The day she entered the palace in her elder legitimate sister’s place to attend the emperor, Shen Jinghong had already resolved to tread carefully at every turn.
Everyone knew that the current emperor was cold and ruthless, decisive in his actions, and someone no one at court or beyond dared provoke lightly. The women sent to the palace in the past had all been cast aside, and he had never shown them the slightest mercy.
Shen Jinghong had assumed she was merely an outsider standing in for her sister. She intended to keep her head down and live quietly. But when the emperor first saw him, he seemed to become a different man. He entrusted him with the palace accounts and the affairs of the court, even letting him help govern the realm, and treated him with exceptional regard.
Filled with confusion, Shen Jinghong asked softly, “Your Majesty, I only came here as a substitute. You needn’t treat me this way.”
The emperor’s gaze was grave, his voice heavy with feelings repressed for years. “You were never a substitute. You are the person I have searched for over the past ten years.”
Shen Jinghong was completely stunned. Could the person everyone spoke of as the emperor’s unattainable beloved really be him?
Trouble arose once more. The old acquaintance rumored to have gone far away returned, only to be attacked by assassins during a banquet. At the critical moment, Shen Jinghong instinctively stepped forward and took an arrow for him.
Blood soaked through his clothes. The emperor’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice full of panic and fury. “If anything happens to you, I will show no mercy to anyone!”
Shen Jinghong managed a faint smile through the pain. “Your Majesty cares for me so much. I’m truly flattered.”
[Reader’s Guide]
A stern emperor who takes the lead × a gentle, reserved partner who yields; both are devoted only to each other, with a striking contrast in build; love after marriage
Combines a substitute marriage, misunderstandings and mistaken identities, and old flames reunited; sweet from beginning to end
An imaginary ancient-style setting, with the romance at the heart of the story
