Monarch and Ministers

[Cool and haughty empress x gentle, humble minister]

As the eldest imperial daughter, Li Haisu volunteered to leave the capital and go to her fiefdom to avoid attracting attention.

On the way to take up her post, she unexpectedly met Zhang Yueqing.

He had clear, handsome features and a gentle face, and his figure was like a tall bamboo grove.

Li Haisu gradually fell for him, unaware that Zhang Yueqing had known her identity all along and had deliberately approached her.

-

Later, Li Haisu was summoned back to the capital and made heir to the throne. But after a year apart, Zhang Yueqing had become the top scholar in the imperial examinations.

With red lips and white teeth, wearing a black gauze cap and a vermilion official robe, he rode along the Imperial Avenue, taking in Chang'an's profusion of blossoms.

The two met by chance on a narrow road on a rainy night. Zhang Yueqing held an oil-paper umbrella, his figure tall and slender, his dark eyes hidden beneath it.

Li Haisu could not avoid him. As she passed by, he suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Li Haisu said coldly, "Let go."

"Your Highness, are you still unwilling to forgive me?" Zhang Yueqing asked with a bitter smile.

*

After Li Haisu ascended the throne, the ministers submitted memorials one after another, urging her to marry. After thinking it over for a long time, she agreed.

Zhang Yueqing stood below the steps, his expression despondent, his hand at his side slowly clenching into a fist.

That night, Zhang Yueqing barged into Li Haisu's bedchamber and offered himself to her.

Li Haisu blushed furiously and scolded him for his audacity, but he was unfazed.

His eyes clear and bright, he stammered, "Your Majesty is choosing a husband. May I ask what you think of me?"

[Reading Guide]

- An imaginary setting modeled on the Northern Song Dynasty

- Both leads are each other's first and only

- He wins back his wife's heart / mutual devotion / older woman and younger man

Theme: The ruler's propriety and the minister's loyalty