With a towering coiffure and extravagant finery, on the day the most noble princess of Chen came of age, she took a liking to Wei's unwanted hostage prince.
Chen Jiaxi pulled a hairpin from her cloudlike coiffure and gave it to him. Wei Qi then entered Jiaen Palace as the Chen princess's lamp-lighting servant.
He served her for five years.
On the day Chen Jiaxi was to be married, the King of Chen died suddenly. A young king was hurriedly enthroned, and his mother was Lady Li, who hated Chen Jiaxi most of all.
Chen Jiaxi was imprisoned in Jiaen Palace, shut away from the light of day, while her husband, Wei Qi, vanished without a trace.
Later, when Wei's iron cavalry broke through the city gates, Chen Jiaxi learned that the unwanted hostage Wei Qi, now the crown prince of Wei, had been the one who opened the gates from within.
She was given a cup of poisoned wine, but could no longer tell whether it had come from Lady Li or Wei Qi.
When she opened her eyes again,
she had been reborn as someone else, yet was still Wei Qi's lamp-lighting maid.
The first thing Chen Jiaxi did after waking was get close to Wei Qi, then look for a chance to kill him!
Nothing went smoothly, and she only made Wei Qi test her suspicions again and again.
He arranged for her to have Chen's exclusive tea, and even let her investigate the death of the King of Chen.
Only when her identity was revealed did Chen Jiaxi learn that every last detail had been arranged by Wei Qi to lure her into his grasp.
Then Wei Qi drank a cup of poison himself and took his own life in atonement.
She truly couldn't escape his schemes.
"When that poison entered my stomach, the agony was unbearable. I wanted nothing more than to kill myself."
Chen Jiaxi's hatred surged. "How could you understand? How could you possibly understand?"
Wei Qi only smiled. The candlelight flickered, reflecting a clear glimmer in his eyes.
His gaze suddenly turned fierce.
He picked up the cup of poisoned wine on the table and drained it in one go.
"Now I understand," he said softly, his eyes shattered with anguish.
Chen Jiaxi stared at Wei Qi in horror.
"You're insane!" she cried.
Wei Qi smiled even more broadly. Blood slowly spilled from the corners of his mouth, his beauty ruinous and ravaged.
"If you die, I won't shed a single tear for you."
Chen Jiaxi clenched her teeth. Wei Qi lay in her arms, breathing faintly, but still struggled to lift a hand and touch her face.
"Liar. You've already cried."
Wei Qi's lips curved. "Little liar."
Chen Jiaxi blinked. The cold hand on her face fell heavily away.
1. One-on-one romance, both leads' first relationship, happy ending.
2. Content warnings: The heroine isn't a self-sacrificing saint and will use people to achieve her goals, though she's not evil. The hero becomes the heroine's shadow later on. My knowledge of the subject is limited, and I mixed things together recklessly, so please don't expect historical accuracy. I can't think of anything else for now. Feel free to leave a comment if you spot something worth mentioning.
3. To clarify: The male lead wasn't behind the bad things. Only the heroine was reborn, and the original body wasn't really the original person either. This is revealed in the main story.
Theme: Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it.
