Spring in the Hairpin

With the new dynasty barely established, people were unsettled and the political situation remained unstable. To the old ministers, the new emperor showed a conciliatory face and sought to reassure the people. In private, however, he ruthlessly purged his opponents. Xie Zheng, Marquis of Pingyuan, became the emperor's most effective blade. Everyone knew that Xie Zheng killed without batting an eye. He was nicknamed the Jade-Faced Asura. His iron cavalry trampled the bones of the nobles, leaving the capital's great families in constant fear. The first to bear the brunt was the Li family, the foremost among the civil officials. When imperial power changed hands, the Li family had backed the wrong side. To save their entire clan, they sent Li Xiangjun, the capital's famed beauty, to the Xie residence to marry Xie Zheng. Li Xiangjun was delicate as a willow in the breeze and breathtakingly beautiful, perfectly suited to entertain Xie Zheng. Surely, for his daughter's sake, Xie Zheng would speak up for the Li family before the new emperor. That was the Li family's plan. Xie Zheng thought so too. He assumed she was merely a pawn sent by the Li family and didn't pay her much attention. That was until he saw his own soft-spoken new wife, behind his back, currying favor with the new emperor. Turning the inner quarters into a battlefield and gathering the people of the world. (A couple who are always at odds, matching wits and wiles, and playing the pig to eat the tiger.) Note: The ending is open, leaning toward a B ending. Theme: Perseverance brings victory