After a mistaken marriage, Song Xiaoman became the empress of Xiao Che, a cold-faced tyrant.
Everyone in the harem schemed for power and favor, but she only wanted to lie flat, keep her head down, and stay alive.
She thought that acting obedient and meek would let her live in peace, but then she unexpectedly took down cruel servants, curbed extravagance, and introduced reforms.
She put noblewomen in their place, stabilized the court, kept the generals in check, and won the people’s hearts. Before she knew it, she had become the most beloved Empress Mingde of the Great Zhou dynasty.
Before the turmoil had even settled, someone secretly administered a slow-acting poison to harm the child in her womb. The plot was so covert and malicious it nearly escaped everyone’s notice.
Xiao Che flew into a rage. In his fury, he exterminated the conspirators’ clans, purged the harem, and stripped corrupt ministers of their power, wiping out every treacherous official to keep mother and daughter safe.
When the time came, she gave birth to a little princess. Xiao Che personally named her Xiao Nian’an.
A thought of Xiaoman, with the wish that she would always be safe.
From then on, the tyrant became a doting father, and the imperial palace turned into a family of devoted admirers.
At her first-birthday ceremony, the little princess passed over the jade seal and gold and silver, grabbing a piece of osmanthus cake instead. She had inherited her mother’s talent for lying flat perfectly, making the whole palace laugh.
Rong Xiaoman never sought overwhelming power or a place in history.
All she wanted was a life of contentment and peace, year after year.
Who could have guessed that one mistaken marriage would lead to an emperor cherishing her above all else, children gathered around her, and a peaceful life?
It turned out the best life was never about wealth and status. It was about having someone protect you, a home to return to, and love to rely on.
