To You, My Silken Tresses

Wu Zhenjin was granted three arranged marriages in her life, but only once did she almost give her heart away.

One was the top scholar she had painstakingly sponsored,

One was the Second Prince she had deliberately seduced,

And one was the exalted Emperor of the Xu Dynasty.

Everyone envied her peerless beauty, praised her brilliant schemes, and feared her ruthless resolve. They watched as she climbed step by step from a lonely orphan living under another's roof to the position of Empress, becoming The Outcast, beneath only one person and above tens of thousands.

But only Wu Zhenjin knew that she had never cared for wealth and glory, not even a little. From beginning to end, she had exhausted every means and plotted with all her heart for only one reason: to seek justice for the 667 lives unjustly lost at Red Furnace Stronghold!

"If Your Majesty is willing, I will forever be the sharp blade in your hand!" - The top scholar

"Mother Empress, when you wake in the middle of the night, have you ever felt even a trace of regret?" - The Second Prince

"Zhenjin, now that I have you, my heart is at peace." - The Emperor

May the thousand sails pass by, and may someone still remain who has never let you down.

On her wedding night, the old Emperor died, and Wu Zhenjin became the most honored Grand Empress Dowager of the Xu Dynasty.

Her eight-year-old grandson ascended the throne, and the Grand Empress Dowager ruled from behind the curtain.

An eighteen-year-old woman held power and issued commands to the realm. The officials refused to accept it and secretly conspired. On the very day the young Emperor ascended the throne, they welcomed back the Second Prince, who had supposedly died on the battlefield, and put him forward as regent. They asked the Grand Empress Dowager and the regent to govern together, so they would keep each other in check.

Little did they know that, after meeting in Shu years ago, the Second Prince had knelt outside the old Emperor's bedchamber for two days and two nights, all to beg for an imperial edict granting him a marriage and allowing him to wed the woman he loved: Wu Zhenjin.

Night fell, and all was silent. Wu Zhenjin helped the young Emperor review memorials.

The regent, who had cut a dashing figure in the daytime, reeking of alcohol, sternly ordered the trembling young Emperor out, then pulled Wu Zhenjin, who struggled ceaselessly, into his arms.

His eyes brimmed with tears, and every word was soaked in grief.

"Mother Empress, why don't you ask me how I survived the battlefield?"

"Mother Empress, why did you have to abandon me?"

1. An imagined dynasty.

2. The male lead is a fake prince. The Imperial Guard sent to find the child mixed him up with another baby.

3. Neither lead is a good person in the traditional sense. Both are career-minded, though the male lead is more of a romantic.

Theme: I give you my youthful years, and wish you peace and safety.