The Ailing Beauty in the Golden Cage

1. Hua Rongjian is sickly and beautiful. He can't stand the slightest breeze or cold, or he starts coughing up blood and could die.

He was the ninth prince of Yan, born of the same mother as his elder brother, the crown prince.

Yan was a small country with a weak army. To secure peace, they sent him far away as a hostage, where he endured three years of torment.

The imperial physician said he had little time left. If he took good care of himself, perhaps he could last another three to five years.

His elder brother, now the new emperor of Yan, pitied him and promised to make it up to him. He granted Hua Rongjian the title of Prince Guangcheng, showed him exceptional favor, and promised him anything he wanted.

After three years as a hostage, Hua Rongjian was gravely ill and had become indifferent to everything.

He cared nothing for luxury or power and profit.

In the face of public criticism and private mockery, he always let it pass with a smile.

He thought he could finally spend his remaining years in peace. But then an enemy nation invaded with overwhelming force. Yan's army was no match, and the country was on the verge of destruction.

On the eve of the fall, his elder brother came to see him. He clasped Hua Rongjian's hand tightly and couldn't get a word out before his eyes reddened.

Hua Rongjian understood. As a prince, he had been born into a life of luxury, sustained by the people. For the sake of Yan's people, he would be sent away to the enemy once again.

This time, he might never return.

2. Mu Bihan is the regent of Li. As a young man, he was once sent on a diplomatic mission to Yan, where he met an interesting boy.

The boy was lively, cheerful, clever, and mischievous. He was handsome and adorable, and easy to like.

Unfortunately, his station was low. He was only a study companion to the princes.

Still, Mu Bihan liked him, so before leaving, he planned to ask the emperor of Yan to give the boy to him.

But the boy was secretly executed for some unknown offense. The order came from none other than Hua Rongjian, the ninth prince of Yan!

Clutching the little jade pendant the boy had left behind, Mu Bihan sat by the window and listened to the rain all night.

From that moment on, he secretly plotted how to make Yan's ninth prince suffer a fate worse than death.

And he did.

He just hadn't expected Hua Rongjian to be so tough. After three years as a hostage, he was still alive.

He'd heard Hua Rongjian was stunningly beautiful, with a face as lovely as a woman's. Mu Bihan wasn't interested in beauty, but he could find a way to marry Hua Rongjian off to the lecherous young emperor.

3. On Hua Rongjian's first night in Li, his old illness flared up and he writhed in agony.

But the palace attendants of Li wouldn't leave him alone, accusing him of faking it.

With no other choice, Hua Rongjian forced his sickly body into wedding clothes. But the moment he stepped into the hall, he collapsed from exhaustion.

He fell into a man's arms.

Before losing consciousness, he thought he saw the handsome older brother he'd once admired as a boy. Without thinking, he asked the question he'd kept buried in his heart for years: "Do you have my jade pendant? Could you give it back to me? It was a keepsake from my mother."

Mu Bihan felt as if he'd been struck by lightning, a bitter sweetness surging in his mouth.

So the person he'd spent years seeking revenge on was actually the one he'd cherished for years?!

And now he'd married the young emperor and become his nephew's male consort??!

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