A bookish empress who loves to make snarky comments x a rough-hewn emperor who loves to run his mouth
[Empress's perspective]
Zheng Wanzhu came from a distinguished family and had read widely. She especially loved history, and her greatest dream in life was to have her name recorded in the annals.
She rather envied emperors. Whether they ruled well or badly, they could leave their names in the history books with ease.
When imperial power changed hands, she became the new emperor's empress, gaining the chance to have her name recorded alongside his.
But she wasn't happy about it at all.
The emperor she had married was not only a ruthless killer, but also coarse and inconsiderate. Worst of all, he came to her chambers punctually on the first and fifteenth of every month, and each time he left her so exhausted that she needed several days to recover.
She didn't dare provoke him, so she could only endure in silence, constantly wavering between having had enough and swallowing her anger once more.
The late emperor had been so foolish and reckless that he died young. Maybe his son, the current emperor, would be short-lived too.
She'd simply outlive him. Every day, she silently asked herself: Has His Majesty died today?
No. Enough was enough. She wouldn't put up with it anymore!
Damn it, even if it meant giving up on everything, she wasn't going to endure this any longer...
[Emperor's perspective]
Xie Huaiyan's father spent every day indulging in wine and women, neglecting state affairs and devoting all his energy to figuring out how to produce more heirs. He was the very picture of a foolish ruler.
With such a cautionary example before him, Xie Huaiyan resolved never to be like his father.
He would live happily with the empress and write a beautiful story of marital bliss.
After ascending the throne, he dutifully and properly chose the empress his officials considered most suitable. Every month, without fail, he visited her chambers on the first and fifteenth, as was customary.
The empress was cultured, courteous, gentle, and virtuous. They were perfectly in tune with each other, and everything seemed ideal.
Until one full-moon night on the fifteenth, when he went to her chambers again. His perfectly good empress suddenly refused to let him touch her, recoiling as if he were a bandit.
He truly couldn't understand. What had happened?
Theme: Sincerity is the ultimate winning move.
