Even a Sickly Man Can Become the Emperor's Consort

In the thirtieth year of the Dajing era, Empress Jing Shu, who had pacified the realm, passed away. Her final edict read: "I have two children, each with their own strengths. They shall govern the realm together. After they have lived out their hundred years, the wisest and most benevolent of my grandchildren shall be appointed heir, regardless of gender."

The words "among my grandchildren, regardless of gender" sent Jing Leyi down a path unlike that of the princesses of earlier dynasties. At a young age, she joined the two princes in studying under the Grand Tutor, learning statecraft and the literary arts.

The people Leyi admired and cherished most were her renowned imperial grandmother, her uncle the emperor, her mother the chancellor, and Wen Changjin, Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince.

Wen Changjin had made a name for himself in his youth, with extraordinary talent and a jade-orchid elegance, fresh as morning dew. He should have achieved great things, but a chronic illness meant that the slightest carelessness sent him home on sick leave with a medicine jar in hand. So he had to settle for teaching the princes.

For fifteen years, Leyi studied diligently, hoping that one day she could bring peace and prosperity to the people of Dajing.

It was only when she went out on official business that she learned what a ridiculous piece of pretty rhetoric "the people are united in their hearts, and the realm is at peace" truly was.

Heavy rains battered Shuzhou. Leyi went there as an imperial relief commissioner to investigate and provide aid. Perhaps leaving the palace of gold and jade was the first step toward becoming ruler of the realm.

A prefecture where people kept disappearing, yet no one reported it.

A local official who had been secretly raising taxes and amassing a fortune for twenty years.

River embankments that looked sturdy on the outside but were hollow within, built on poorly compacted foundations.

Cargo ships on the canal, their hulls repeatedly crusted with white deposits.

A prefect who died less than half a year after retiring to his hometown.

What could possibly connect all of this?

Why was the ailing Wen Changjin suddenly able to defeat a hundred men single-handedly when wave after wave of assassins came for them?

How did Leyi, who had always lived deep within the palace, get mixed up with the Letian Sect?

What was the Wenfeng Pavilion, and were its repeated overtures friendly or hostile?

Just how many people had been stirred into action by the late emperor's final edict?

A princess who falls in love without realizing it VS a sickly Grand Tutor who knows exactly what he is doing and loves to play the bait

Leyi was always worried about her ailing teacher. She often wondered whether she was meddling too much, only to find that he seemed to enjoy it.

Ever since Wen Changjin discovered that a couple of light coughs, or even the slightest furrow of his brow, would make those bright eyes linger on him, he could no longer stop himself.

When she spoke with someone else, he coughed twice.

When she accepted someone else's calligraphy or painting, he furrowed his brow.

When she turned down his invitation, he pressed a hand to his chest, his long lashes trembling.

But when he was truly heartbroken, his life hanging by a thread, he feared those eyes would turn toward him.

"Longing is bitter. I can't bear to make you suffer, yet I'm afraid you truly don't miss me." Seeing him with blood staining his white robes and guilt on his face, Leyi felt that nothing in the world could hurt her more.

Only when people are at their wits' end do they believe in spirits and immortals. Leyi went to Chengtiansi Temple in the capital again and again, praying each time: "The world rarely lets us have everything we want. I only beg Heaven not to separate us in life and death. I, your faithful devotee, will give up the blessings of this life in exchange. In the next life, let me escape reincarnation, and let us be husband and wife for one lifetime."

When everything was settled and peace had returned to the four seas, the man chose to disappear without a word on the very day she ascended the throne.

"Your Majesty is of imperial blood, the most exceptional person in all the realm. No man is worthy of even a fraction of you. I am but a weak willow, and dare not claim your exclusive favor."

"Enough. Even a sickly man like you has to come back and be my imperial husband."

Note: 1. One-on-one romance, happy ending, both leads have only ever been with each other.

2. The male lead has a very, very slight tendency toward self-harm, and has never plotted against the female lead.

3. This is a fictional historical setting with no real-life counterpart. The female lead has a legitimate place in the line of succession.

Core theme: Devote yourself to the people, and keep a clear conscience.