Cen Jingshuang was once a Grand Secretary in the Imperial Cabinet. After being framed and thrown into prison, he endured untold suffering before finally being pardoned and demoted to serve as prefect of Yunzhou.
But Yunzhou was also home to a notoriously dissolute prince, who deeply resented Cen Jingshuang's arrival. Ignoring all bounds of propriety, he repeatedly provoked and tormented him, bent on putting him to death.
His directives were intercepted, his movements restricted, and even the medicine keeping him alive was confiscated by that bastard.
Cen Jingshuang endured it again and again, until at last he could take no more. Dragging his sick body along, he stormed the prince's manor with a sword in hand. Wiping the blood from his lips, he looked down imperiously at Xi Mingzhuo, pinning him beneath his foot.
Cen Jingshuang: "You want me dead? Fine. Then I'll take you with me. Neither of us is getting out alive!"
*
As a prince of the realm, Xi Mingzhuo was forced to remain in his fiefdom and play the part of a wastrel, putting on a show of brotherly affection to keep living in peace.
But the new prefect, who had traveled all the way from the capital, caught him completely off guard as soon as he took office. He revised policies, implemented reforms, opened up trade routes, and won the hearts of the people of Yunzhou.
His methods were shrewd and his eye was keen. With just one glance, he saw through the wastrel disguise Xi Mingzhuo had so carefully maintained.
Xi Mingzhuo gave ground again and again, until he had nowhere left to retreat. As Cen Jingshuang's murderous intent became unmistakable, he grabbed him by the throat, overpowered him, and pinned him beneath himself, smiling as he wiped the blood from the corner of Cen Jingshuang's mouth.
Xi Mingzhuo: "I'll return your words to you. Even if I die, I want to be buried in the same coffin as you."
*
From then on, the two became sworn enemies. Today, Cen Jingshuang sent him a dose of poison; tomorrow, Xi Mingzhuo returned a bottle of deadly arsenic. Each vowed to put the other to death, yet neither could get the better of the other.
In the end, they had no choice but to settle for an agreement and join forces, setting their sights on the world.
Cen Jingshuang was convinced that he and Xi Mingzhuo were merely playing nice and using each other. That was until he revealed his hidden strength, and the Imperial Seal, symbol of the emperor's authority, came into his hands. Xi Mingzhuo pressed close and restrained him on the golden dais.
The man who had once stood against him with every word had a dark look in his eyes. "The realm is yours. You are mine."
Unhinged, scheming prince gong (Xi Mingzhuo) x unhinged, frail beauty shou (Cen Jingshuang)
[Two unhinged men trade threats, clash head-on, and save each other]
1v1, happy ending
"The path I follow leads even through ten thousand calamities, and still I will walk it."
1. The shou is somewhat proud and looks down equally on all the powerful and privileged.
2. The gong is the biggest bastard among the current group of brats, especially early on!
[Screenshots taken on 2024.1.28]
[Second-edition screenshots taken on 2024.2.06]
Theme: Supporting each other and pressing forward together
