But one day, his rival appeared and ruined his plans.
That day, the Empress traveled incognito and encountered danger on the road. She was saved by a handsome man, and feelings quietly blossomed.
In truth, though her harem held thousands of male consorts, the Empress had never favored a single one.
She had never wanted this so-called consort selection in the first place. It was all to appease those old ministers who had served three dynasties.
Since ancient times, emperors had never lacked successors, for heirs were of the utmost importance.
As the Empress, she was naturally no exception.
Her previous favor toward Xu Ze had been because he was well-read, talented, and skilled at governing the nation, which was why she had made him a male prince.
It was not as the rumors claimed, that Xu Ze had gained her favor. Yet this rumor suited the Empress just fine, so she never bothered to refute or explain it.
This world was filled with empires. Xu Ze belonged to the Nine Heavens Xuan Kingdom, whose Empress, Xuan Yao, possessed peerless beauty.
Yet she was cold and dignified, ambitious and wise, devoted to her people—a diligent and excellent Empress.
Under her rule, the empire had grown powerful, its people lived and worked in peace, and all things flourished.
The Nine Heavens Xuan Kingdom was also one of the most outstanding among the many empires.
However, apart from a very few veteran ministers, the civil and military officials throughout the court were hardly worthy of praise. Otherwise, how could Xu Ze have bought them off with nothing more than a handsome-man scheme?
As the saying went, once people were well-fed and warmly clothed, lustful desires arose. The Nine Heavens Xuan Kingdom had become far too comfortable, and especially in recent years, hidden