In the Favor of the Emperor

(Written for fun, but the plot falls apart later. Don't read.) In her previous life, Jiang Lanyi was sent into the imperial harem by her father, only to die a miserable death in an abandoned well. Just before she died, she saw Xiao Chengzhou, the infamous ill-starred prince, ascend the throne with the old emperor's corpse beneath his feet. When she opened her eyes again, she had been reborn on the day the old emperor summoned her to his bed. This time, Jiang Lanyi refused to be anyone's pawn. She resolved to adopt Xiao Chengzhou, the one who could overthrow the dynasty, and use him to exact her revenge. But she thought she could tame the wolf lurking in the shadows, never realizing just how twisted he could be. She caught the young man clutching an old handkerchief that still carried her scent, desire churning in his eyes as he advanced on her step by step. At last, Xiao Chengzhou pinned her against the wall and, in a hoarse voice, uttered that forbidden form of address. “...You said you'd do whatever I asked.” She had meant to adopt the little wolf cub, but in the end, she became his empress. A forbidden love the world refuses to accept.