Deceiving the Emperor

An imperial decree granted Gu Xihua's beloved to someone else as a husband.

Gu Xihua neither cried nor made a scene. Instead, she turned around and married the ambitious Prince Xin.

Year after year, from a prince's consort in his fiefdom to the empress of the realm, Gu Xihua followed the rules and took every step with care. Everyone praised her.

In the eyes of the world, the emperor and empress lived in harmony, perfectly in tune with each other.

But only Gu Xihua knew that the person beside her in bed had someone else in his heart. Her husband was the ruler of the land, yet night after night he lingered outside the palace, carrying on with another man's wife.

She simply pretended not to know.

Until that night, when spring rain fell without pause.

On the other side of the wall, her husband was entangled with the wife of Marquis Cheng'en.

On this side of the wall, she pressed a lotus-leaf hat onto Marquis Cheng'en's head, hooked a finger into the jade belt at his waist, and said with a beaming smile, "Marquis Cheng'en, from now on, receive this palace's favor."

1. Both leads are virgins. Don't ask how they can be married and still be virgins. That's just how the author set it up.

2. One-on-one romance, happy ending.

3. I'll add more if I think of anything.

Theme: Betrayal isn't the end. Staying clear-headed is how you turn the tables.