On the day of the palace coup, the crown prince, who had been demoted to Prince Qi, seized the opportunity, stormed the Taiji Palace, and ascended the throne.
With the new emperor enthroned, the Third Princess, who had once caused him to lose his position as crown prince, became a target for everyone.
The Third Princess was the orphaned daughter of a great general, the brother-in-law of the late emperor's favorite consort. Her father had died on the battlefield, and her mother had succumbed to illness. In recognition of her family's sacrifice, the royal household had granted Yingqing the title of princess.
After ascending the throne, the new emperor summoned Princess Yuluan to appear before him.
Yingqing knew the new emperor wanted revenge for what she had done in the past.
She had followed the advice of her aunt, the consort, and taken part in the struggle for the throne, using her beauty as bait to frame the crown prince.
After seducing the crown prince, Yingqing had given herself to him. Then, before the late emperor, she had turned on him, accusing him of flouting all propriety, disgracing the imperial palace, and laying hands on his adopted younger sister.
The late emperor had been enraged, and the new emperor had lost his position as crown prince.
Now the new emperor, dressed in splendid robes and seated high above her, looked down at her. Yingqing, clad in plain clothes, knelt with her head bowed, asking only for death.
The new emperor glanced coldly at Yingqing and scoffed. "Dream on!" Seeing the calm, resigned expression on her face, he said, "My dear sister, you want to die? Why would I let you off so easily?"
Yingqing had no idea what torment the new emperor had planned for her. She kowtowed and begged, "Your Majesty may punish me however you see fit, and I will not complain. I only ask that you spare my aunt and cousin. What happened before was my fault."
The new emperor lifted his boot and pressed it under Yingqing's chin. Seeing that she was still as frail and delicate as ever, he said contemptuously,
"Look at me. Don't worry, I won't let you die so easily. I hear the Duke of Zhenguo's son is close to death, and they need someone of noble birth to bring him good fortune. As a princess, my younger sister has an auspicious fate. I want you to marry the heir to the Duke of Zhenguo and help me placate my minister. What do you say?"
The heir to the Duke of Zhenguo was close to death. Yingqing trembled, then kowtowed and thanked the emperor for his favor.
Yingqing stood up, and before she could breathe a sigh of relief, the new emperor stopped her and looked her over brazenly. "The night before your wedding, I want you to come to my bedchamber."
Seeing her panic, the new emperor smiled even more wickedly. "Dear sister, I'll be waiting for you in my bedchamber."
The palace was bustling with celebration on the day Yingqing married.
On the night of Princess Yuluan's wedding, the new emperor tossed and turned, unable to sleep. His expression darkened as he kicked over the incense burner in which the calming herbs were burning.
Three days later, Yingqing returned to the palace to thank the emperor. In a hidden corner, the new emperor pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth, sneering, "Getting married off so easily was far too good for you. You really do have a talent for seducing people, Yuluan. I regret it now."
[Coercive possession, both leads are inexperienced. The male lead is a bastard, and the female lead is weak. This is writing practice, set in a fictional world so fictional it might as well be empty space. It's trashy domineering-CEO romance in a bargain-bin style, so please, please don't nitpick.]
Theme: If I don't see you for one day, I miss you like a madman.
