lay dying, why her loyal Qiao clan had been repaid with such cruelty by the emperor.
The imperial decree accusing them of “colluding with the enemy and betraying the country” not only poisoned her to death, but wiped out the entire Qiao clan, a family of generals with a century of history.
Gazing at the bodies strewn across the courtyard, she wept tears of blood. “Tyrant! Foolish emperor, may you die a horrible death! I curse you to be betrayed by your own trusted men and abandoned by the one you love...”
Reborn four years earlier, Qiao Yunhe dug her fingertips into her palm and smiled coldly. This time, she would no longer be a pawn at the mercy of others. She would be the one moving the pieces.
She would ascend to the empress’s throne and plan every step, making the emperor who stood above all others taste the agony of heartbreak.
So she hid deadly poison in the ginseng soup she made with her own hands, coated the sachet she offered with a smile in a secret toxin, and even used every demure lowering of her eyes to plot how to make Pei Yan “die unexpectedly.”
But she didn’t know that Pei Yan had also been reborn.
In his previous life, his own brothers had deceived him. He had wrongfully killed loyal subjects and ultimately been abandoned by everyone, only to be murdered by his own kin.
Reborn, he purged the court and made amends to the Qiao clan, both openly and in secret. Yet he was utterly helpless when it came to the empress who hated him to the bone.
When she once again brought him a cup of poisoned wine, he lowered his eyes with a faint smile and drank it in one gulp.
“Qiao Yunhe.” He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze both obsessive and tender. “I’ll give you my life as payment, but in this life... don’t even think about escaping me again.”
