In her previous life, Fu Zhi was born into a poor family of lantern makers and died on the supreme Empress Dowager's throne at the age of thirty.
Before becoming Empress Dowager, she had been the wife of an imperial merchant, the secret lover of a prince, and an eighth-rank palace woman...
In her short life, she met many men. They had once been captivated by her beauty and sworn the sweetest vows to her, but in the end, for one reason or another, they abandoned her.
Fortunately, she became Empress Dowager and no longer had to depend on anyone else.
In between ruling from behind the curtains, she kept a few male companions to amuse herself. The one she liked best was Pei Jing, a General of the Cloud-Banner who had returned from the battlefield.
He was taciturn and never tried to sweet-talk her, but neither did he chatter and get on her nerves.
His skin was a little dark. He was not particularly handsome, but he was tall and strong, and always satisfied her in bed.
He could do carpentry, give massages, paint and write calligraphy, play music, cook, and care for cats...
Most importantly, he had once saved her life. Whenever he was by her side, she felt safe.
Reborn into another life, Fu Zhi did not want to repeat her old mistakes. She decided to skip straight to keeping a male companion.
But when she found Pei Jing, she discovered that as a young man he was not only baby-faced, but also rather sharp-tongued and haughty, just like the Persian cat she had kept in her previous life. He was completely different from the taciturn, stern-faced general she remembered.
Only one thing had not changed: just like in his previous life, he had a heroic and righteous heart.
So when she was chased by some "bad men," she threw herself into his arms, tears glistening on her lashes, and pleaded pitifully, "Sir, please save me..."
(Extra scene) After being reborn, Fu Zhi had not wanted to get involved with the men from her previous life. She only planned to use them to earn enough money to support her male companion.
Who knew they seemed to have awakened some of their past-life memories? They all felt they owed her, and chased after her every day to confess their love and beg forgiveness.
Seeing Pei Jing's expression grow darker by the day, Fu Zhi had no choice but to declare her devotion: "Young Master Cen and I are kindred spirits, the Prince of Guangling and I admire one another, and with the Emperor, I'm just going through the motions... You're the only one I truly love!"
Pei Jing: "..."
Theme: Be self-reliant, stand on your own, and build your fortune.
