The Eastern Palace's Spring Affair

Crown Prince Yu Xuan is refined and graceful, peerlessly handsome, noble and dignified. He is the son the emperor and empress value most.

When Yu Xuan turned eighteen, the empress was overwhelmed as she searched among the many great houses for a suitable young lady to become the crown princess.

In everyone’s eyes, the crown prince was as beautiful as a jade tree and as ethereal as an immortal. Only a woman of noble birth, beautiful appearance, gentle disposition, and the finest qualities in every respect could barely be worthy of him.

And so, after a full year of searching, the emperor and empress still had not found a suitable daughter-in-law.

Every noble young lady in the capital who had seen the crown prince’s striking beauty and elegance was consumed with desire for the position of crown princess.

Wei Yiran, however, had never aspired to become crown princess.

Her mother was a convicted criminal. To survive, Wei Yiran had no choice but to hide her breathtaking beauty and wait for a chance to leave the capital.

Her legitimate elder sister, on the other hand, was ambitious and determined to claim the position of crown princess.

That day, Wei Yiran entered the palace with her sister.

She was only meant to serve as a foil to her sister’s beauty, but who could have expected Wei Yiran to accidentally fall into the water?

That night, in the water, Yu Xuan’s gaze was as sharp as a blade. He saw Wei Yiran’s unmasked appearance clearly.

And so, while the noble young ladies of the capital fought fiercely for the position of crown princess,

Yu Xuan pressed closer at every turn, refusing to give an inch.

While the ladies desperately sought the crown prince’s favor,

Wei Yiran left the Eastern Palace with tears in her eyes and her legs weak beneath her.

While her sister celebrated winning the position of crown princess and flaunted her triumph before Wei Yiran,

Yu Xuan emerged from behind the screen, kissed her earlobe, and leaned close to whisper, "I promise to cherish you for the rest of my life, but you cannot become crown princess."

On Wei Yiran’s birthday, everyone in the Eastern Palace thought the crown prince had gone mad.

He had actually decided to break off his engagement to the eldest Wei daughter and marry her younger, illegitimate sister instead.

It was not until news arrived that the rocks had collapsed at the temple and the second Wei daughter had been left dead beyond recognition that the Eastern Palace officials finally witnessed the crown prince’s madness firsthand.

Wei Yiran knew that to Yu Xuan, she was merely a plaything he had taken a liking to and doted on.

If a plaything died, Yu Xuan would be sad for a while, at most.

Her secluded life was peaceful and pleasant.

Now and then, when she heard the rumor that the crown prince had gone gray overnight, she would scoff at how prematurely old he seemed.

Until one day, search orders came down one after another, and the entire city was sealed tight.

She saw Yu Xuan holding a bloodstained knife, his eyes bloodshot as he spoke gently: "Yiran, will you leave with me, or die with me?"

Theme: The importance of an independent personality