A Female Emperor Romance About Rekindled Love

Xie Ping'an took in an orphan girl. Before she turned eighteen, she was Xie Achun, the younger sister who shared his hardships and depended on him. After she turned eighteen, she became Li Yaoguang, the late emperor's orphaned heir, and ascended the throne in Luoyang.

From then on, Xie Achun, stubborn and hot-tempered, fearing neither Heaven nor anyone else and never bowing her head, became Li Yaoguang, mild-tempered and steady, fond of smiling and skilled at lowering herself before others. With the great clans holding all the power, a puppet empress had to learn to humble herself, even treating her true feelings as bargaining chips, just to live with some dignity.

Only Xie Ping'an felt for her.

Since childhood, he had given Xie Achun anything she wanted.

On a whim, she said she wanted him, and he agreed.

She insisted on going to the capital, willing to repay his "life-saving favor" with a child. Even after their lovemaking left him feeling as if he had been tortured, he could wipe away the blood he coughed up, force a smile, and ask, "Are you hungry? I'll go cook."

So Xie Ping'an couldn't bear to see her suffer.

He thought the capital was no place to live. It was time to take her home.

But Li Yaoguang wanted to be empress. She had wanted it since childhood.

There were many things she wanted to do, but none of them involved going home with him.

When they met again, Li Yaoguang hurled every cruel word she could at Xie Ping'an.

"The two of us are even now. Why come all the way to the capital and keep pestering me?"

"It was just a fling. Taking it seriously ruins the fun."

"I enjoy delicacies and fine dishes now, far better than the rough tea and shabby hut I had with you back then..."

But Xie Ping'an always looked at her with the same warm eyes he had as a child, and smiled.

He said, "It's all right, Achun. Do whatever you want. I won't stop you."

"But I'll always be standing as close to you as I can. All you have to do is turn around, and you'll see me."

Li Yaoguang had long since stopped believing in people's hearts. Yet even after she fell from the throne and became a criminal, a rebel, a stray dog everyone cursed and hounded... whenever she turned around, Xie Ping'an was still there behind her.

Again and again, he steadfastly pulled her back from the abyss of self-exile.

Li Yaoguang suddenly understood: wherever Xie Ping'an was, she could go home.

**Rebellious, unconventional empress x gentle, devoted husband**

[Please Read Beforehand]

1. A slow-burn ensemble historical drama, beginning when the heroine is ten. The early part focuses on rural life, while the middle and later parts focus on court politics.

2. The heroine grows over time. This is not an empowering wish-fulfillment story, and it includes childbirth.

3. The dynasty is fictional, with some elements borrowed from the Wei and Jin periods. Many details are the author's inventions, so please don't nitpick the historical accuracy.

4. An important supporting character in the court-politics plot is connected to the modern era, so the story is categorized as an ancient-times transmigration novel.

Theme: Refusing to accept one's fate is the essence of destiny