The Princess Wants to Take the Throne

[Dual Rebirth] [Rivals-to-Lovers Couple] [Love and Hate] [Lovers Turned Enemies, Then Lovers Again] [Ambitious, Growth-Oriented Political Schemer Heroine x Aloof, Secretly Unhinged Hero] The immensely powerful Princess Anle died at the age of twenty-five, the day before she was to ascend to the position of Crown Princess. Poisoned wine burned her throat, and she went to her death with the child in her womb. Her emperor father died from poisoned pastries, and her empress mother from a strip of white silk wound around her neck. Her cousin seized power in a palace coup, while her husband betrayed her and switched sides. After death, she was saddled with infamy and reviled by posterity. The imperial power fell into other hands, and the throne was usurped. No matter how deep her hatred and guilt, it all ended when her heart stopped beating. But when she awoke again, she had been reborn several years in the past. At this time, she was still an insignificant princess of the Eastern Palace. Her parents and siblings were all alive. She had yet to marry the famed Prince of Gaoyang, known throughout Luoyang. There was still time. Her whole family had died beneath the weight of imperial power. Her siblings had been murdered barely a month ago. Looking at her clear-eyed brother and gentle sister, she knew she had to protect them. Prince of Gaoyang Wu Chongxun was born into the Wu family. His father was a prince, and his great-aunt was the first female emperor in history. He had wanted for nothing since birth. Power and status were always within reach. But he was cold by nature. He hated his father's ways and despised the faces of Luoyang's powerful families. He hated even more the young nobles who did nothing but feast and carouse. He kept his distance from them, and looked after himself. But an imperial edict of marriage bound him to the spoiled and overbearing Princess Anle. The emperor's command could not be disobeyed, and the Li and Wu families were joined in marriage. At first, he hated her. He hated her temperament and her behavior, and even found her overly dazzling beauty distasteful. Princess Anle was no different from any other noblewoman in Luoyang. Every day, she cared only for jewelry and accessories, and loved nothing more than attending one banquet after another. She owned a dozen copies of every outfit, and everything she ate or used had to be the finest available. She adored luxury. If she had been a man, she would have been a wastrel. But later, he fell in love with her soul. She was full of vibrant life. She defied the rules of propriety and refused to bow to the authority of husbands and fathers, upheld for thousands of years. Unrestrained and vivid, she was like the strongest wine, the brightest flower. She reached for whatever she wanted without caring what the world thought. She was like the blazing sun in the sky, her light dazzling to behold. But he hated her, too. He hated that she loved power more than she loved him. He hated that she always gave her time to people who didn't matter. He hated that she could live perfectly well without him as her husband. He hated everyone around her. Was love about selflessly giving everything and wishing only for her happiness? No. Love was possession. Love was madness. Love was unreasonable. But after destruction came new life. When he opened his eyes again, time had turned back, and what was lost had been restored. He had returned to the time when Empress Wu ruled and the Zhang brothers held sway. Princess Anle had yet to gain her immense power, and there were no persistent flies around her that she couldn't drive away. Reading Guide: 1: Both are virgins, one-on-one romance Theme: Who says women are inferior to men?