(The blurb may be revised. The final version is the one posted when the novel begins.)
[Double Substitute Romance, Regret and Redemption]
"A man with a heart of iron and a face like jade, Su Yunheng, the most treacherous minister in the land."
Su Yunheng controlled the court and wielded power over all. With one hand, he could slaughter countless people; with the other, he could save the world.
Yet he married Jiang Mei, a low-born daughter of a concubine.
★
Everyone knew Jiang Mei had an unhappy marriage. Lord Su had married her only to make her a substitute for the empress, his moonlight in the distance.
Jiang Mei, however, didn't mind. She quietly did everything a wife was supposed to do.
On their wedding night, Su Yunheng didn't even show his face. Jiang Mei neither cried nor made a scene, spending the night alone.
When Su Yunheng casually tossed aside the cloud-embroidered purse she had made for him, she simply embroidered another one with a pattern he liked.
When Su Yunheng was in danger far from home, she rode alone for a thousand miles to save him. Tears in her eyes, she said, "A Yun, don't leave me behind."
Looking into her adoring eyes, he replied coldly, "You rode a thousand miles to throw yourself at me, just to make yourself feel virtuous. You don't need to compare yourself to her."
★
Until one day.
Su Yunheng seized power and rebelled against the throne. Moved by her wholehearted devotion, he saved the position of empress for her. But all he received in return was a divorce agreement.
She smiled as gently as ever, yet it was as if she were tearing his heart open.
"My A Yun has come back. The person you love is within your reach. What a perfect ending."
"Lord Su, it was all just a farce. There's no need to take it so seriously."
Only then did he realize that her gentle devotion had been meant for someone else all along. She had only ever looked at another person through him.
[Blurb written on September 16, 2023]
Theme: Be independent and self-reliant.
