I plan to rewrite the entire story, so please hold off on reading it for now.
==
Xie Mingwei, daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, is peerlessly beautiful, famed as the loveliest woman in the capital. Sadly, her parents die in a sudden tragedy, forcing her to enter the palace and seek refuge with her aunt, the Empress Dowager.
In public, she waits on her aunt at Fushou Palace, holding the washbasin and mirror, and tending to her every need, all in hopes of securing a peaceful place to call home.
But behind the jade screen, her bright eyes brim with tears as she trembles before that man.
After carefully considering countless candidates, the Empress Dowager chooses the new top scholar as Xie Mingwei's husband.
The scholar comes from a poor family and once served as a household servant in the Duke of Zhenguo's residence. He promises to let bygones be bygones and swears to protect her for the rest of her life.
With the wedding approaching, Xie Mingwei has only just stepped out of the palace when someone scoops her up and carries her into a twelve-bearer sedan chair adorned with golden threads.
Amid the dazzling pearls, the emperor grips her shoulders tightly, his eyes dark. "Where are you trying to flee with our child?"
*
At first, when she sees the emperor who once rejected her proposal, Xie Mingwei feels as if she has fallen into an ice cellar. To protect herself, she is prepared to endure humiliation if that's what it takes to cover for him.
But later, the cold and ruthless ruler waits solicitously outside her door. "Empress, may I come into your room tonight?"
Theme: Treating each other with sincerity
