2025/2026
A late-blooming gem, gentle yet edged with sharpness.
I want to be emperor, and that is not all.
A jaded antique shop owner who has given up × a clear-eyed, forthright, ambitious eldest princess
1. Xiao Yue's parents divorced when she was young. After graduating from college, she inherited her grandfather's antique shop and became a halfhearted shopkeeper, doing nothing all day but lie flat.
Just when she thought she could see the end of her life, Xiao Yue suddenly traveled back to ancient times and became a princess.
When Xiao Yue opened her eyes, she found herself in a dilapidated, freezing cold palace, shivering as her body nearly froze solid.
Xiao Yue: A disastrous start from the very beginning.
She had planned to coast through life in ancient times and find a way back, but reality wouldn't let her lie flat.
The crown prince staged a coup, a plague ravaged Xiangnan, a prince rebelled, and the people suffered.
Xiao Yue's memories of this period in history gradually blurred. Living through it, she felt as if too many people were pushing her forward.
Her younger brother choked back tears. "Elder Sister, I can't be a good emperor."
The empress dowager clasped her hand tightly on her deathbed. "Wanyu, go forward."
The treacherous imperial tutor from the history books reached out to her. "Your Highness, I will be right behind you."
She had seen people starve to death in the streets, countless soldiers die in vain, and elderly ministers shed tears of blood as they remonstrated before the throne, dying for their cause. The souls of these people became a sharp sword in her hands, cleaving open the world before her.
She bore the hopes of so many people. She could only keep moving forward without restraint.
2. His elder brother had died needlessly on the battlefield. His father had gone gray overnight, and with his dying breath, he said one last thing to He Zhen.
He said, "Qishu, protect the He family. Don't forget your brother."
Dressed in plain white, He Zhen walked at the head of the funeral procession.
Later, he sat for the imperial examinations for the first time, topped the rankings, and became famous overnight.
He Zhen became the imperial tutor in a time of chaos, but the new emperor was stubborn, cowardly, and timid, making He Zhen question his choice time and again.
Until he met the new emperor's elder sister, the eldest princess of the realm.
From that moment on, his hatred for his country and family, and the countless sorrows in his heart, finally had somewhere to belong.
3. When Xiao Yue first met He Zhen, she only remembered him as a treacherous minister from the history books. She hadn't expected him to look so much like a fox.
He Zhen went to great lengths to attract her attention, then pretended to hesitate before agreeing to work with her. After that, whenever Xiao Yue saw him, she could almost picture his big fox tail wagging behind him.
Xiao Yue: The imperial tutor looks exactly like a seductive consort.
At her birthday banquet, she teased He Zhen with a smile. "Imperial Tutor, will you wish me a fine husband and a life of luxury?"
Unexpectedly, He Zhen replied solemnly, "No. I wish Your Highness dominion over the realm and a place in the annals of history."
He didn't just want to be the one in her heart. He wanted to be her guest in court, the sword in her hand, and the piece on her board.
Theme: You must always keep moving forward
