Zhou Yuanzhi once thought she was the luckiest orphan in the world.
Her husband, Lu Qiao, was an upright and just prefect beloved by the people of Jiangnan. They had been married for five years, had a son, and lived in perfect harmony.
He always said that because she had once saved his life, he would repay her for the rest of his.
She believed him without a doubt and devoted herself to her husband and child.
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Until the emperor made his southern tour.
Lu Qiao suddenly confined her to the manor, his expression grave in a way she had never seen before.
When they met again, he was a prisoner in chains.
The supreme emperor seized her wrist, his eyes roiling with a storm she could not understand. "A Ning, I've finally found you."
She fell to her knees in terror, insisting he had mistaken her for someone else and begging him to spare her husband.
The emperor bent down and whispered in her ear, "Trade yourself for him. One night in exchange for one more day of his life."
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For her husband's life and her young son's safety, she learned to flatter him behind the red silk curtains, swallowing every humiliation.
A single divorce agreement severed all ties to her past, and she was forced to return to the palace with the imperial procession.
Night after night, she served him.
Soon she was pregnant, and the palace attendants all said Her Majesty was blessed with good fortune.
The emperor treasured her more and more, promising her the throne and lavishing her with unparalleled wealth and glory.
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But one day, memories long buried came rushing back.
She was no orphan.
She was Zhao Jianing, the legitimate daughter of the Yongping Marquis's household, and the crown princess he had once formally married!
Back in the Eastern Palace, he had neglected her for his favored consort, reducing her to nothing until she was driven to throw herself into the river.
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It was Lu Qiao, the man she had called her husband for five years, who risked his life to save her from the freezing river, giving her a name and a new life.
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She threw down the phoenix crown bestowed by the emperor, tore apart her magnificent phoenix robe, and ripped up the empress's investiture document before him.
"Lu Qiao is the only man I will ever call my husband."
She cursed him, struck him, and even when he pulled her into his arms, she seized a dagger and plunged it into his chest.
Blood stained his dragon robe, yet he still gripped her hand tightly, madness and anguish in his eyes.
"A Ning, hate me or kill me, it makes no difference. As long as I live, you won't take a single step away from me!"
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Xiao Yuanji was born the heir to the throne. All he saw was the balance of interests, and every marriage or concubine was just another move on the board.
Only after losing her did he learn the pain of having his heart ripped out, the agony of being torn apart inside.
Now he rules the world and keeps her by his side against her will. Even offering her the throne cannot win back the smile she once gave him from the heart.
The long, lonely nights are filled with regret for what he did.
Even her hating him with all her heart is better than losing her again.
In this life and the next, it will end only with death.
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A tragic, melodramatic romance of love and hate, with a forced relationship;
The child belongs to the heroine and Lu Qiao;
Lu Qiao is a very good man. I won't deliberately write him as a villain;
Blurb dated 2025.12.24;
Theme: Pursuing freedom and a happy life
