In her previous life, Qi Yun was the lowest of the low, a slave of the meanest status. Determined to change her fate, she stopped at nothing to rise to the position of Chancellor, only to fall victim to a plot and die.
After death, she was given a chance to come back to life and take revenge. Her soul transmigrated into the body of a Grand Princess, where she was tasked with helping the emperor. In this other world, she met her former master again: Song Xuan, the only son of the Chancellor.
He was naive, immature, and utterly guileless.
Qi Yun kept Song Xuan by her side, partly because he could be useful, and partly out of guilt.
After all, she had ruined his life and caused him to die a wretched death, with no one to claim his body.
Later, she began teaching Song Xuan how to survive amid the deceit and schemes of the imperial court.
Hypocrisy, manipulation, exploitation, lies, selfishness...
At some point, she began to want Song Xuan to be happy.
She wanted to convince herself it was only guilt. But then she saw Song Xuan, his blue robes stained with blood, taking a fatal blow for her and protecting her with his own body. As he lay dying in her arms, she met his gaze.
For a moment, she felt dazed, her heart aching in a strange, prickling way.
Could there be something more than guilt...?
*
In their previous life, Song Xuan first met Qi Yun when they were young, after his father invited companions for him to study with. Among the many sycophantic young men, she alone stood quietly in place.
Her eyes were as bleak as the night, yet stubbornly defiant.
Only later did he learn how hard Qi Yun's life was. Her parents were mute and intellectually disabled, and she was constantly bullied.
He helped her shed her slave status and become independent, but in the end, Qi Yun framed him for treason and brought him a cup of poisoned wine.
He hated her with all his heart and swore to take revenge.
After he died, he was given the chance to come back to life. He went to another world to help a Grand Princess, only to discover that the princess was Qi Yun.
In this life, everything was turned upside down. Qi Yun was the master, and he was the slave.
Qi Yun kept him at her side and forced him to resort to underhanded deeds. At first, he found it utterly repulsive. But it was only then that he realized everyone in this world wore a kind face while hiding a wicked heart, chasing their own interests amid endless intrigue. Qi Yun alone became his refuge.
*
At night, rain fell like a curtain. He had offered her sincerity and received betrayal and false accusations in return. He knelt like mud at the top of a long flight of steps. An umbrella shielded his frail frame from the rain, and a hand reached out to him.
