When the Veil Falls, All Under Heaven Surrenders: The Crown Prince's Captive Love

[Ancient setting + alternate history + transmigration + devoted couple + possessive love]

After finishing a palace-intrigue novel, Xie Tangmian unexpectedly transmigrates into the book as a princess of a small kingdom, born to a courtesan and branded as the girl who “killed her birth mother.”

The emperor takes pity on her for a time and entrusts her to the Noble Consort to raise. She becomes the Noble Consort’s “little lucky star,” ensuring her favor with the emperor. Though she wants for nothing, she still has to watch the Noble Consort and the Second Prince’s moods.

With a modern soul, she knows the rules of lying flat to stay alive. She stoically endures the Second Prince’s bullying and cold treatment, focusing on eating and drinking while secretly saving money. All she has to do is wait until the day the imperial capital falls to the book’s invading cavalry, then slip away.

On the night of her coming-of-age banquet, the emperor, who has always doted on her, finally bares his fangs and tries to assault her.

At the critical moment, the palace gates collapse. Crown Prince Xuanzhang of the great empire leads his troops in a breach!

Taking advantage of the chaos, Xie Tangmian manages to escape. She hides her identity and passes herself off as a veiled widow.

But Xuanzhang is anything but conventional: he spies on her bathing and changing. It would be one thing if he fell in love at first sight after watching, but he also insists on taking Xie Mianmian back to the palace.

Xuanzhang: “Your life was saved by me. Naturally, you belong to me.”

Xie Tangmian tries reasoning with him: “Your Highness, a melon forced from the vine won’t taste sweet...”

Xuanzhang: “As long as it quenches my thirst.”

After being dragged back to the palace, Xie Tangmian is forced to play along.

Palace intrigue strikes? She can complain inwardly about the hackneyed plot while easily defusing every scheme with her laid-back counterattacks. After all, who can defeat someone who has no desire to win?

And yet the crown prince, who should be the one most obsessed with power, puts all his desire to win into one thing: keeping her all to himself.

In the end, Xie Tangmian looks at the empty imperial harem and the emperor by her side, and finally understands: lie flat long enough, and you really can end up with everything.

I’m no good at writing introductions, so please read on