Married to Someone Else

Ming Yingliu had been Crown Princess for three years and empress for seven. She believed there was nothing left to argue about between her and Tan Yumiao.

She never expected to see her husband, the emperor himself, gazing at a newly widowed woman at the palace's year-end banquet.

She summoned a maid and found out what the two of them were to each other.

At the banquet afterward, she even heard people nearby mention Tan Yumiao's romantic history with women.

That night, the emperor came to the empress's Fengyi Palace as he always did.

Ming Yingliu was combing her hair in front of the dressing mirror when she heard Tan Yumiao mention that woman.

Feigning surprise, she said, "If Your Majesty feels for her, why not bring her into the palace and care for her under another identity?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Tan Yumiao from the corner of her eye. He held a book and pondered for a moment, seeming to think it inappropriate, but still replied blandly, "That would be good."

Ming Yingliu gripped the comb tightly and tossed it onto the table. Unlike usual, she did not cling to him, seeking his affection and intimacy.

But when she awoke, she had returned to her teenage years.

Unwilling to live through that distant, formal marriage again, Ming Yingliu did not mention Tan Yumiao to her mother. Instead, she turned her attention to a young top scholar.

Ever since waking up, Tan Yumiao had felt that something was missing. It wasn't until one day, when he saw Ming Yingliu out with someone else, that he realized what it was.

He thought that after ten years of marriage, they ought to become husband and wife in this life too.

Tan Yumiao stopped sticking to the rules. He climbed over her wall, wanting to make their relationship clear to Ming Yingliu.

But before his feet even touched the ground, he saw Ming Yingliu sitting by the window, complaining to her close friend in a sweet, coquettish manner:

"The top scholar is gentle and attentive. He's far better than Tan Yumiao."

"Besides, I don't want to ruin his marriage to the woman he loves. I don't want a married life where we treat each other with respect and courtesy!"

Theme: Let every regret fade away