After the late emperor's death, Jiang Zhixue saw her uncle by marriage once again: Prince Mu Rong Yu, the Prince of Xin.
The man she had tried desperately to avoid, but could never escape.
Their reunion after a long separation inevitably brought back memories of their absurd and secret past. She thought he would expose her, take revenge, or even have her executed.
But he merely sat at an angle on the dragon throne and smiled, never mentioning how she had once seduced him, used him, and finally abandoned him.
As if he really were as mild-mannered as everyone believed.
After he ascended the throne, no one in the court could fail to see how respectfully and considerately he treated his frail, helpless widowed sister-in-law.
Even Jiang Zhixue had once thought they might truly live in peace.
Until a sweltering, rainy night, when the emperor's retinue stopped outside her bedchamber.
The young emperor's dragon robe was half-soaked. He raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the bundle in her arms, his expression dark.
He sneered and strode toward her, his long, slender fingers gripping her trembling wrist. Ignoring her struggle and protests, he dragged her step by step into the inner room.
"Have I not treated you well enough, Sister-in-law? Where are you trying to run this time?"
*
Jiang Zhixue admitted that when she first pursued Mu Rong Yu, it was indeed because she had given in to greed. She wanted to borrow a child from him, someone who could support her through the long years ahead.
She had chosen him at first because of his gentle, harmless appearance. Whether to use him or cast him aside was entirely up to her.
But she had never imagined he could be so vile and deranged at heart.
And she had never imagined that one day, both the throne and she herself would fall into his hands, to be tormented and toyed with, with no hope of escape.
*
Another year passed. On the anniversary of the late emperor's death, Empress Jiang was supposed to attend the memorial rites, but she claimed to be ill and stayed away.
No one knew that inside the cold palace hall, she was leaning over the dragon bed once used by the late emperor, her face flushed. A hand with long, distinct knuckles lifted her chin, and through tear-blurred eyes, she saw the face she feared most.
The man sat on the bed, his youthful features noble and aloof. His palm rested on her slightly rounded belly. His expression was calm, but the smile in his eyes never reached them.
"Whose child are you carrying, Sister-in-law? And how did you come to be with child? Do you need me to help you remember?"
* Happy ending, both leads have only been with each other, and the male lead is virtuous in both body and heart.
* Coercive possession and confinement. Read with caution if that's not your thing.
* The male lead is strong and the female lead is weak. Neither is a perfect person, and this is not an independent heroine story.
* Synopsis screenshot archived on June 19, 2026.
Theme: Seize the day.
