A needy, unhinged emperor VS a resilient, clear-eyed orphan
A groveling ex who tries to win her back VS the second male lead takes her heart
She was once the boldest, most carefree orphan on Qingyun Mountain, living life with unrestrained passion.
He was the least favored of the Fifth Princes in Sifang City, struggling to survive in the cold, remote palace quarters.
For him, she gave up her freedom in the mountains and stood by him as he fought his way up from the mud.
Amid blades and bloodshed, she helped him rise from a disgraced prince to the throne, where he became an emperor with power over the whole court.
He once held her hand and promised, “Sangsang, once I reach that throne, I’ll make you my empress, dressed in phoenix robes and admired by all.”
But when he finally wore the imperial robes and accepted the court officials’ homage, he married his beloved, Bai Zhiwei, granting her the highest honors and unmatched glory.
And she, who had risked her life beside him and stained her hands with blood, became a past he refused to speak of.
She had never been willing to live like a bird in a cage.
The day she left, the Second Prince, Wei Huaijin, accompanied her, his voice burning with conviction. “Xiao Jiu, I’ll take you away and protect you openly.”
She asked, “You were the best candidate to inherit the throne. Is giving it up for me really worth it?”
He smiled. “Power is fleeting. You are what I want for the rest of my life.”
Could an emperor really allow her to return to her freedom?
In a carefully plotted scheme within a scheme, Wei Huaijin gave his life to save her.
Overcome with guilt, she said, “In the end, I was the one who dragged you into this.”
Three years later, dressed in bloodstained red, she beheaded the faithless emperor with her own hands and climbed, step by step, to the throne he had once promised her.
As the court officials bowed their heads, everyone saw a tall man standing behind her, holding a baby and gazing at her.
It was Wei Huaijin, returned from the dead.
His eyes brimmed with tenderness. It was as though he had crossed life and death just to stand by her side.
