After the late emperor's death, the royal house fell into decline. The regional princes claimed they were coming to the capital to rescue the emperor, but in truth, they were fighting tooth and nail for power.
News suddenly spread through the imperial city: Li Cunguang, Commander of the Imperial Guards, had killed the Chief Minister, seized the military seal, and intended to defect to the regional princes and welcome their army into the city. Rumor had it that he was a ruthless man who had risen to power by betraying his family, his father, and his brothers. To achieve his aims, he had bathed the long streets in blood, and his prison's tortures were unspeakably cruel. Every court official trembled at the thought of him.
Later, they said, this heartless traitor rose to become Chief Minister and grew so audacious that he dared to flirt with the emperor.
No one dared to remonstrate. The new emperor was a woman, and the man had her firmly in his grasp.
As a princess, Feng Zhaode had never imagined for a moment that she would ascend the throne. Now the power lay in her hands, and the ministers bowed before her. She was clever enough to understand that she was merely a puppet emperor.
She was already doing everything she could to keep her head down as a puppet, so why did the Chief Minister's gaze at her grow stranger by the day? Why did the hand that led her to court close around hers? She didn't understand. She truly didn't. He held all the power, so what more could Lord Li possibly want?
Until one night, the treacherous minister finally found an excuse to enter the inner palace. He backed her into a bedchamber step by step, coaxing and soothing her, filling her ears with loving words as he tempted the innocent new emperor to give herself to him.
"Your heart has awakened a little late, but no matter. Since I have become Your Majesty's teacher, I will naturally teach you everything," he said, pressing closer with emotions she couldn't read.
From then on, the emperor's bed was shared by her and her consort.
Whenever the ministers spoke of it, they sneered at the Li clan and cursed them for harboring traitorous ambitions.
When he helped the princess ascend the throne, Li Cunguang had just one condition: once she was firmly established as emperor, he alone must be by her side.
That was all he thought he wanted. But as time went on, he wanted more and more.
He wanted the emperor's "favor" and begged for her "tenderness."
Then he learned that the emperor beside him was timidly looking for a way to prevent pregnancy. The powerful Lord Li finally shed his mask of false virtue and stopped holding back.
If the love she gave him wasn't enough, then she could simply be his puppet.
He would cruelly strip away her support, piece by piece, until she looked around and found no one left to lean on, then came to him in helpless desperation.
Then he would lock her tightly in his arms, never allowing her wings to stretch even a fraction.
Who could have expected that the new emperor would learn the art of power without showing it? Holding a bowl of abortion medicine, she quietly asked him, "Does Your Lordship want a child or military power? If I give you a prince, the military power will have to return to my hands."
At that moment, the palace was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It seemed she could hear her lover's heart breaking.
[Reader's Guide]
1. Both the male and female leads have only been with each other.
2. Inspired by the Ming dynasty. Some characters are loosely based on historical figures. This is a fictional setting and is not intended for historical accuracy.
Theme: Write your own destiny
