Song Ning was once a carefree little princess in the palace. But after the struggle for the throne, the great clans propped her up as a puppet emperor.
Well, at least now she had a career and wealth, and even a husband picked out for her.
And, as luck would have it, that man was her sworn enemy, Xu Hansheng.
She had disliked him from the moment they first met as children. She had never liked aloof, proud men like him. Why did he always look so grim? Was he going to a funeral?
Besides, Xu Hansheng was always reporting her misdeeds to her father. He excelled at political essays, so her father assigned him to tutor her. But she had no interest in studying. Every lesson, she would sit there listlessly, staring into space at his outrageously handsome face.
He would put his book down helplessly, look at her without a word, then turn around and complain to her father that she was a layabout with her head full of worldly concerns. Her father would fly into a rage and confine her to her quarters.
That was how she came to hold a grudge against him.
After she ascended the throne, he was put in charge of reviewing memorials, while she sat beside him daydreaming. As soon as he finished, she would dash outside, unwilling to spend another moment with him.
The man seated upright on the dragon throne watched her retreating figure with sorrow. The hand gripping his writing brush trembled, and thick ink bloomed across the rice paper.
She had thought that even if they were forced to marry, they could still keep out of each other's way. But every night, he would show up at her door carrying his bedding, kick off his shoes and socks, climb into her bed, and lie there quietly, his cold eyes fixed on her.
His gaze made her uneasy, but she steeled herself and climbed onto the bed. Fortunately, he never did anything out of line, so she eventually fell asleep at ease.
When her breathing grew steady, he opened his eyes and gazed tenderly at her sleeping face.
One day, the imperial power was overturned, and she became a prisoner. Amid the clash of blades, she saw him mercilessly behead the attendant standing beside her.
He turned back. His expression was impossible to read as he approached her step by step, holding a long sword dripping with blood. She was startled and scrambled to her feet, running away.
With the protection of her father's former subordinates, she managed to escape the palace and quietly stay with a farming family thousands of miles from the capital.
When she heard that the new emperor, Xu Hansheng, had granted a general amnesty, she only sneered, her hatred for him growing ever stronger.
She thought they would never cross paths again, but he kept closing in, using every means at his disposal to force her into the palace.
In the end, she stepped into the palace once more, becoming a caged bird at his mercy...
Before reading:
1. A fictional setting, very fictional.
2. The plot is melodramatic. Don't overthink it.
Premise: Keep your heart turned toward the light.
