The Ultimate Substitute: From the Start, I Took the Empress’s Place in the Bridal Chamber

Captured scholar Lin Jue agrees to stand in for the wedding ceremony of the Empress to save his own life, only to be swept into the treacherous struggles of the imperial court. The Empress's icy severity and hidden tenderness intertwine with Lin Jue's patience and ambition within the high palace walls. A marriage by proxy binds their fates, their love, and their hatred.