The villainous golden-caged bird confined to the imperial palace & the aloof beauty who has thrown in her lot with treacherous officials
Li Xuanfu, the current dynasty's eldest princess, is known for being pampered, noble, arrogant, and flamboyant, yet she is deeply favored by the emperor.
That favor, however, is only because Li Xuanfu's face resembles that of a deceased princess. Everyone looks down on her for spending her life as a perfect stand-in. So what? As long as Li Xuanfu remains the most favored person in the palace, what's wrong with being a stand-in?
The most villainous woman in the palace studies at the Imperial Academy, and of all people, she chooses to provoke the cold, unfeeling Grand Tutor Meng.
Meng Jintang was once a bright, moonlike young top scholar. But after his mentor was unjustly killed, he abandoned the light for darkness and aligned himself with treacherous factions at court. So what if his colleagues mock him? His official career is soaring, the emperor holds him in high regard, and his future in office is smooth sailing. Others can only envy him.
The treacherous official can't stand the villainess, so the villainess makes life difficult for him. They are a perfect mismatch, unable to get along at all.
But driven by their shared interests, the pair of villains reluctantly join forces:
During their first collaboration, Li Xuanfu loses her closest friend and is deceived by a man in matters of the heart. From then on, she holds a grudge against Meng Jintang and trips him up at every turn.
During their second collaboration, the court is rocked by political upheaval. With only one step left before the larger situation is settled, Meng Jintang hesitates, wondering if he has lost his heart amid all his careful plotting. In the end, he willingly lends his support to the eldest princess.
P.S. One-on-one, both leads are sexually inexperienced, tragic ending (a happy ending will be in a separate modern-day story).
The main characters have healthy values, and the story does not promote harmful ideas.
Theme: Devoting one's life to the people.
