[Bright, lively troublemaker empress x sharp-tongued, fussy, lovestruck emperor]
[Sweet romance, one-on-one and devoted, palace and household intrigue, tormenting scoundrels, doted on to the extreme, the realm and the nation, light political scheming]
[Three-year age gap, childhood sweethearts]
The Jing Kingdom produced a top scholar who came first in all three imperial examinations. The emperor was so pleased that he bundled up his five-year-old third prince and sent him to the scholar's residence.
From then on, the Song family had a little demon king to deal with.
The scholar's grandfather brought home a tagalong, leaving Song Mingzhao both delighted and dismayed.
She was delighted because the little boy was unbelievably beautiful, and dismayed because he was fussy and sharp-tongued.
Later, the little demon king coaxed and half-forced her into the palace to become empress.
Now in the demon king's hands, Song Mingzhao wanted to cry. But who knew her sworn enemy would show a different side and dote on her to the point of obsession?
Married life was sweet and thrilling. Song Mingzhao shrugged. "Might as well make the best of it. What else can we do, get divorced?"
With the realm newly pacified, the court was divided into factions and the harem rife with strife. The emperor, born a commoner, firmly believed that a humble name helped a child survive, so he named his beloved youngest son Shitou, or Stone.
Just as his name suggested, Xie Shiyu had a foul temper, a venomous tongue, and a ruthless heart. Even dogs shook their heads at him.
Every step on the imperial path was perilous, lined with thorns, but Xie Shiyu was not alone. He carefully contrived to keep the light that belonged to him alone by his side.
A brilliant sun, warming only one person.
The Retired Emperor closed his eyes and abdicated without worry, leaving two wild monkeys to be thrust into the roles of the most exalted couple in the land.
At first, the ministers thought the new emperor was a gentle gentleman who was just a little blunt.
Only later did they realize that the new emperor rose early and worked late, devoting himself to the affairs of state and working himself to the bone. The only problem was, other people's lives were what he worked to the bone.
The empress was just as sharp, concealing her cunning. She never made a move without seeing the rabbit, and once she spotted one, she could scoop up the eagle along with it.
P.S. There is a harem! The male lead is chaste from beginning to end!
