I’ve Seen This Emperor Before

After discussing it with my editor, this story will be completed and locked on November 14. The chapters that will become paid chapters are 23 to 63, so please don't buy them again if you've already read them!

In the second year of the Chengde reign, the new emperor holds a selection of consorts, and the capital is bustling.

Wang Xuan and the girls who have traveled from afar know very well that they're only here to go through the motions.

These candidates from the provinces are the best of a mediocre lot. In looks, conversation, and learning, they can't compare to the young ladies of the capital, so their chances of being chosen are slim.

The food-loving, sleepy Wang Xuan is especially unlikely to make the cut. She's already packed her travel money for the trip home.

In the imperial garden, the candidates are chatting merrily when the emperor's carriage passes by. They all kneel, holding their breath as they pay their respects.

Wang Xuan sneaks a look and can't help exclaiming, "I've seen this emperor before!"

Everyone laughs. "When have you ever seen him? A Xuan, are you dreaming?"

Wang Xuan: ...

Wasn't it in a dream, though?

Xiao Yu ascended the throne as a boy. The Empress Dowager refuses to relinquish power, while the court officials pressure him at every turn, molding him into a ruthless, sinister man who has little interest in women.

No one knows that, as a child, he had a strange encounter: he often met someone in his dreams, and the two of them talked about everything and were utterly close.

He could never find out who she was. Could she be Chang'e, sent down from the moon to comfort him in his loneliness?

On the day of the selection, Xiao Yu is utterly bored, until a familiar face appears before him. Suddenly, he understands:

He searched for her thousands of times in the crowd. Then, at last, he turns around, and there she is, where the lights are fading.

One couple, one pairing, sweet romance.

Please check out my upcoming story, "After Swapping Marriages, I Married the Heroine's Brother"

Su Mingyu and Lu Baozhu are frenemies. They secretly compete to outshine each other, but act like the closest of friends, promising never to part for the rest of their lives.

As it turns out, they really do marry into the same family.

Su Mingyu becomes the eldest son's wife, while Lu Baozhu becomes the favored second son's wife. They seem evenly matched, but each privately thinks she got the better deal.

Su Mingyu thinks so too. The eldest branch may have more rules, but they'll inherit the title one day. Compared to that, what does the old lady's favor amount to?

Then she has a prophetic dream. The Duke of Ying's family loses the emperor's favor, the eldest branch loses its title and falls into decline, while the second branch rises to the top thanks to its role in supporting the new emperor.

After waking, Su Mingyu insists on switching marriages. She could live on gruel for the rest of her life, but she won't let Lu Baozhu laugh at her!

*

Su Mingyu has just transmigrated into her new body, and the Su family is already in a complete mess.

She can't deny what's happened now. Even if she really switches the marriage arrangements, all she'll do is make herself a laughingstock. Su Mingyu knows all too well that the heroine, Lu Baozhu, is born with incredible luck and can bring prosperity to her husband. What good would a simple marriage switch do?

If that's the case, she'd be better off becoming family with her.

Su Mingyu sets her sights on the heroine's older brother. Since he and Lu Baozhu share the same parents, she might at least get a share of the benefits.

She is determined to marry Lu Ze.

The family praises the younger daughter for her noble sacrifice, saying there's no better way to turn enemies into friends than to cement the bond with a marriage.

Only Su Mingyu's mother knows her daughter best. "You usually can't stand that boy from the Lu family. You say he's dull, boring, and clueless about romance. Why have you suddenly taken a liking to him?"

Su Mingyu answers with a straight face, "Of course it's to annoy Lu Baozhu. As her elder brother's wife, I'll be like a mother to her. She'll have to call me Mother from now on."

Lu Baozhu, suddenly demoted by a generation: ...

Lu Ze, suddenly saddled with a daughter: ...

At first, Lu Ze only agrees to marry the spoiled, willful daughter of the Su family to ease tensions between their families. He never expects to fall hopelessly in love with her as time goes by.

At first, he's worried about how to keep her well fed and comfortable. Later, he wants to tear out his heart and give it to her.

Too late for regrets.

[Reader's Guide]

1. A light, fluffy story. A sweet, willful young wife vs. a stern, proper scholar. One couple, one pairing.

2. The heroine and her rival are frenemies, not mortal enemies.

Theme: Keep your feet on the ground.