On the night the rebels laid siege to the city, Lin Ruolan was taken hostage to blackmail Cheng Zhaoming. Without hesitation, she leapt from a high tower, helping her beloved take the city and ascend the throne.
When she opened her eyes again, she had become a princess sent from a neighboring kingdom to Liang Qi to cement a marriage alliance. After entering the palace, she meant to come clean, but she kept spotting Cheng Zhaoming in the harem. Thinking he was chasing after the women there, she was so furious she nearly had a heart attack.
"Well, well, are you planning to follow the path of a ruler who loses his kingdom? Want people to rise up against you too? Fine, then I'll make sure you don't have a moment's peace!"
So Lin Ruolan started causing trouble in the harem. She disrupted its order, openly and behind the scenes, rallied the consorts to play cards and trade gossip, and even badmouthed Cheng Zhaoming.
She loved making life difficult for Cheng Zhaoming. These were all minor offenses, and he couldn't do much to her. At most, he summoned her to attend him a few more times, but all he did was order her around. He never did anything else.
So afterward, she immediately went and spread gossip (rumors) to her besties:
"Yeah, that's right, His Majesty summoned me again last night. I spent the whole night grinding ink for him. There was so much left over, what a waste! Why didn't he just drink it?"
"He ate like he'd been starving to death, and made me bring him tea and water. He was so fussy. When he thought the tea was too hot, he glared at me!"
"He summoned me so many times and didn't do a thing! He just kept ordering me around! I swear, I think he's impotent."
Cheng Zhaoming, who heard every word: "..."
In short, she did whatever popped into her head and spread rumors to her heart's content.
But she was also afraid that the kingdom she had traded her life for would really be ruined by that shameless scumbag. So she adopted a secret identity to help him govern, finding ways to offer advice to the big fool she saw in him.
Under the princess's guise, Deputy General Lin was pretty thick-skinned. When she ran wild in the harem and Cheng Zhaoming punished her only symbolically, she simply assumed that her political vision and governing abilities were so impressive that she had won over the emperor.
Lin Ruolan: "He must admire me. Sigh, it's all because I'm too capable."
Cheng Zhaoming: "..."
But if you spend enough time by the river, sooner or later you'll get your shoes wet.
She was having a grand time causing trouble, until she ran into someone who truly loved Cheng Zhaoming. One day, her schemes backfired, and she got caught up in a jealous consort's quarrel. Having caused trouble and often been summoned by the emperor, she became the biggest victim.
"Then why don't you beg me?" the culprit asked, looking at the troubled princess with an amused expression.
"? You knew all along?"
"I'm not blind."
"Oh." You couldn't even tell who I was, so you are blind.
Under the princess's guise, Lin Ruolan thought to herself, then went on to curse Cheng Zhaoming for being fickle and two-timing, and once again swore to shut her heart to love and make the harem so chaotic that he would never know peace.
She never expected that before long, she would be pinned into a corner and forced to drop her secret identity and confess.
*
"When did you find out?"
"When you first entered the palace."
"?"
In response to her confusion, Cheng Zhaoming simply lowered his head and kissed her, then smiled without a word.
*
1. For the sake of the story, the female lead uses the name Gu Yilan after being reborn.
2. There will be an explanation for the emperor's visits to the harem. The blurb is just for fun. Although the female lead is goofy, she's actually ambitious: she adopts a secret identity to help govern and fulfill her political aspirations. But the author isn't very good, so please don't overthink the story. Just have fun reading it.
3. Please check out my historical romance next door, Why Did You Get Married Off in My Place Too?
4. Weibo: @Su Nanyuan
Saved on October 29, 2023
Theme: Good, very spirited.
