Did the Chancellor Rehearse with the Noble Consort Today?

[A brooding, possessive chancellor who tries and fails to remain noble and self-controlled x an ambitious, alluring imperial consort]

In the seventh year of Yongjia, the emperor fell gravely ill. Chancellor Pei took charge of the court, while Consort Yu held power behind the curtain. The two had never gotten along, and traded barbs in the Golden Throne Hall.

The court officials trembled, their legs shaking with fear.

Everyone said the chancellor and the consort were like fire and water, meeting each other as sworn enemies.

But after night fell, the usually composed and self-controlled Chancellor Pei could be seen with reddened, weary eyes, his burning body pressing down on the woman beneath him. Their dark hair entwined, their temples nestled together.

The woman beneath him furrowed her delicate brows, her red lips parting and closing as she stared, unfocused, at the dragon-and-phoenix canopy above. Like a fish out of water, she clutched the silk canopy with slender jade fingers and turned her head to evade the man's kisses.

"You were harsh to me today," the woman said softly, her words breaking apart as his body moved against hers.

He caught her chin and forcefully kissed those crimson lips. His thin lips wandered along her slender, upturned neck before settling behind her sensitive ear, making her shudder. "How would you like me to make it up to you, Consort?"

[Female protagonist's perspective]

Yu Rao was a pawn, one that Pei Zhiyan had raised with his own hands.

For two years at the Pei residence, she stayed by his side day and night, never leaving him. He taught her music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; the six arts of a gentleman; strategies for governing; and even the arts of the bedchamber. All so that he could offer her to the new emperor.

Yu Rao did not disappoint him. After three years of imperial favor, she bore the emperor's child. With the empress's seat left vacant, she held a position equal to that of a deputy empress.

She worked hard to play the part of a favored consort whose heart belonged only to the emperor. She competed with other women for his favor, bore his children, and took arrows for him, braving danger on his behalf.

An arrow pierced her right shoulder. Cradled in the emperor's arms, she spoke softly, as if she might drift away on the wind the very next moment. "As long as Your Majesty is safe, I can rest easy."

The emperor prayed for her recovery, granted a general amnesty, and announced that he would never take another consort. People sang of the deep affection between emperor and consort, saying they were a match made in Heaven.

She and the emperor stood hand in hand on the high platform, receiving the prostrations of the masses and the congratulations of the court. They smiled at each other, their eyes full of endless tenderness and love.

A cold, piercing gaze came from below the platform. Lost in the illusory dream of that moment, she did not turn to meet it.

That night, as thunder boomed and rain poured, he burst into her palace soaked through. Without a word, he turned her around and pinned her against a golden pillar carved with dragons. His large hands tore open her dress, ignoring her panicked pleas. His long fingers pressed hard against the scar left by the arrow wound, then traced down along her spine to its depths.

He leaned over her, his burning breath making her tremble all over. His hoarse voice sounded as if it came from the depths of hell. "You played the consort's role beautifully. Why not come back and perform it with me?"

A pretense mixed with true feelings. The first to fall in love is the loser.

Theme: True love comes first.