The Warmth of Burning Embers
[Sweet and Naive Grand Tutor’s Daughter × Scheming, Patient, Obsessive Emperor]
Everyone in the Great Jin Dynasty says Shen Zhaozhao is the honey in Xiao Jin’s heart. He has protected her since they were young, all the way until he ascended the throne, cherishing her so much he fears she’ll break if he holds her too tightly or melt if he keeps her in his mouth.
No one knows that behind this sweetness lies a web he has carefully spun.
They met as children at the palace academy. She was the carefree daughter of the Grand Tutor, smiling brightly at the unsociable Seventh Prince. He was an unfavored prince in the depths of the palace, obsession hidden in his eyes, secretly eliminating everyone who coveted her, through demotion, confinement, or even making them disappear without a trace. She remained completely unaware, assuming people had simply drifted away for no reason.
He promised her that they would be together for a lifetime, just the two of them, and she foolishly believed him. But after he ascended the throne, new women kept arriving in the imperial harem. Shen Zhaozhao clutched a love letter and cried until her eyes were red, smashing her treasures and demanding a divorce. Then she accidentally witnessed his ruthless treatment of political enemies and learned from people who had known him in the past what had become of those who admired her. Only then did she realize she had fallen in love with an obsessive madman.
After they fell out, she fled back to the Grand Tutor’s residence. He stood at the gate with bloodshot eyes, crushing his imperial pride as he begged, “Zhaozhao, I can give you anything except the position of Empress. Without you, this realm is nothing but an empty tomb.”
Only later did she learn that the imperial concubines were merely pawns used to consolidate his rule, and that beneath his throne lay the careful arrangements he had made to protect her. Once the truth came to light, that obsessive figure finally softened her heart.
[Sweet and Naive Heroine × Scheming, Obsessive Emperor; Childhood First Love + Corruption and Political Scheming + Broken Promises + The Emperor’s Long Road to Winning Her Back]
