The chaos of war had only just settled, and everyone was saying that the new emperor, Xiao Yunchen, was a cold, heartless madman who fed on human flesh and blood. Otherwise, he would never have slaughtered his parents and kin to claw his way to the throne over a mountain of corpses.
Yu Yao was bought for twenty taels of silver by the powerful chancellor and presented as a gift to this young emperor.
On the day she entered the palace, she wore nothing but a sheer veil. Drugged and weak, she collapsed at the emperor's feet, utterly humiliated.
Xiao Yunchen gripped her chin and said with casual disdain, "Since you're a gift, I should make sure to enjoy you properly."
It turned out the emperor didn't eat human flesh. Instead, he liked to toy with people's hearts.
He could cradle a beauty in his hands and kiss her gently, granting her countless favors and honors, then cast her into the Cold Palace the very next moment and make her kneel in the snow for three whole days, smiling as he watched fear and despair fill her eyes.
He was the sovereign, high above everyone else. Whether he bestowed thunder or dew, she had no choice but to accept it obediently.
Yu Yao was imprisoned behind the palace's red walls for three full years, battered from head to toe and broken in body and spirit.
Even death felt like a blessing.
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Xiao Yunchen had ascended the throne as a boy and believed himself well versed in the art of ruling, able to toy with everyone in the palm of his hand. Naturally, he never believed he could fall for a lowly woman.
But when he faced an empty room, his heart fell into chaos. He searched everywhere for Yu Yao and could not find her. At last, he experienced the despair she had once felt, only magnified until it pierced him to the bone.
It turned out that all the obedience she had shown him had been a trap.
And he had fallen into it step by step, until all he could do was bow his head and concede defeat.
Theme: Treasure the person by your side.
