After the Emperor Betrothed Me

During the rebellion at Mount Li, Crown Prince Wei Jue is trapped for seven whole days. In a damp, freezing cave, the proud and haughty man tells Lin Shuang, “The victor becomes king, and the vanquished are condemned. I have no regrets about dying, but there is one thing I regret.” Before she can answer, Wei Jue continues, “I wish I could see you in a wedding dress.” Lin Shuang doesn't reply, but tightens her grip on the hand of the pale man resting against her shoulder. * Lin Shuang has served at Crown Prince Wei Jue's side since she was six. She is both his most capable maid and his most trusted female aide. The rebellion is put down, and Wei Jue ascends the throne. Lin Shuang is so lucky. Years of devotion, and now she's distinguished herself protecting the emperor. Surely she'll be made a consort and rewarded. That's what everyone thinks. But on the very day the new emperor takes the throne, Lin Shuang is granted in marriage to Lin Hanzhi, a palace guard who distinguished himself in quelling the rebellion. Everyone else sees Lin Shuang as a laughingstock, but she doesn't mind. She grew up in the Eastern Palace and knows that an emperor's favor for his consorts lasts only as long as he wishes. A life as a wife of the household is much freer. Besides, this fulfills the wish he voiced that day at Mount Li. Lin Shuang thinks she'll spend the rest of her life in quiet peace, but on the Emperor's Birthday, just as the fireworks fade, the wise and virtuous new emperor reaches for her hand in the darkness. He calls her by her childhood name, his voice hoarse and unsteady. “A Yu, I regret it...” * Wei Jue once believed that the most heartless place in the world was the imperial family. He thought nothing could ever hold him back. Once something was no longer useful, he would discard it without hesitation. Like Lin Shuang. He thought giving her up would be as easy as abandoning a favorite toy from childhood. He never imagined it would feel like tearing his own flesh and blood from his body, a pain that would break his heart. One on one, single-couple pairing, first time for both, happy ending, groveling arc Coming soon: The First Year of Widowhood In the first year of her widowhood, after the mourning period ends, Qin Shu travels south to Jiangnan with a friend to clear her head. In the misty rain of Jiangnan, among the bridge shadows and rippling water, she sees her supposedly “deceased” husband aboard a black-canopied boat. A gentle woman leans against him, holding a swaddled baby in her arms. Their tender expressions make them look like a happy family. * Looking back on her three-year marriage to Song Yuzhang, it wasn't the stuff of fairy tales, but they treated each other with respect and courtesy. Even though he died in an accident, she still believes he lives forever in her heart, just as she secretly loved him for the ten years before their marriage. She can go on loving him all by herself. The moment she sees her “dead husband” again, her feelings surge like a dam breaking. Only then does Qin Shu understand that even ten years of love can vanish in an instant. * From the day he faked his death and disappeared, Song Yuzhang has had a vague feeling that he'd set out on a road with no return. That unease doesn't fade with time. It only grows stronger, reaching its peak the moment he reunites with Qin Shu. He even appears suddenly at Qin Shu's wedding, certain she'll throw herself at him again, just as she did ten years ago. She wears red, radiant and dazzling, just as she was when she married him. But this time, she's marrying someone else. Her gaze holds no lingering tenderness, only coldness. “My late husband died in the year I loved him most.” Theme: Don't let fear of losing what you have consume you. Fight for what you want.