[Cold, Frail Beauty × Smiling, Knife-Wielding Minister]
A deposed consort is imprisoned in Zaisi Palace, deep within the forbidden garden.
Rumor has it that Emperor Liang Yi loathes her. Once, a eunuch accidentally mentioned her name in the emperor's presence and was beaten to death on the spot.
With the emperor's heart so cold, no one would dare remember that Emperor Shaoming was once so infatuated with this deposed consort that he nearly went mad. He abducted her into the palace despite her betrothal to another man.
Liang Yi loved her beauty and talent, yet despised her pride and defiance. So he deposed Zhou Shiwei and confined her in Zaisi Palace, trying to force her to bow her head.
But he had no idea that inside her gauze curtains, someone had already offered himself to her, smiling tenderly as he whispered sweet words.
"Since you hate him so much, how about I take his empire and give it to you?"
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Zhou Shiwei was once the envy of every young lady in the capital, blessed with an ethereal beauty and a gift for literature. The Zhou family basked in the emperor's favor, and she was betrothed to the elegant heir of the Duke of Anguo.
At the time, Miss Zhou's life could not have been more smooth sailing. She was carefree and content.
Then the late emperor died, and the Third Prince, Liang Yi, ascended the throne.
In the third year of Shaoming, with Zhou Shiwei's wedding to the Duke of Anguo's heir fast approaching, both families searched everywhere for the bride, but she was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, a new favored consort had appeared in the palace.
The new emperor used her family's lives to threaten her, and so got the beauty to submit. But when a palace servant let something slip, Zhou Shiwei learned that her elder brother had been falsely accused by a treacherous minister and died in prison.
When Liang Yi realized the truth had come out, he flew into a rage and deposed her, sending her to Zaisi Palace.
Just as Zhou Shiwei's failing health and despair left her with no hope, the very minister who had framed her brother climbed into her bed.
Shang Yun caught the hairpin she thrust at him and smiled with gentle, innocent composure. "Liang Yi intends to wipe out the Zhou family, but I can save them."
Even when the beauty glared at him coldly, this powerful minister of the new dynasty was still willing to risk death by a thousand cuts, sneaking into the forbidden palace again and again to see if she was safe and protect her in secret.
Later, when Shang Yun finally got his wish and held the beauty in his arms, a faint smile lingered on his lips. "Those who hurt you and deceived you, I'll repay them all, one by one."
"This twelve-strand imperial crown is the true devotion your servant offers Your Majesty."
Archived on 2026.8.27
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Please note:
A ruler steals his subject's wife, and a subject steals his ruler's wife (not the same subject); a love torn by bitter hatred; coercive possession; and a wall-to-wall love plot. If that's not your thing, please don't click.
Happy ending.
The female lead is not a virgin, while the male lead is.
The male lead only loves the female lead. The female lead has romantic entanglements and intimate encounters with several men, and will most likely not have to choose just one in the end. All the men who remain by her side will be devoted to her alone.
The female lead's brother was not killed by the male lead. The characters have different perspectives and incomplete information; the story will gradually reveal the truth.
The dynasty is fictional, and every detail serves the plot.
This is not a career-focused story, nor is the heroine strong or a female powerhouse. But in the end, the male lead does offer the empire to her. If you can't accept the male lead willingly putting the heroine on the throne, please don't read this. And please don't complain that it makes no sense.
In short, this story is purely the author's personal fantasy. Readers who only like monogamous, chaste romances, please stay away. It contains a massive amount of morally questionable content. If that's not for you, feel free to leave at any time; there's no need to tell me.
If you don't like it, you don't have to read it, qwq. Don't insult my heroine; she can do whatever she wants.
Theme: The palace flowers have fallen and turned to dust.
