[Updates at 9 p.m. Apologies for any missed updates.]
Chu Qing goes to court for the first time in ages, only to spot a familiar face in the great hall.
The boy she once bossed around is now a powerful minister, standing near the front in an exceptionally fine purple robe.
The instant their eyes meet, Chu Qing trembles.
She remembers how vindictive the boy was. Now that he's risen to the highest ranks, surely he'll take revenge!
Sure enough, Shen Jue asks for the Princess Royal's hand in marriage right there and then. Terrified, Chu Qing rushes straight back to the Princess Royal's residence after court.
If Heaven gave her another chance, she'd treat Shen Jue well.
Watching Chu Qing flee, Shen Jue is deeply frustrated.
Has she found someone new?
He's been so absorbed in official duties these past few years that he hasn't been there for her much. Looks like he'll have to visit her more often.
Later, Shen Jue stands amid the flames of war, smiling at her with a blade in hand.
"A Qing, come to my side."
*
[Coming Soon 1] Conspiring for the Realm
*
Fu Shulan is constantly targeted by Gu Hengyue at court. After court, she casually kidnaps a man to keep as a lover, giving him her rival Gu Hengyue's name.
If she can't deal with Gu Hengyue, finding a stand-in to vent her anger on will do just fine.
She never expected to have kidnapped the real man and brought him home.
But Gu Hengyue doesn't expose her. The two of them tacitly play along.
At first, Gu Hengyue only wants to use the opportunity to collect evidence of her crimes, so he goes along with the misunderstanding. He doesn't expect to lose himself in the act.
"Hengyue, are you loyal to this princess?"
"From the day I first saw the Princess Royal, I have never wavered."
"Would you die for me?"
"I would brave fire and water for you, Your Highness. What is one life worth?"
If he could, he'd rather never have become the Grand Chancellor.
The first time Fu Shulan embraces Gu Hengyue of her own accord, it is amid bloodshed.
A dagger pierces his body, and understanding fills her heart.
"Gu Hengyue, only the dead cannot betray me."
"Gu Hengyue, I love you."
"When I have achieved my ambition, I'll let you be buried beside me."
*
[Coming Soon 2] After Marrying Down, the Princess Ascends the Throne
*
Chu Lingxian is a renowned prodigy of the Ji Dynasty, but she was born frail and has always been kept from the affairs of court.
Wei Zhiheng, whom her father chose as her husband, is always at odds with her.
No one believes in her. After all, the empire doesn't need a frail emperor.
Wei Zhiheng doesn't bother to hide his disdain for her talent. "Your Highness, with your constitution, you'd be better off giving up on the throne."
Their marriage is nothing more than a way to stabilize the dynasty.
Later, the haughty Wei Zhiheng bows before her.
"Your Highness, do you want the throne? I can seize it for you."
She watches Wei Zhiheng become a powerful minister step by step, then hand her the throne.
Heaven says she can't do it, but she'll prove she can!
*
When Wei Zhiheng first marries Chu Lingxian, he looks down on her at every turn. Being a princess's consort is all it takes to bind him for life.
He assumes Chu Lingxian forced the marriage, never imagining that she has no interest in him.
All she cares about is the throne.
At some point, Wei Zhiheng begins longing for Chu Lingxian day and night, wishing only that she would look at him once.
When he brings up the throne, at last, he sees himself reflected in her eyes.
For that one look, Wei Zhiheng would gladly endure anything.
Being a puppet isn't so bad after all.
So Wei Zhiheng thinks.
*
Theme: Success depends on human effort.
