My Beloved Subject Refused the Empress's Seat Again

Cherish one's talents and inner virtue, and be as gentle as jade

Time waits for no one; fragrance carries the way.

- The Fragrance That Remains

Jiang Ning, born into a family of perfumers and apothecaries in Jiangnan, transmigrated to the Yong'an Dynasty, where the culture of fragrance had fallen into decline.

In the modern world, she was a woman of great intelligence and eloquence. In the history books, she left a vivid and indelible mark.

"Jiang Ning was a native of Ding'an, Yongzhou. She suffered tragedy at an early age, but was moved by the unexpected kindness of a benefactor and was able to grow up freely. She loved fragrance from a young age, but had no books to read and no renowned masters to learn from, so she traveled east to study under Dan De. Dan De was in Jihuai, the old commandery, now the new prefecture of Dongzhou."

"In the thirty-second year of Tian'an, Jihuai was lost, and Ning wept bitterly. At the time, the regional fragrance routes had just begun. The emperor mourned the loss of Jihuai and, cherishing talent, appointed Ning to the office of Fragrance Commissioner, in charge of the Bureau of Fragrance..."

Unofficial histories say that Jiang Ning was so beautiful she surpassed heavenly fragrance, with a face like a celestial phoenix, as if an immortal had descended to earth. Her talent and charm were unrivaled in the capital. Yet no one was worthy of her. Her youth slipped away, and she remained unmarried, spending all year in a manor east of the capital, depressed except when attending the regular court assemblies.

Jiang Ning: What kind of wild history is this?

The former Crown Prince, now the new emperor, looked around, awkwardly trying to cover his embarrassment.

The emperor trembled as he said, "The position of empress is now vacant. Would you be willing to take it, my dear?"

Jiang Ning: ...

He's the emperor, so I'll have to turn him down politely~

Theme: Pursue a beautiful life filled with brilliance and fragrance