After the Grand Princess Is Reborn, the Chief Grand Secretary Can No Longer Sit Still

[Rebirth + Political Intrigue + Strong Male and Female Leads + Extensive Foreshadowing + Serious Ensemble Drama]

[An alluring, winsome Grand Princess with a sweet exterior and a ruthless heart + An autocratic, fiercely jealous Chief Grand Secretary]

[Please Note: This Is Not a Wish-Fulfillment Story!!!]

As a princess, Zhao Huiluan was cherished beyond measure, yet she died in the prime of her life.

Only after being reborn did she discover that all the favor and adoration she had once taken pride in were nothing but illusions.

Power was only truly secure when held in her own hands.

By the time her tireless maneuvering brought her to the age at which she should have died, she had become the most exalted woman in the realm.

She strengthened imperial authority, purged the inner court, and helped her young brother ascend the throne;

She took control of the Eastern Depot, eliminated political enemies, and stood toe-to-toe with the Grand Secretariat.

Everything that was hers to do-and everything that was not-she did it all.

Everyone believed the Grand Princess was the person the Chief Grand Secretary hated most in all his life.

Little did they know that, of all the women in the world, he had eyes for her alone.

-

At first, Rong An thought he must have lost his mind. Just because a young woman said, "I like you," he had stayed in the imperial capital, a veritable den of vipers.

Later, she proposed joining forces with him and helping him enter the Grand Secretariat, the very heart of power. As though bewitched, he agreed again.

Still later, he entered the Grand Secretariat and held power in his hands-only for the court officials to kneel before the Grand Princess and beg her to oversee the government.

Rong An flew into a rage. "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Yet when she gave him a radiant smile, he found himself thinking that perhaps this was not so bad after all.

Much later, one day,

He and Zhao Huiluan had a terrible argument and parted on bitter terms.

That night, he dreamed that he had placed first in all three levels of the imperial examinations, only to choose a provincial posting outside the capital. He also dreamed of Zhao Huiluan kneeling before heaven and earth, pleading with gods and mortals, before finally taking her own life by slitting her throat.

When Zhao Huiluan rose early and pushed open her door, she found a man who had stood there all night, frost clinging to his brows, staring at her with bloodshot eyes...