The Minister's Wife on the Run

A stubborn, prideful, pure-hearted dog emperor who says one thing but means another * A capricious, pampered, unconventional wildflower 1 Yan Yiyun's childhood betrothed really made something of himself: he passed the imperial examinations as the top candidate! Who could have guessed that her all-too-successful childhood betrothed would catch the eye of the much older Princess Royal, who had yet to marry? Rumor had it the emperor intended to make him her prince consort! Just look at that: each family serves up an even more delicious meal of free rice than the last! As soon as Yan Yiyun arrived in the capital, she was imprisoned in a small courtyard tucked away in a busy corner of Chang'an. Security was so tight that not even a fly could get in. The newly enthroned young emperor came there night after night, gripping her chin and squeezing hard. "So this was the innocent, sweet face you used to fool me back then? You made me search high and low! And you went and married someone without a word. How dare you?!" Yan Yiyun had had enough of pretending to be deaf and mute, acting meek and submissive, all while her circumstances remained exactly the same. So she curled her lips in a provocative smile. "I didn't marry into his family. I took him in as a live-in husband! Your Majesty and I were nothing more than a fleeting affair. We never swore eternal love, nor did we have our parents' approval or a matchmaker's arrangement. I truly don't know what you're getting so angry about. Could it be that Your Majesty still can't forget me?" "As if you deserve that!" He had once wanted to give her, a commoner, a proper title. But now she was a fallen woman, no longer worthy of it. At most, she could be a plaything who served men with her looks. In the dead of night, he remembered that year on his tour of the south: beneath a gentle drizzle among the apricot blossoms, the two of them had traveled together through Jiangnan, and she had coyly asked what treasure he could give her. He could not bear to remember how naively foolish he had been back then. 2 The first time she was dragged back He was cold and arrogant: "All under heaven belongs to the emperor. Where in my realm do you think you can go?" The second time she was dragged back He was beside himself with rage: "I've already promised you unimaginable riches. You ungrateful wretch, haven't I treated you well enough?" The third time she was dragged back He didn't dare approach her. Instead, he sent an adviser to try to sweet-talk her: "Actually, His Majesty isn't all that bad. Why not just make the best of it?" Dog emperor * forced marriage * minister's wife Theme: I want love and freedom