The Eastern Palace was deposed, and Prince Zhao ascended the throne. In an instant, the imperial court was turned upside down.
As the officials bowed their heads, they speculated on how the new Emperor would purge the remnants of the former Crown Prince’s faction—especially the exceptionally brilliant second young master of the Gu family, Gu Ningxi.
Setting aside the fact that Gu Ningxi was a trusted confidant of the deposed Crown Prince, there was also the matter of the Emperor’s exile to Jizhou years ago: that imperial decree had been written by Gu Ningxi’s own hand when she was a junior compiler in the Hanlin Academy.
Inside the Imperial Study, Gu Ningxi arrived upon being summoned.
The Emperor, now holding absolute power, carelessly toyed with a resignation letter. “You are requesting a regional posting?”
Gu Ningxi pursed her lips. “This official is of limited talent and shallow learning. I hope Your Majesty will grant it.”
Lu Jing’s tone was indifferent. “It seems Yuanle is only willing to be loyal to my elder brother.”
Gu Ningxi lowered her eyes. “I would not dare.”
The Gu family was a prestigious clan of illustrious lineage. Because they had once supported the deposed Crown Prince, they were treated with cold neglect by the new dynasty.
The sons of the Gu family were walking on thin ice in the court. After much deliberation, the family decided to sacrifice Gu Ningxi as a chess piece to slightly appease the Emperor’s wrath and signal the clan’s submission.
Her father coldly informed her of the family’s decision. Her mother, the only one who doted on her, could only comfort her in private: “It will only be a death in name. When the time comes, we will bring you back, restore your identity as a woman, and find a good marriage for you.”
Gu Ningxi did not say a word. She locked herself in her room for three whole days.
As the sun rose on the fourth day, she felt just as she had when the Gu family first sent her to be the Crown Prince’s study companion—her life had never been her own.
“Lord Gu, please enter.”
The doors of the Imperial Study closed behind her. Gu Ningxi knelt in the center of the hall and submitted her request.
“I wish to remain in the imperial court.”
The young monarch looked down at her from his high vantage point. Beneath the crimson official robes, a jade belt traced a waist so slender it seemed a single hand could encircle it.
“Oh? Then I suppose everything else is for me to dispose of as I wish?”
Male Lead’s Perspective:
“A childhood friend, yet you supported my brother and became my enemy.”
“The person I have set my eyes on naturally belongs to me.”
“If she wants power, I can give it all to her.”
In the end, the Emperor joked with his friends: “I am nothing more than the Empress’s General of the North.”
Reading Guide:
1.
A non-typical rebirth story. The female lead’s dreams are scenes from her past life; she will gradually regain some of those memories.
2.
1v1, both leads are “pure” (virgin).
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