The Young Female General Is Cold-Hearted (Women's World)

The kingdom fell. The treacherous king and his corrupt ministers met a tragic end after making a pact with a tiger. Afraid of being violated by the rebels, Wu Jingchen took his own life.

Reborn, Wu Jingchen sees Huo Qiyu as his lifeline. Whether it's for his empress mother, for Western Chu, or just an excuse to cling to Huo Qiyu again, he blocks her as the ministers leave court. Relying on his status as an imperial prince, he knows Huo Qiyu wouldn't dare lay a finger on him in front of everyone. Wu Jingchen, his face flushed, rises onto his toes and kisses the corner of her lips.

Sure enough, the ministers erupt in an uproar.

But this farce doesn't unfold the way he imagined.

His mother is furious. Outside the court hall, she orders Huo Qiyu to receive thirty strokes of the rod, then has her escorted back to the General's residence and placed under house arrest, forbidden to leave without permission.

Wu Jingchen feels terribly guilty. Worried sick and burning with anxiety, he comes down with a high fever for three days. His royal father has no choice but to ask the empress again. At last, she relents and lifts Huo Qiyu's house arrest.

But after all that, when Wu Jingchen sees Huo Qiyu again, he can't get close to her. He spends several sleepless nights fretting over it.

Being reborn is so unbelievable that Huo Qiyu certainly won't take his word for it easily.

And now he doesn't even have the chance to speak to her. For once, the dignified imperial prince is at a loss for what to do.

At a palace banquet, he stages an accident and spills her imperial wine. In the dressing chamber, he sobs so hard he can barely catch his breath and blocks her from leaving.

"Huo Qiyu, can't I offer myself to you? You... you're not allowed to go."

Huo Qiyu calmly raises a hand and wipes away his tears. "Your Highness, are you really sure you want to do this?"

"Once we've consummated the marriage, Mother will definitely agree to betroth us. Sob..."

Wu Jingchen reaches to undo the belt of the person in front of him. In between sobs, he suddenly realizes Huo Qiyu isn't resisting at all. He looks up in bewilderment, letting his tears fall as he meets her eyes.

Huo Qiyu's eyes are narrow, their outer corners slightly raised, giving her a naturally sharp look. Now, her expressionless gaze fixed on his, she holds the back of his head and kisses him.

"Then I'll take a gamble with Your Highness and see if things really can go as you wish."

Their night together is urgent and fierce. After his initial delight, Wu Jingchen starts to falter and pulls rank, ordering Huo Qiyu to stop.

Huo Qiyu acts as if she hasn't heard him. She doesn't get off the bed until the palace attendants he called arrive and open the doors. Then, wearing only his undershirt, she kneels on the floor to beg forgiveness.

"I lost control while drunk and behaved disgracefully. I deserve to die. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Wu Jingchen wraps himself tightly in the quilt and curls into a ball, stealing a hopeful glance at his mother.

The Western Chu emperor wears her imperial crown, making her expression impossible to see. That night, every palace attendant who witnessed the scene is executed, while the ministers are sent away from the capital under the pretense of promotions that are really demotions. The matter is treated as if it never happened, and quietly put behind them.

Wu Jingchen can't believe it. Confined to his bedchamber, he feels as if the sky is falling.

That night, Huo Qiyu appears before him. She runs a fingertip over his lips, her face cold as she leans down to whisper in his ear.

"Your Highness, you never see through anyone around you. Do you really not know that I'm not the only one with a heart of stone? Your mother has one too."

Theme: Stones can be warmed, but the human heart is hard to fathom, unless it already faces its own sun