The Crown Prince No Longer Forces Anyone to Marry Him

Lu Yanshu died on her wedding day, surrounded by red candles.

Why did she die? She had no idea.

In her final moments, her seventeen years of life flashed before her eyes. She had never made a wrong turn or made an enemy of anyone...

No, perhaps there was one person: her husband, the current emperor, formerly Prince Su, Jiang Mingyi.

Lu Yanshu and Jiang Mingyi had been betrothed as children. They had agreed that once she came of age, she would marry into the imperial family and become Princess Su.

Everyone said she had risen from a humble branch to become a phoenix, joining the imperial clan and gaining boundless status.

But Jiang Mingyi was a sickly man, too weak to lift a hand or carry a load, and liable to topple in a gust of wind. He was not long for this world. Lively and spirited, Lu Yanshu never bothered to hide how much she disliked him.

Whenever people saw them together, they were a brightly dressed young woman bickering beneath a tree with a pale young man wearing a cloak in summer.

Fate had other plans. Before she could marry Jiang Mingyi, the emperor died, and his elder brother, the crown prince, suddenly passed away. Jiang Mingyi adopted his brother's child and was hastily pushed onto the throne.

She had thought that since she and Jiang Mingyi were so ill-suited, he would disregard the late emperor's decree and annul their engagement once he became emperor. Lu Yanshu was already prepared to become the laughingstock of Shengjing.

But instead, the chief eunuch at his side arrived with an imperial edict. "Third Young Lady, His Majesty says that no matter how unwilling you are to accept this marriage, it was the late emperor's decree. You will marry him whether you want to or not."

Lu Yanshu: ???

Had she just been forced into a marriage against her will?!

Though she disliked the way it happened, Lu Yanshu didn't mind becoming empress.

Jiang Mingyi was frail and had only the child he had adopted. With his constitution, his early death was inevitable. Once his adopted son ascended the throne, she would surely become empress dowager as his adoptive mother.

Becoming empress dowager while still young didn't sound so bad.

Then a blade sliced through the air and across her throat. If she could live again, Lu Yanshu thought, she would live to claim the place that belonged to her.

Jiang Mingyi loved the radiant girl who shone like the sun. Only she could still show him a little of the world's beauty.

Perhaps his instinct to survive made him desperate to seize that blazing light. Though he knew her heart belonged to someone else, he still forced her to marry him.

He had expected her to cry and protest, but never imagined she would take her own life so decisively, leaving his world without a trace.

As the last glimmer of light vanished into the darkness, Jiang Mingyi felt as if his heart and lungs were being torn apart.

He had only wanted her to look his way once more.

But if the price was her life, he would not do it again if given another chance.

Her lively figure appeared in his eyes once more. He didn't dare reach out, afraid the light would shatter.

Later, when he learned what she wanted, Jiang Mingyi vowed to spend what little time he had left helping her get it.

*Content warnings

- Set in an imaginary world. Don't overanalyze the details.

- Both leads are reborn.

- From the hero's perspective: a lively, carefree girl who is actually lonely and indifferent, paired with a lovesick hero who seems like he won't live long but actually really won't (just kidding).

- The writing is so-so.

- Blurb written November 29, 2024; second revision June 28, 2025; third revision August 25, 2025. Do not plagiarize.

Theme: Dreams are great. Pursue them bravely.