Shi Jinlan, the sixth prince of the Ling Dynasty, is gentle, refined, and possessed of an otherworldly grace. He has no worldly desires and a remarkably even temper.
While his siblings scheme and struggle for power and wealth, he gets along wonderfully with every one of them. Outsiders hold him in the highest regard.
They say he is as beautiful as jade, well versed in Buddhist and Daoist teachings, and as ethereal as an immortal descended from heaven.
Fu Qingyao is a victim of politics, a princess sent from the Western Regions to marry into the imperial family.
The old emperor is gravely ill and cares nothing for this gift.
If he dies, her fate is sealed: she will be buried alive with him.
Unwilling to spend the rest of her life trapped in the palace, she sets her sights on the sixth prince, Shi Jinlan, and deliberately sets out to ensnare him.
With her stunning beauty, she does everything to please him, slipping half out of her clothes and into his arms as her fragrance ripples through the air. "Please, Your Highness, show me some affection."
The elegant, dignified man lifts her chin and tears away her veil, leaving it in shreds.
Tenderness fills his eyes as his large hand grips her face. "Your Highness, are you trying to seduce me? ... You are Father Emperor's woman."
"Stop acting like some courtesan."
No matter how many times she deliberately tries to seduce him afterward, he remains unmoved.
Later, they strike a deal: she will serve as his informant at the emperor's side and pass him messages.
If he takes the throne one day, he will grant her freedom.
She knows the saying that the imperial family is heartless, and sees through the refined exterior to Shi Jinlan's fierce ambition and ruthless methods.
He will never let her live. He will surely kill her to silence her, so she must prepare a way out in advance.
2
The old emperor summons Fu Qingyao. The first time he sees the princess, he is stunned by her beauty.
The next day, he makes her a consort, showers her with countless treasures, and gives her his boundless favor. He decorates her austere palace in red and bestows on her a phoenix crown and bridal robes.
Late at night, the two lie together on the bed as layers of red gauze billow open.
She gets out of bed barefoot to investigate, but the man suddenly yanks her into his arms and kisses her without warning. "Did it work?"
"You don't need to concern yourself with that. It has nothing to do with Your Highness."
His dark eyes are deepened by the night as he rubs her red lips. "Good, very good. Once it's done, I'll give you your freedom."
His hand clamps around her slender waist, tightening slowly, his gaze growing dark.
The emperor chooses a consort for the sixth prince. Fu Qingyao personally selects the woman: "The Grand Tutor Rong's daughter is a fine match for the sixth prince."
The old emperor asks him, "Lan'er, what do you think of the wife your Consort Mother Zi has chosen for you?"
Shi Jinlan rises and bows. "The person Mother has chosen is excellent."
On his wedding night, the man in his wedding robes appears in her bedchamber.
As she cries out in surprise, he lowers his head and silences her with a kiss. "My new bride is lovely, but she cannot compare to Your Highness in the slightest."
Rumors spread through the palace that the sixth prince and Noble Consort Zi are having an affair.
Then the emperor discovers the relationship between Fu Qingyao and Shi Jinlan. She kneels and confesses everything, unafraid of death.
"Lan'er, you are the son I love most. If you pacify the Northwest this time, I will pass the throne to you."
In truth, he wants Shi Jinlan to die in battle. He has long planned to pass the throne to another son and have Fu Qingyao buried with him.
Fu Qingyao has already made secret arrangements. As soon as the emperor dies, she will escape by pretending to be dead.
Shi Jinlan returns victorious from his campaign, and the emperor dies.
Several princes fight desperately for the throne. Shi Jinlan puts an end to the conflict, and in the end, the throne is his.
When news arrives that Fu Qingyao has been buried with the emperor, he nearly buckles.
3
The realm is at peace, and the young emperor ascends the throne.
Fu Qingyao is dead. Only Mu Cenyu lives on.
She resides in Jiangnan and is soon to marry her beloved. But in the bridal chamber, she finds a man who should be ruling in the capital. He wears jade-colored robes and has an elegant, scholarly air.
"You made me search everywhere for you, Fu Qingyao."
She keeps backing away, shaking her head. "You've got the wrong person. My name is Mu Cenyu. I'm going to find my husband."
Soldiers block the door. The dignified man strides forward and grabs her wrist. "Then that's right, Mu Cenyu. You are my empress."
"How dare you marry someone else when you have me?"
For the first time, she feels afraid, especially at the look in his eyes, so certain of victory. She struggles. "I don't know you. Let me go."
He holds her prisoner in his arms and strokes her back, making her skin crawl. "You have a butterfly-shaped birthmark here. Does your husband know we've been intimate?"
"Has he seen how I kissed you when no one else was around?"
- Together at dawn and dusk, until the first light of day.
"Reading Guide"
1: The old emperor believes they had no physical contact because of a hallucinogenic drug.
Both leads are devoted to each other, 1v1. They each approach the other with an ulterior motive, and neither is kindhearted.
2: The heroine is clear-headed and knows what she wants. She can advance or retreat as needed, a calculating beauty who knows how to ensnare people.
3: The heroine seeks out the hero because they met before on the grasslands and already have a connection.
4: Includes political intrigue, with two powerful leads joining forces.
Theme: Live well
