[Possessive, fatherly emperor x clever, delicate palace maid, a noblewoman fallen on hard times | Mild forced courtship | Both are each other's only partner]
The new emperor, Xiao Jingchen, slaughtered the rebel faction and ascended the throne over a sea of blood. As the legitimate daughter of the Minister of the Secretariat, Yu Ning stood at the heart of political power and knew she couldn't escape being chosen for the imperial harem.
Everyone thought she might become empress. But after she was selected, a treacherous minister framed her family. They were all thrown into prison, and she was reduced to the lowest rank of palace maid.
Unexpectedly, on the very day Yu Ning arrived at the Laundry Bureau, her eyes swollen from crying, Eunuch Fu from the emperor's presence came to fetch her in person.
The old nanny following behind was terrified. Hadn't anyone said that Miss Yu and the new emperor were old acquaintances?
That night, the candles in Linde Hall burned until well past midnight. Xiao Jingchen left in a fury, leaving Yu Ning alone in the emperor's bedchamber.
The young woman seemed terrified of him now. Again and again, she whispered,
