[I really want to start a taboo, melodramatic, thrilling historical romance. Only the madmen of ancient times can go a little crazy without so many restrictions. Modern stories have far too many limits~ Please add it to your reading list~ I want to start this book!]
Emperor Jingyuan of Great Wei had six sons. Of them, Prince Huan and Prince Qin were the most famous. They had fought each other openly and in secret for years, and were considered the likeliest heirs to the throne. No one knew Emperor Jingyuan favored Prince Chu. In the end, however, it was Prince Yan, Yuwen Xun, usually quiet and the least conspicuous of all, who ascended the throne.
After ascending the throne, Yuwen Xun's first decree had nothing to do with the people's welfare or matters of state. Instead, in accordance with the late emperor's final wish, he honored Consort Su of Xingqing Palace as Empress Dowager and moved her to a new palace to enjoy her later years. The people of the empire all praised the new emperor's filial piety.
The new emperor even declared that he would offer the whole empire to her, to comfort the late emperor's spirit.
Only Su Dai knew how vile and shameless this man was, and how little he cared for proper boundaries!
During the late emperor's funeral, his personal attendant saw the new emperor behind the coffin, holding Consort Su, dressed in white and once deeply favored by the late emperor. He gently toyed with her earring with his right hand, his thin lips pressed to her ear as he whispered something to her.
The attendant was horrified. The new emperor, disturbed, looked impatient and utterly cold. He gazed at the man as if he were already dead, and the attendant knew he would not live through the night.
In the first year of Shengwu, Emperor Zhaowen made frequent visits to Qingning Palace, staying for the entire night each time. Every servant in the palace had been personally replaced by the new emperor.
Su Dai could call to Heaven, but no one would answer. She could call to Earth, but no one would hear.
As the red candles flickered, Yuwen Xun, who had visited Qingning Palace day after day and seemed insatiable, looked at the frail beauty beneath him. At last, some of the anger that had been building in his chest for days eased.
He bent down and whispered into her ear, "If you run away again, Jiaojiao, everyone in Qingning Palace will have to be replaced once more."
Su Dai's whole body ached. Her eyes were unfocused, and she swallowed back the tears welling in them.
She knew exactly what he meant by "replaced."
She hated him.
Theme: Know your place and behave
