The Palace of Changmen Locked Away

[The chase-back burning-house trope / faking death and running away while pregnant]

On the day the decree naming a new empress was issued, Gu Lingyun painfully turned down the proposal of the man she loved. She looked at her father, suddenly grown old, a loyal court official with great power, and said softly, "Father, don't worry. I will do everything I can to keep the Gu clan safe."

But the Gu family's influence had grown so great that it threatened the throne. No matter how Gu Lingyun negotiated with the emperor, the entire clan was ultimately sentenced to exile.

On the day the Gu family fell, she shed her fine clothes and waited in plain garments for the emperor's final reckoning.

Instead, the emperor said:

"If you'll just humble yourself before me, you may no longer hold the position of Empress, but I can still grant you the title of Consort."

The emperor's deep-set eyes were hidden behind the twelve strings of beads on his crown. Gu Lingyun lowered her gaze and smiled.

That night, the Pepper Chamber Palace went up in flames.

Three years later, in a little attic in a border town, Gu Lingyun had a lovely daughter and a husband who served as the town's defender and loved her with all his heart.

Life without being empress was so carefree and happy.

But on a snowy night, she was summoned to a heavily guarded residence. The young emperor came close, his hoarse voice brushing her ear, word by word: "Come back to the palace with me, and I'll spare your husband and child."

[Bonus Scene]

In the eighteenth year of Zhaoning, the emperor led an army north to reclaim lost territory.

On the eve of the northern campaign, the emperor stood with his hands behind his back atop the border-town walls and remarked with a smile, "If I weren't emperor, being the town's defender would be wonderful too."

The attendants all bowed their heads and dared not speak. Only the emperor's confidant knew that the place he had been looking at was the former home of the empress.

[Reading Guide]

1. A chase-back burning-house trope, plus faking death and running away while pregnant. The heroine won't remain faithful to the hero; she's very open-minded and progressive. The hero has no other women in his harem at any point, and both are devoted to each other in body and mind.

2. There is more to the heroine's family's downfall than meets the eye; the blurb contains a misleading twist. The hero is the ultimate example of someone whose words are hard but whose heart is soft.

3. While the heroine is involved with the second male lead, the hero is a morally upright man who crawls around in dark, twisted thoughts.

4. Light political intrigue. The setting is fictional, with many original details, so don't worry about historical accuracy.

5. The second version of the blurb was revised on June 19, 2025.

Theme: True love