Reborn: Jilted From the Start?

Xiao Chen, the male lead, is the heir to the Prince of Qingzhou. In his previous life, a noblewoman from the capital publicly broke off their engagement, making him a laughingstock across the land. He eventually died a broken man. Reborn on the day the engagement was called off, he activates the Event Choice Cause-and-Effect System. Faced with humiliation, he resolutely chooses to marry the imperial family's betrothed: the Ninth Young Master, rumored to be bedridden and powerless. On their wedding day, the truth about the Ninth Young Master's identity is revealed: she is Empress Murong Zhao. Through the seemingly absurd choices he makes with the System, Xiao Chen not only thwarts a series of deadly schemes launched by the noblewoman's family and political enemies at court, but also grows from a dissolute heir into a powerful minister and the empress's consort as he helps her consolidate imperial power, put down a rebellion by the feudal princes, and repel foreign enemies. At its heart is a story of political intrigue and romance, following the couple from testing and using one another to ruling the land together. Along the way, the System brings unexpected choices and reversals of fate, delivering the pleasures of an unconventional broken engagement, an empress who actively courts her husband, behind-the-scenes machinations, and a power couple building an empire together.