Romance Version
Rong Jiuliu, the only imperial princess of the Xiling Dynasty, is Xiling's sharpest and most exquisite blade. She has always gotten whatever she wants.
But just as she was about to come of age, her childhood betrothal ran into trouble.
Ye He'an, Prince of Jing'an, had been Rong Jiuliu's fiance since childhood. Yet he was hopelessly in love with her half-sister, born to a different mother. He even knelt before the royal city of Xiling, declaring that he would give up everything to break off his engagement to Rong Jiuliu.
When the news reached the Eastern Palace, Rong Jiuliu smiled faintly and said softly, "After living in luxury for so long, people forget what it was like to go hungry."
Later, they say Cui Yan, the prized son of the Cui clan, and Lou Xianyue, the inscrutable Imperial Preceptor, became among the Eastern Palace's favored companions. Meanwhile, the Prince of Jing'an's influence collapsed overnight. One night, a man knocked on the Eastern Palace gates, his eyes red and his voice hoarse. "I beg Your Highness to show me mercy."
"Is that so?" Rong Jiuliu drawled, looking at the people behind Ye He'an with an inscrutable smile. "That depends on whether they agree."
####### Little Skit ####################
At the Eastern Palace's marriage negotiations, the young talents all showed up and fought tooth and nail for the princess's attention.
Cui Yan, the prized son of the Cui clan: "Your Highness, I've learned many interesting new things. Would you like to see them?"
The ethereal Imperial Preceptor, Lou Xianyue, his eyes full of flirtation: "Your Highness, at the Observatory, you once said that my fate palace bore the mark of a phoenix."
The bold and flamboyant young General Huo gritted his teeth and yanked off half his armor. "Rong Jiuliu, every scar on my back is for you! What, you think you can use me and then toss me aside?"
The powerful Chief Minister Lu Miao raised his eyes coldly. "Rong Jiuliu, I'm no longer the weak scholar you once looked down on. Would you care to try me now?"
The imperial princess looked at them all, leaning against the vermilion steps of the palace as she smiled. "I have treated every one of you with sincerity."
Plot Version
Ye He'an had known since childhood that his betrothed, the imperial princess in name, wasn't the true imperial princess of the Xiling Dynasty. The true pearl was the daughter born to a concubine, Chu Zhirou, who was raised in luxury by the Chu family.
So, following the wishes of the King of Xiling, he resolutely knelt before the royal city and asked to dissolve the engagement. Even years later, he still remembered the look on Rong Jiuliu's face. There was only mockery and disdain in it, not a hint of jealousy. From that moment on, he understood that the imperial princess had probably never cared for him.
So he helped Chu Zhirou oppose Rong Jiuliu at every turn, waiting for the day the truth came out, when he could see regret on Rong Jiuliu's face.
But he waited and waited, until at last she ascended the throne, surrounded by every kind of man.
P.S.
The heroine's name is Rong Jiuliu, taken from the phrase "nine streamers on the imperial banner," the ceremonial standard of the Son of Heaven.
This is a story centered on a powerful heroine. Her ambitions encompass the world, and men are just decoration!
[Reading Guide]
The second male lead gets his comeuppance. Everyone fights for the heroine's attention. The heroine loves power most, and romance is just another tool.
Theme: I trust neither Heaven nor fate. I trust only myself.
