A rational, scheming emperor who rose from humble beginnings VS a fallen, calculating, unhinged beauty
Love at the wrong time is poison. Take it long enough, and no remedy can cure you. But drinking poison to quench your thirst is only human.
*
When they first met, Xue Baoyi was the lowliest palace maid. Wearing only a thin red dress, she leaped into the icy lake, shivering as she retrieved the pearl he'd dropped.
But the young Emperor's hand passed over the pearl and lifted her chin.
The man high above her asked, "What reward do you want?"
She lowered her eyes, hatred deep within, and answered in a soft, timid voice, "This servant wants to belong to Your Majesty."
"A bright pearl shouldn't be left to gather dust. In that case, I'll reward you with the title of Beauty."
*
When they met again, the faint scent of medicine lingered in the Imperial Study. She knelt amid scattered memorials, dressed in gauzy silk, her slender waist swaying as she climbed onto the Emperor's bright yellow robes.
The restrained ruler grabbed her by the throat, furious.
"What do you want this time?"
With red lips, snowy skin, and bewitching eyes, she held him close. "Your Majesty, I only want to be your true consort."
*
After that, they met night after night, day after day.
When their passion ran deep, he called her Pearl and promised her all his favor.
But Xue Baoyi looked at him coldly and plunged a knife into his chest.
"Your Majesty, you are the least worthy person in the world to call me Pearl."
*
But Wei Cong thought: She never knew that many years ago, on a spring day by chance, he had passed beneath a painted pleasure boat in commoner's clothes, looked up, and seen the unattainable paradise of his life.
When they met again in the depths of the palace, he knew every word she said was a lie. Still, he couldn't stop himself from reaching out and taking her hand.
*
"Liu Lang already resents how far Penglai is, and now it lies beyond ten thousand more mountains." From Untitled by Li Shangyin.
The blurb has been screenshotted and saved.
Theme: Cherish the person in front of you.
