When the Blossoms Fade

Seven years ago, the political landscape changed overnight. To protect An Su, Ming Huai personally handed her over to the heir of Ruyang, trading his own life for her safety and happiness. After that, he was stripped of his position as crown prince and kept in the palace, where he endured endless humiliation and torment. At his lowest point, he thought about dying. But when he slashed his wrist and blood began to flow, An Su's face flashed before his eyes. In that moment, he told himself: He had to live. He couldn't die. Only by staying alive could he have a chance to see An Su again. . After seven years of lying low and biding his time, Ming Huai finally got his revenge. The first thing he did after ascending the throne was summon An Su back. All he had wanted was to find out how she had been all these years, and whether she was happy. But when he saw An Su and the heir of Ruyang living together in wedded bliss, he gradually lost control. He began having nightmares every night, dreaming that he was the one who had pushed An Su away. Seven years in hiding had changed him completely. The sight of An Su's happiness with another man felt like a knife stabbing into his heart. In the end, he was driven mad. . On the anniversary of the heir of Ruyang's death, An Su, dressed in a phoenix coronet and bridal robes, arrived at Chang'an Hall in a lavish wedding procession stretching ten miles, and became empress. That night, in the candlelit bedchamber, Ming Huai gently wiped away the tears at the corners of the person beneath him, his touch tender in every way, while his gaze was terrifyingly unhinged. "Susu, don't blame me..." Once he's dead, you'll belong to me again. Reader's Guide: The male lead was once noble and radiant, but later becomes an obsessive, unhinged madman. A master of brazen lies, a dog of a man who takes what he wants by force. He and the female lead were once in love, but later he can only want her without ever having her. After summoning her back, he first tries to deceive her. When that fails, he shows his true colors. In short, he's no good. Theme: Love means letting go.