Jin Yan was a beautiful maid.
In her previous life, she went to great lengths to change her fate as a slave, becoming the concubine of the heir, Yuwen Xi. But when he became crown prince, he had her drugged into silence and sold off, leaving her with a tragic end.
Only after she died did she learn that Yuwen Xi had been reborn.
And she, a mere maid, had a father she had lost years ago: a great general who had expanded the empire's borders.
In Yuwen Xi's memories, after this lowly maid found her father, she not only wanted to become his empress, but also wanted to take control of the government. She had gone too far, making him suffer countless grievances.
That was why, after he was reborn, he married Ye Mingyue instead and trampled Jin Yan into the dirt. He schemed at every turn to put Ye Mingyue, who loved him more and obeyed him better, in front of her own father and take her place...
When Jin Yan awoke from her dream, she had returned to the days before she got involved with Yuwen Xi.
She thought of the ruthless ambitions of Yuwen Xi and his father, the chaos that was about to engulf the land, and the current emperor, who had no heir and little time left to live.
She also thought of the crippled, burly man who had treated her so well during the last years of her previous life...
But reborn and young and beautiful, there was no need to seek out an old flame and rekindle what they once had.
Her restless heart began to stir.
This time, she had her sights set on the emperor, who stood at the peak of power and had only a few years left to live...
-
No one knew that ever since the emperor had awoken from a bout of poison at the age of eighteen, he had been haunted by the same sensual dream.
In the dream, he was a crippled refugee with an ugly wife who didn't look down on him. Her face was frightening, but her personality was wonderful, and no one could compare to her figure. Every night, she set his whole body aflame.
Later, the emperor met Jin Yan for the first time.
The young woman threw herself into his arms, feigning innocence.
He saw through her ambitions and paid no heed to her beauty. Yet whenever he saw her, he was reminded of the woman he had longed for day and night in his dreams...
The emperor furrowed his brow and found himself paying more and more attention to this maid... until he finally confirmed her identity.
He decided he had to, right now, this instant,
marry the woman who haunted his dreams and bring her into the imperial palace!
◇ A sweet, satisfying 1v1 story about punishing scumbags. The heroine is ambitious; her sweet and gentle nature is just an act. ◇ The hero has only ever loved the heroine, in either life.
*Cover art by Yeye-Mai Ya Tang
Theme: Are kings and generals born to their station?
