The Emperor Became My Secret Lover

[Complete] Her husband had been away from home for three years. Now he had returned with a pregnant mistress. Ji Yuning watched coldly as the two of them doted on each other, blissfully in love. She neither quarreled nor made a scene, but silently swore to herself: If you show me no mercy, I owe you none. If you have no feelings for me, why should I keep observing a wife's virtue? Ji Yuning resolved to give him a taste of his own medicine. She set her sights on a young man she had run into several times lately. He was graceful, well-spoken, and rather easy on the eyes. Before making a move, she needed to find out everything about him to avoid trouble. Ji Yuning said, "I already have a husband." The man replied calmly, "I'm willing to be your mistress." Ji Yuning said, "I can't have children." The man replied serenely, "Neither can I." Ji Yuning added, "I'm short on money." The man smiled. "I'm penniless too." Excellent. They agreed on every point, and naturally ended up together. But as time went by, Ji Yuning was astonished to discover that she was pregnant. Just as she was fretting over what to do with this troublesome child, an imperial edict suddenly arrived from the palace, ordering Consort Ji to return with half the ceremonial guard reserved for the empress. Staring at the bright yellow robes before her, Ji Yuning was speechless. "I thought you said your family was penniless?" The man replied helplessly, "We're so poor, all we have left is money." The first time Chu Heng saw Ji Yuning, he guessed she was the old friend he had been longing for. To win her heart, he hid his identity and pretended they had just met, luring her into his trap step by step. He loved her, cherished her, indulged her, and finally got what he wanted. [Reader's Guide] 1. A fake second-chance romance trope. The male lead is a little sly. 2. The blurb was written casually; the story itself is not a comedy. 3. This is not a serious historical romance. Both leads are virgins, and they were each other's first and only partners. 4. The male lead never appointed an empress. His harem contains only a consort who is a relative chosen by the Empress Dowager, purely as a political alliance. Harem intrigue is not the focus of this story. Theme: Never give up hope in life. Love life and face it with optimism.