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A brief romance in a past life, a pair of enemies bound by mutual affection in this life.
The brave and resourceful crown prince of a doomed state x a discreet, deep-thinking merchant woman
During the warring years among the states, Jin was the weakest of the five great powers.
In the thirteenth year of Jin Yuan, in Yuhang, Jin, a brother and sister from a merchant family became famous in the capital.
The elder brother, Cheng Rui, entered the civil service examinations and earned the top score on his first try, gaining an audience with the emperor.
The youngest sister, Cheng Zhao, ran the family business, supporting her brother's political career. Wealth flowed in like water, and she was generous to those in need.
Everyone praised Cheng Rui's boundless prospects and brilliant future. Yet, after only three days in office, he was constantly targeted by the crown prince, and even the Cheng family's merchant alliance came under pressure.
Overnight, the Chengs went from being admired by everyone to being shunned.
Countless people were baffled.
Even those around Crown Prince Lian Jing knew only part of the story. The prince's resentment toward Cheng Rui was nothing compared to his hatred of Rui's sister. He had even hired people specifically to assassinate that woman, who never showed her true face. No one knew when she had offended the prince so badly.
In his past life, Lian Jing was heir to the throne and did everything in his power to recruit the Cheng siblings. But when the nation teetered on the brink of destruction and its borders fell, the two led the way in defecting to an enemy state.
He alone was left of the former court. Cheng Zhao kept him as an unnamed favored consort. The pain of losing his family and his country was etched into his bones. Night after night, the thought of atoning for his failures took root, and he survived on nothing but his hatred and desire for revenge. He gave himself to Cheng Zhao, plotting his revenge step by step until he could assassinate the ruler who had seized his country.
Now that he was reborn, he targeted Cheng Zhao not to avenge the resentment he had felt at being her favored consort. Though they had had no official relationship in their past life, they had shared every kind of intimacy, and it could not quite be called coercion. Their nights of passion had been real, but tenderness never took root.
Besides, during his days as Cheng Zhao's favored consort, he had deeply felt how formidable she was. She was not only skilled in business, but also exceptionally adept at wielding power and understanding human nature.
She made her allies support her willingly, and made him willingly offer himself to her.
But in the end, they were not on the same path. He bore the weight of the nation on his shoulders, and could not let the Cheng siblings grow into a colossal threat to Jin.
"If our positions were not opposed, could we have met again as strangers?"
"I have no feud with you. Why go this far? I hope you will show mercy, and that we can go our separate ways from now on."
"Cheng Zhao, I won't let you help Chu. Either die, or become my strategist and serve me alone."
"Your Highness, a partnership requires something in return."
#Recorded for review on 2025.6.29
#Coming soon.
Theme: Hatred is love's reflection in a mirror
