In her previous life, Jiang Lingyu was drugged by her stepmother and forced to marry a wastrel from her father's superior's household. Her elder half-sister, meanwhile, entered the palace through the selection and won the emperor's favor.
But later, her husband rose from a down-and-out wastrel to a high-ranking official, earning her a noble title and treating her with incomparable devotion. Her elder half-sister, however, was framed in the inner palace and ultimately died by the noose in the cold, desolate palace.
When she opened her eyes again, she was back at the moment her stepmother had coaxed her into drinking the drugged wine.
Unexpectedly, her elder half-sister reacted quickly, raised her head, and swallowed the wine herself.
Her elder half-sister said, "Mother, I've long been in love with him. Why not send my younger sister to the palace to enjoy a life of luxury?"
Jiang Lingyu was at a loss. "...What?"
But she soon figured it out: perhaps she wasn't the only one reborn. Her elder half-sister, Jiang Yunsu, might have returned to the past too.
Unfortunately, her elder half-sister only knew how prosperous her life had appeared in her previous life. She didn't know that behind the scenes, Jiang Lingyu had endured her mother-in-law, fought her husband's concubines, and poured her heart and soul into helping him rise to success.
It wasn't that she was deeply in love with her husband. She knew how hard life was for women: when one prospers, all prosper; when one falls, all fall. How could true feelings compare with the wealth and status of a household?
And when it came to wealth and status, where could be better than the imperial harem?
If she was going to secure her own future either way, how could a first-rank noblewoman's title compare with becoming empress, mother of the empire?
Jiang Lingyu rose steadily through the ranks and became more and more at home in the harem. But at some point, the cold and heartless emperor began looking at her with a curious expression...
Reader's Guide:
A palace intrigue story. Neither lead is a virgin. The male lead has a harem and will eventually dote exclusively on the heroine, but to be fair, the heroine will also have a harem later on.
Theme: Strive for progress and live positively.
Brother, Are You Asleep?
Since Ancient Times, Crybabies Have Conquered Yanderes
After a Whirlwind Marriage to My Fiancé's Older Brother
After Marrying in Place of My Legitimate Younger Sister
After Marrying the Wrong Twin
After My Nemesis Heard My Inner Thoughts
The Tower Conceals a Beauty (Both Reborn)
After a Night of Passion with My Mortal Enemy