(Core conflict: **villain’s proxy** + **dilemma** + **love triangle** + **countdown threat**)
**A Tragic Past Life**: Shen Wan, the Empress Dowager’s niece, was used as a pawn and sent into the imperial harem in her previous life amid the power struggle between her aunt and Emperor Xiao Che. Naive and innocent, she became a sacrifice in the deadly schemes of the inner palace. Only as she lay dying did she learn that she had been nothing more than a bargaining chip for the Empress Dowager to keep the emperor in check. The seemingly cold ruler, meanwhile, had once lingered for a long time outside her palace walls. Reborn at fifteen, the year she first entered the palace, Shen Wan resolves never to let anyone control her again. She keeps up the appearance of the timid, delicate girl she was in her previous life, but inside, her heart has turned to ice. She vows to avoid the palace’s dangerous intrigues, protect her family, and make those who harmed her pay.
**The Emperor Falls in Love**: Emperor Xiao Che ascended the throne as a boy and is well versed in political maneuvering. He is deeply wary of the Empress Dowager’s faction. He regards Shen Wan, the niece his aunt brought to the palace, as just another pawn and watches her coldly. But twice, he happens to catch his “cowardly” cousin making wishes before the Buddha. The first time, she greedily makes ten wishes, from “May Aunt stay healthy” to “May the osmanthus cakes in the imperial kitchen be a little sweeter.” She is adorably earnest. The second time, she secretly adds, “May Your Majesty... have fewer worries,” her gaze clear and sincere. A crack appears in Xiao Che’s frozen heart for the first time. He finds himself watching her more and more, only to discover that she avoids him at every opportunity, while the Empress Dowager hurriedly arranges a marriage for her outside the palace.
**The Conflict Escalates**: The **villainous proxy**, the Empress Dowager, and her trusted court lady, who is actually a remnant of the previous dynasty, notice Xiao Che’s interest in Shen Wan and accelerate their plans to persecute her.
