[The story before the old-school tragic romance begins] [Stories often open with the male and female leads missing each other and misunderstanding one another. But what happened before those misunderstandings? If the story starts before the heartbreak, then returns to the moment the tragedy begins, would it feel different?]
Fang Jianqing receives news of her father’s death and hurries back to the capital for his funeral. There, she discovers that not only is there something suspicious about her father’s death, but her elder brother’s injury is also questionable. Even her usually kind older sister has changed. The more Fang Jianqing investigates, the more she realizes that the capital is not what it seems. Her sister, the emperor, the empress, and the princes all have secrets of their own.
As it happens, her neighbor and childhood friend Xu Zhiji is also investigating the truth behind her brother’s disability. The two hit it off and join forces to uncover the truth.
This is the story of what came first, but it is not the whole story. You could call it the prequel.
After Fang Jianqing gets close to the truth, another upheaval follows. By then, Fang and Xu have fallen in love, but she has no choice but to give him up in order to seek revenge. When they meet again, one is inside the palace walls and the other outside. They used to play together as children across the wall, but now it has grown taller and taller. In the end, though, Fang Jianqing will get everything she wants.
From the childhood sweetheart promise, “Fine, you and I are allies now,” to “Xu Zhiji, you’ve been lying to me all along. There’s nothing left to say between us,” and finally, from behind a curtain: “How dare you! I am an imperial consort now!”
A nontraditional childhood-sweethearts romance, with mutual deception, melodramatic angst, and a relationship mended after heartbreak.
A coming-of-age story featuring local-born leads. Neither lead is perfect at first.
Also known as The Prequel and Sequel to The Emperor’s Consort and Her Minister: A Few Things They Never Said
An ancient-style romance, but not a wish-fulfillment story
It's a bit shameful to give myself five stars, but I'm confident [sending my heart]