As the only daughter of the Rong family, Rong Xue was the family's little darling, spoiled and cherished as she grew up. When she hears that the new emperor is choosing consorts and that she's to marry the person she hates most, her first thought is to run.
But she can't escape fate. Not only is her family ruined, but she also falls off a cliff and dies.
Reborn for some inexplicable reason, all she wants is to protect her family, get revenge on her enemies, lie flat and enjoy life, and try to survive a little longer in the palace.
But after entering the palace, Rong Xue, who only wants to lie flat and enjoy life, discovers that not only is she living longer, she can also get whatever she wishes for. Even the person she hates is becoming more and more pleasing to the eye. He's just a little too insatiable in certain ways.
Two years later, she's become an Imperial Noble Consort and the target of everyone's envy. Rong Xue is unhappy and nudges the person beside her. "It's all your fault. We agreed you could come, but you wouldn't raise my rank."
The handsome man holds her slender waist and presses close to her cheek. "Once you bear a son, you'll rise in status through your child. Raising your rank is a rule laid down by our ancestors."
*
When Li Xun first meets Rong Xue in the palace, he thinks that beneath her pitiful appearance, her coy attempts to lure him in are painfully clumsy. He has no interest in her. But just as he's about to leave, he hears her say, "Finally, he's gone!"
From then on, whenever he runs into Rong Xue, he seems to hear some curious new remark, as though they're her inner thoughts.
Praying to the gods and Buddha: "Buddha, I donated incense money, so you have to protect me!"
Complaining about him: "What's so great about being the ruler? Isn't it exhausting? Why are you all fighting over it?"
Craving peaches: "I really want a peach!"
Finding a tall building more interesting than him: "I really want to go up there and take a look!"
At first, he indulges her only out of consideration for his friend. But as he keeps indulging her, he hears her inner thoughts again: "That prince is so handsome!"
That very day, when no one is around, he pulls her behind a screen and gives her a thorough punishment, his hoarse voice stubbornly demanding, "Who does Ah Xue think is handsome?"
At first, he was certain he could never fall for her.
But when he remembers everything, he realizes his feelings for her go far beyond love. She is everything to him.
He wishes her a long life and a smooth journey, but he won't let her fall for anyone else, not even for a moment.
Why, then, does the world always seem to work against him...
A noble lady who just wants to lie flat and do nothing x a scheming new emperor who would never fall for her.
Note: Slow burn.
Both leads have been reborn twice, and this is their second rebirth. The male lead has no memories at first, but will recover them later. The female lead has no memories of her first life. Whether she gets them back is undecided.
A hodgepodge of plot elements, with a bit of everything. The male lead is very gentle, but that doesn't mean he can't go off the deep end.
Cover art by the artist Mu Shi.
Coming soon: His Drama Queen Darling, The Princess Consort Has a Child Out of Nowhere
Theme: Heaven may be heartless, but people have hearts.
