Deep in the Courtyard, Spring Nears Its End

In her previous life, she was Princess Anning. The moment her father was sent to the executioner's block and her mother drank poison and took her own life, she leapt from the towering city wall, ending her short and brilliant life.

In this life, she stands on the palace steps, gazing at the frail old woman in the hall above. A faint, almost casual smile crosses her face. "Empress Dowager, if you think I'll save your grandson, you can forget it."

"Why?" The Empress Dowager, her hair graying and her face filled with despair, cries out in fury. "How has our royal family ever wronged you? Yu'er was going to make you Crown Princess!"

Crown Princess? Who wants that?

Her father poured his heart and soul into this empire and fought in blood-soaked battles to bring it to where it is today. And how did the emperor repay them?

With slaughter! With ingratitude!

How could she, returned from hell, foolishly throw herself back into it? All she wants is to destroy it! Those cold-hearted people don't deserve to sit upon that lofty throne!

Reborn, Ye Zhaoqing swears she'll uncover who plotted all of this and destroyed her life!

If gods stand in her way, she'll kill gods. If Buddhas stand in her way, she'll kill Buddhas!

But at some point, a figure appears on her path. When she risks sneaking into the palace, he covers for her. When she recklessly confronts the Imperial Noble Consort, he unhesitatingly holds a blade to the woman's throat. He takes every blow for her.

He says, "Qing'er, whatever you want to do, I'll support you."

She looks at him with equal seriousness. "Murong Shen, you're the Crown Prince's tutor and the chancellor. You have a brilliant future ahead of you. There's no reason to ruin everything for yourself over someone as ill-fated as me!"

"How is that ruining anything?" He smiles happily. "If I weren't hoping to clear the path for you someday, why would I have taken on the thankless job of chancellor?"

The chancellorship, with power over the entire court, and he actually finds it tiresome.