At fifteen, Xue Mingge happily accepted the imperial decree betrothing her to Prince Qin, Jing Que.
But on the night before the wedding, outside her father's study, she heard his voice:
"His Highness wants the throne, and I want glory for the Xue family. We each get what we want, that's all."
In a single night, Xue Mingge hid away all her pride and affection.
At twenty-five, her father was dead, her elder brother had been dismissed from office, her mother's family had dwindled away, and she had no children.
The court officials repeatedly petitioned to depose the empress.
The carriage bearing a princess sent to marry for peace had also entered the capital.
But Xue Mingge only smiled faintly and picked up her brush to write a divorce agreement.
She had been the empress of Great Liang for ten years. From now on, she would be only Xue Mingge.
A cup of "poisoned wine" from the princess sent to marry for peace made Jing Que recognize his true feelings.
He had loved Xue Mingge for ten years, yet had never realized it.
Not until Xue Mingge came to him with a faint smile, each step landing on his heart.
"There is no need for Your Majesty to depose me. I request a divorce."
Jing Que clasped her in his arms, his eyes bloodshot. "All these years, did you ever truly care for me?"
Xue Mingge looked up at him, her gaze as calm as ever:
"Never."
At the pavilion ten miles outside the city, Jing Que dragged his ailing body there to see Xue Mingge off.
All he saw was her red-clad figure walking away with another, without even sparing him a backward glance.
He suddenly remembered their first meeting on the main street ten years ago. Xue Mingge had been dressed in red then, too, and had captured his heart.
But after that, he never saw her wear red again.
It turned out Xue Mingge wasn't without a true heart.
It was simply that her heart had never belonged to Jing Que...
#The male lead is a diligent emperor who doesn't realize he's fallen in love, and is cursed with a love bug from the start
#The empress is skilled in both letters and arms, clear-eyed, and incredibly cool
#No harem! The princess he marries for political reasons is only there to help things along (important!)
#One-on-one romance, both leads' first love, happy ending, only the male lead suffers
Theme: Make up for the regrets of this life in this life. From now on, all that is needed in every life is happiness.
