The Fainthearted Emperor and His Darling

Please support Reborn: The Trials of a Noblewoman Zhou Yao was breathtakingly beautiful, but her family was truly poor: a lame father, a dim-witted mother, and younger siblings crying to be fed. Even though she was as beautiful as a fairy, no one dared marry her. When she was sixteen, Zhou Yao brought home a wild man who was on the verge of death. Once she wiped the dirt from his face, he turned out to be impossibly handsome. The man, who had lost his memory, became the Zhou family's live-in son-in-law and spent his days working hard. The Zhou family seemed to have hit the jackpot, and their life grew better and better. One day, the chief eunuch returned home in fine robes and caught sight of a bare-chested man working in the fields. "Your M-M-Majesty..." Before he could finish, the man grabbed him by the collar and dragged him aside. "Quiet." In the three years since Zhou Su ascended the throne, he had neglected sleep and meals and poured all his heart and blood into governing. He never expected to earn a reputation among the people as a foolish ruler. His favorite minister, as close as a brother, had done plenty behind his back to bring that about, stabbing him without mercy. After ending up in the countryside, his head no longer hurt, his legs no longer felt weak, and he could breathe easily again. He even had a lovely wife and a young child. To hell with this exhausting empire; whoever wants it can have it. But then his little one wrapped both arms around his leg, full of ambition despite his tiny stature. "Dad, I want to ride a big horse and be the emperor!" The setting is very loose. The focus is on romance, with a little inspiration and uplift. Please support Reborn: The Trials of a Noblewoman They all said that Sang Rou was blessed to marry into a powerful family, and that she should be grateful, humble herself to the dust, and never complain. Even on her wedding night, when her husband rode a thousand miles to escort the young lord home, she sat alone in the bridal chamber until dawn. Even on the day she nearly died in childbirth, when her aunt brought out a stack of portraits of noble young women and asked which one was most like her in virtue and obedience. Even when her son grew up and became even more troublesome, sneaking out in the middle of the night to look for the father who never came home, leaving her sick with worry and prematurely gray. Everyone warned her to be reasonable and put the greater good first. So Sang Rou endured for twenty years, until she was exhausted in body and spirit, with nothing left to give. Her daughter-in-law, born to a powerful family, struggled to force out tears and said with an earnest expression, "Mother, please go in peace. I'll take care of the family affairs. If there's a virtuous woman, I'll keep an eye out for one, too. You needn't worry that Father will be lonely in his old age, with no one to keep him company." Sang Rou struggled to utter a single word: "Get lost." As Sang Rou lay on her deathbed, the man finally arrived on time. Now a mighty commander, powerful enough to hold the court in his palm and famed for unmatched achievements, he held her in his arms, trembling slightly. "A Rou, I..." "Jin Zipei, if you marry again, I'll haunt your dreams every night and make sure you never know peace." She was actually quite petty. If she couldn't be happy, then neither would he. When she opened her eyes again, the flowers were in full bloom. The most handsome and noble man in all the eighteen prefectures of the Nine Provinces plucked the prettiest crabapple blossom from a branch and tucked it into a young woman's hair. "A Rou, I..." "Cousin, the fourth son of the Xie family of Jiangdong is well-read and a gentleman of impeccable character. Please arrange this marriage for A Rou." After a long silence, the man softly said one word: "All right." At her second wedding, Sang Rou felt neither joy nor sorrow; she wanted only a peaceful life. But when the wedding veil was lifted, there was the same man who had haunted her entire life. He never left her again. He made sure to do everything a newlywed husband should, then, while she slept soundly, fastened a silver lock around her and carried her away. "You're my wife. No matter where we are, we'll always be together. Even if we descend into the underworld, we'll never be parted, in life or death." "Jin Qing, you lunatic." Fine. If this is about hurting each other, who says I'm afraid? Theme: Build a fulfilling life by keeping your feet on the ground.