Purge the Court of the Emperor’s Traitors

Fu Chanyuan was born with no need to lift a finger. Her Ninth Uncle served as an official at court and helped her marry into the Eastern Palace. She became Empress Zhaoming and lived a life of wealth and splendor. It was only when a raging fire reduced her glorious dream to ashes that she learned the truth: the emperor had long been critically ill, powerful ministers controlled the court, and even the secret guards her family had raised from childhood had become the blades with which a young general slaughtered a city. The history books record only that in the thirteenth year of Zhaoming, Empress Chongren bewitched the nation with her charms, conspired with powerful ministers, indulged in depravity, burned the emperor alive in Zhaoming Hall, then killed herself in shame. But no one knew that amid the flames that day, her frail and beautiful imperial husband fell from his carriage and begged her to spare his life. His plea was answered only by a sword through the heart. She threw herself into the fire, and at last, the two of them had been husband and wife for a lifetime. Heaven have mercy. If they could not grow old together, then sharing a grave would have to be enough. But Fu Chanyuan was reborn on the night she paid her respects to Ninth Uncle. She had not yet married the Crown Prince. Only now did she learn that her mother was the emperor's sworn younger sister and commanded a secret guard organization. After her mother fell ill, everyone in West Window was silenced by the emperor. Fu Chanyuan tore up the marriage contract. She thought, It was all wrong. All of it. Who said she could only become another man's wife? This time, she would live again for herself. She donned a disguise, took command of West Window, and pledged herself to the weakened Crown Prince, Shen Xuansu, her husband in her previous life. - West Window served as the royal family's secret guard, clearing the court of the emperor's enemies. Everyone at court feared them. Yet that night, at the Crown Prince's palace in the distant suburbs, the Crown Prince of Zhaoming summoned her to an audience. Beyond a beaded curtain, his phoenix eyes lowered as his pale fingertips toyed with the wick of an ever-burning lamp. “Has the young lady of the Fu family come to pledge her allegiance?” The Crown Prince's voice was as soft as spring snow settling on branches. The beaded curtain lifted, and at last she saw the Zhaoming Emperor as the world beyond the women's quarters saw him. She was so shocked that a chill ran down her spine. The aloof man before her was unmistakably the frail, ailing husband from her previous life. Yet his words were cold and sinister. He bore no resemblance at all to the gentle young lord she remembered. Even in her previous life, she had never heard such hatred in his voice. The Crown Prince of Zhaoming gazed at her with pity and beckoned her closer to prove her loyalty. “I am presumptuous.” Chanyuan gathered her black robes and knelt on one knee. “I know only this: if Your Highness wants the realm, I will be your most loyal hound.” The Crown Prince lifted her chin. “And if I want you to be more than my secret guard, if I want you as my concubine, what would you do?” Chanyuan stared in panic into Shen Xuansu's eyes, only to realize there was not the slightest trace of jest in them. * Not a concubine, a wife. He's just too stubborn to admit it. Both leads are reborn. They both pretend to be weak while hiding their strength, and neither wants to repeat the past, so they make choices completely different from those they made in their previous lives. The heroine is immensely popular, free-spirited and uninhibited by nature. She dares to love and hate, and stands tall and proud. The hero is gentle, with a dark side beneath his fair exterior. In public, he is rational, restrained, and frail; in private, he is lovesick to the point of madness. There is a great deal of romance, plenty of drawn-out prose, and lots of detail. The author likes extensive setup, so the story may be a slow burn and may not be especially thrilling. If that bothers you, this may not be for you. At its heart, it's still just a story about two hopeless romantics. One-on-one romance, both leads remain faithful to each other in this life! Faithful! Faithful! Happy ending! Feel free to leave praise or criticism; whether to stay or go is up to you. What happened to my perfectly good husband? Why did he turn bad? vs. What happened to my perfectly bad wife? Why did she turn good? Theme: Travel across mountains and rivers and taste every flavor life has to offer; only then can you say you have lived without regrets.