Five Years After the Empress's Death

In the second year of Qingli, the empress died. Everyone in the streets and alleys said Heaven had finally done justice. After the late emperor's death, the eldest princess, Sheng Yunji, had taken the imperial seal and ascended the throne, becoming the first empress of Changqing. But once she took the throne, her methods were more ruthless than ever. Anyone whose political views conflicted with hers was killed. Her cruelty was known to all. Yet after only two years on the throne, the empress suddenly died of illness. No one looked too closely into the cause. For a time, the whole kingdom celebrated, calling it a great relief. * "Does the Grand Tutor hate me that much?" Sheng Yunji sat upright on the high platform, smiling as she looked at the person before her. Her tone was as casual as if she were asking why the lotus flowers had bloomed so late this year. "Your Majesty, please watch your words. I am unworthy of the title Grand Tutor." Sheng Yunji seemed to have heard a truly hilarious joke. Reclining on the couch, she laughed and laughed until tears welled in the corners of her eyes and ran down her cheeks, soaking the crimson silk. "As I recall, back then it was the Grand Tutor who knelt before my father's hall and asked to become my teacher." "There is no need to bring up the past. Your Majesty, please meet your end." Even after saying this, Xie Wenjing held the cup of poisoned wine perfectly steady, without spilling a single drop. Sheng Yunji wore the same smile. The empty cup settled gently on the table. She sat quietly on the round couch until her final breath faded away. * Five years later, when she opens her eyes again, the empress who once held the court in the palm of her hand has become the least favored little princess in the palace, Sheng Yong'an, her half-sister. Sheng Yunji: ...Again? She had finally escaped that damn grind of a life, only to come back after what felt like a single night's sleep? If she had to come back, they could at least have taken her past life's hard work into account and given her the identity of a commoner or a farmer's wife. But no, she's royalty again. Sheng Yunji: To hell with this. Whoever wants to be a career fanatic can do it. This lifetime, I'm going to lie flat! Just as she decides to spend this life relaxing in comfort, her full younger brother, the new emperor who took the throne after her death, issues an imperial decree betrothing her to the Grand Tutor, Xie Wenjing. Sheng Yunji: ...Enough already. What a damn life, always throwing my sister under the carriage! Reading guide: 1. There were misunderstandings in their past life, and they had mutual unrequited feelings. 2. A romance-focused bedtime read, very, very sweet. 3. Happy ending. Theme: Stand on your own two feet