Spring Terrace in Sight

[Pairing: A beautiful regent princess who knows it (occasionally a ditzy, spoiled princess in her youth) x an aloof, abstinent Commander who is stubborn, reserved, and hopelessly romantic but bad at expressing himself. She flirts without realizing it, and he falls for her without realizing it!]

Pupils with double irises are said to be a sign of an emperor.

Because of her unusual eyes, Song Qingyan was highly valued from birth and became the most distinguished regent princess in the court.

To help her young brother ascend the throne, she relied on her talent and political acumen to win the trust of the ministers and punish treacherous officials and corrupt bureaucrats. She devoted half her life to the country and its people, only to end up with a terrible reputation.

As she lay dying, she had only one wish: never to be so exhausted again. In her next life, she wanted to be no more than a wealthy family's swallow beneath the eaves, with no part in the tangled affairs of the court.

One day, she was reborn and returned to the moment before her father's death.

As she watched the man in dragon robes on the bed trembling as he reached out to her, Song Qingyan reacted quickly and pushed her younger brother forward.

"Father, though my brother is young, he's clever and diligent. He can surely take on this great responsibility. Your daughter has reached the age to marry, and wishes to do so."

Hearing this, the young Song Qingyun turned around and asked, "Elder Sister, who are you going to marry?"

Just as Song Qingyan was at a loss, she suddenly spotted Yan Xiao, the Commander of the Embroidered Guard, waiting in the room. She pointed at him. "I want to marry him!"

They say Yan Xiao, the Commander of the Embroidered Guard, has no interest in women and no understanding of human feelings. In her previous life, he opposed her at every turn, and the two of them couldn't stand each other.

Song Qingyan had meant to use him as an excuse to get out of trouble. She never expected him to hear her words, glance over with his phoenix eyes, step forward, and say in a low voice, "Those are the princess's own words."

[The male lead's blurb]

Yan Xiao had a secret: he was in love with the controversial princess in the imperial capital.

He understood her ambitions and loneliness, and knew how calm she pretended to be in front of others. He cleared away obstacles posed by the old aristocratic families and ministers, and dealt with treacherous officials and corrupt bureaucrats for her.

He had once believed they would be entangled with each other for the rest of their lives. But after a palace coup, when he rode back to the capital from a thousand miles away, the news that awaited him was that they had been parted by life and death.

When they met again, he had returned to the nineteenth year of Yongjia.

She was still the late emperor's most cherished daughter, not yet the future regent princess with power over the realm.

At the time, a palace eunuch held the imperial edict granting the marriage and looked down at him. "Lord Yan, His Majesty says that if you are unwilling, he won't force you."

Yan Xiao stood up. His deep gaze seemed to cross the long years and fall straight on the imperial edict. After a long pause, he spoke with resolve. "Your subject accepts the decree and thanks Your Majesty for the favor."

A little scene:

Song Qingyan: "I want to marry Lord Yan!"

Maid: "Princess, you two are like fire and water. Have you forgotten how many times you made Lord Yan furious?"

Song Qingyan: "That's perfect! I'll just make up an excuse. He'll definitely refuse!"

Maid: "Princess, Lord Yan has agreed to the marriage!"

Song Qingyan: "What! That Yan Xiao is so devious, he's deliberately taking revenge on me!"

Maid: "You said yourself that you admired Lord Yan and wanted to marry him."

Song Qingyan: "That was just a temporary measure! A temporary measure!!!"

Reader's guide:

[The setting is fictional, with institutions modeled on the Ming dynasty. There are many original inventions, so please don't nitpick.]

[The heroine was born with a double iris in her left eye. Her childhood name is Yuanyuan, and when traveling she uses the alias Zheng Yuan.]

[Happy ending, both leads are each other's first and only. The author's note in Chapter One has detailed content warnings.]

[Reason for entering the Growth and Comeback event]: The heroine faces many hardships and gives her heart to the wrong person, ultimately paying for the mistakes of her previous life with her life. After being reborn, she gradually finds resolve and shines as she grows.

Thank you for reading~

The blurb was screenshotted in September 2022.

Theme: Rest by the mountains, embrace the sea, and welcome spring.