Category: Fake Prince

On the twelfth day of the second month, during the Flower Festival, Jiantai City was filled with blossoms tucked into hair. They called it: “On this birthday of a hundred flowers, all heads are crowned with spring’s bloom.” And since this day was also his husband’s birthday, how could Fu Ye not join in when…

The New Year passed, the weather grew warmer, and spring arrived. By the second month, the roses at the Spring Court Hall had begun to bud. The signs of spring were everywhere. Since being made Prince of Changfu, Chief Eunuch Qin had been kept on in the palace by the emperor to enjoy his retirement.…

Fu Huang settled into the warm sedan chair, its curtains shutting out all the wind and snow outside. Inside the sedan, the fragrance of Spring’s Promise in the snow surrounded him, its comforting warmth like Fu Ye at his side. He closed his eyes, the phoenix-shaped eyes lowering with a soft, upturned arc at the…

Now that the realm was at peace, the court and nation alike seemed renewed and full of promise. The Empress Dowager, who had spent half her life fretting over the Fu clan’s ancestral legacy, now felt at last that she could lay down her burdens, leave the palace, and devote herself to the Buddha in…

If the Empress Dowager knew why his voice had gone hoarse, she’d probably faint on the spot. As Fu Ye sipped the loquat syrup, shame washed over him at the thought. Then he began to recall—what exactly had he cried out last night? Things like, “Give me everything,” and, “I’m dying…” Truly, when passion takes…

He passed through the hanging flower gate, braving the falling snow as he pushed open the doors of Chun Chao Hall. This hall truly lived up to its name now—their very own Spring Court. And yet, he could no longer bear the scent of that clove balm. Just the faintest whiff, and his whole body…

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and in less than an hour, the entire imperial palace was blanketed in silver. Today, everyone in the palace—whether maidservant or eunuch—wore festive red robes. A long line of eunuchs in crimson, each carrying food boxes, wound their way through the mist of snow. The black lacquer boxes in…

The moment he laid eyes on him, tears welled up uncontrollably. His emperor was indeed thinner than before. His skin had darkened a bit, the angles of his face more pronounced, his features carved sharper by hardship—but that only made him seem more steadfast, more resolute. There was now the bearing of a true sovereign…

Fu Ye carefully put away the letter and asked, “Has the Empress Dowager heard the news yet?” Prime Minister Xie’s voice still trembled with emotion. “Her Majesty must have heard the drums and bells. She’ll surely know by now.” Fu Ye turned to Eunuch Qin and said, “Master Qin, help me change my robes. We’ll…

On the last day of the tenth month of Longxing’s sixth year, the Great Zhou army advanced straight toward Shuangluan City—the capital of Great Liang. Shuangluan City. Legend had it that when Great Yong’s founding emperor, Emperor Chen Shengzu, personally came to this land, two seven-colored luan birds appeared in the sky, their dance graceful,…

Fuhua Temple, on the outskirts of the capital. After two days of heavy rain, the surrounding mountains and forests were shrouded in a thin mist. This was a sacred Buddhist sanctuary, and now, with the Empress Dowager here fasting and praying, it was quieter than ever. But at this moment, the silence was broken. A…

Although the Emperor still managed to send letters almost every day, as the army drew farther and farther from the capital, the delivery of news became increasingly delayed. The Empress Dowager, perhaps worn thin by worry, decided to retreat to Fuhua Temple to fast and pray. Fu Ye, meanwhile, officially began his duties as regent.…

Shuang Fu saw His Majesty enter and quickly bowed low to pay his respects. Fu Ye turned and saw Fu Huang. His face flushed red. That morning, he had still been wrapped in Fu Huang’s arms beneath the red canopy, lingering in tender closeness for quite a while. Now, perhaps because the daylight was too…

The imperial palace was especially lively today. Groups of officials filled the road from Dongchen Gate all the way to the walkway outside Qingyuan Palace. It had been a long time since His Majesty last held court, and the palace hadn’t seen such a gathering in years. Now, led by the palace eunuchs, civil and…

Qin Neijian thought to himself: What does an emperor even need to prepare for a wedding? He’d never had to handle something like this before. From what he knew, an imperial wedding ceremony was a huge, elaborate affair. But clearly, His Majesty and the prince wouldn’t need anything on that scale. So what about a…

Fu Ye thought about how the past couple of days had left him anxious and on edge, his face worn and haggard. He was so tense, he figured even Fu Huang would start worrying if he saw him like this. Now, with Huang Tianyi’s unstoppable momentum, Fu Ye recalled an old saying—that a person’s thoughts…

Though his eyes were fixed on the memorial in his hands, Fu Ye’s mind wasn’t entirely on what he was reading. Fu Huang—this man wasn’t gentle in the least. Just like his hands: scarred, hardened with calluses earned from years of archery and horseback riding since his youth. Even now, as emperor, he did not…

In ancient times, drums were used both to send messages and to mark the hours. Along the main thoroughfare of Jiantai City, there was a watchtower every five hundred paces. Among them were six larger towers, each fitted with a main drum several meters in diameter and twenty-four accompanying smaller drums. Normally, these would sound…

At Prince Huan’s residence, dusk had fallen. A few maids were lighting lanterns shaped like little birds as they moved through the courtyard. Since His Majesty had visited the prince’s estate today, the steward had issued new clothes for them. The maids had all brought out their finest jewelry from the bottom of their chests,…

Once the Emperor and the Prince had entered, Steward Jin and the others took charge of receiving the palace attendants who’d come along. The crowd of onlookers outside could only gape as those elegant, finely dressed palace maids carried box after box of treasures through the gates of the Prince’s residence. The maids, meanwhile, were…