After Breaking Off the Engagement, I Became the Bloodthirsty Mad Emperor’s White Moonlight

Lin Zhaoyue, the former Empress of An Guo, dies a tragic death in the Cold Palace on the day Emperor Xiao Yan crowns his true love, Liu Yiyi, as the new Empress. At twenty-six, she is emaciated and suffering from consumption, having spent a year in imprisonment after her family was executed. Through the memories of her final moments, the reader learns that Xiao Yan married her only to use the Lin family’s military power as a shield while protecting Liu Yiyi, whose maternal family was politically weak. Liu Yiyi, the secret daughter of Marquis Xuan Ping, revealed that Xiao Yan forged a treason letter to eliminate the Lin family, resulting in the public beheading of one hundred and ten family members, including Lin Zhaoyue’s father and brothers. Heartbroken and betrayed, Lin Zhaoyue dies with her name uncleared and her family’s honor destroyed, regretting that she ever fell in love with Xiao Yan.

Lin Zhaoyue awakens to find herself reborn sixteen years old, back in her family’s residence before the tragedy unfolded. She is alive, her parents are safe, and her engagement to Xiao Yan is still pending, set to take place in three months. Realizing she has been given a second chance, she resolves to break off the marriage and protect her family from the fate that destroyed them in her previous life. Her demeanor changes drastically; she no longer fawns over Xiao Yan or indulges in jealousy. When she encounters Xiao Yan and Liu Yiyi at a palace ceremony, she coldly rejects Liu Yiyi’s passive-aggressive apologies and refuses to compete for the Crown Prince’s attention, leaving both of them confused by her sudden indifference.

Her transformation does not go unnoticed by Xiao Yan, who begins to scrutinize her behavior. He confronts her in the palace corridors, noting her fear and hatred, which are alien to her previous affectionate nature. Later, Lin Zhaoyue accidentally witnesses Xiao Yan murdering an assassin at Huguo Temple, triggering a traumatic episode that recalls the bloodshed of her past life. Xiao Yan knocks her unconscious to silence her and takes her to the Eastern Palace, warning her not to covet what does not belong to her, specifically implying she should not desire his heart. He makes it clear that while she will be Crown Princess, she must remain obedient and accept his love for Liu Yiyi.

Determined to end the engagement, Lin Zhaoyue confesses her dream of the future to her parents. However, her father reveals that Liu Yiyi is not, in fact, the lost daughter of Marquis Xuan Ping, contradicting the information Lin Zhaoyue received in her previous life. This revelation complicates her understanding of the past events and suggests that the course of history may have already shifted or that her memories were incomplete. Despite her parents’ skepticism about her dream, Lin Zhaoyue realizes she cannot simply annul the marriage herself without causing political scandal. She decides she must find a way to make Xiao Yan initiate the breakup. Meanwhile, she begins to investigate the Lin family army for traitors and seeks to prevent the impending Bei Jue invasion that devastated her previous life. Her actions draw the attention of various factions, including the mysterious master of Xiao Yan, who warns the Crown Prince that Lin Zhaoyue’s changing nature might lead him to develop genuine feelings for her, a development he must prevent.

Lin Zhaoyue continues to navigate the treacherous court politics with a newfound coldness and strategic mind. She distances herself from Xiao Yan, refuses his gifts, and focuses on strengthening her family’s position. Her relationship with her loyal maid Qingzhu deepens, as she resolves to protect those she lost in her past life. The story follows her efforts to uncover the truth behind the Lin family’s downfall, identify the traitors within her family’s ranks, and dismantle Xiao Yan’s plans without revealing her knowledge of the future. As the wedding date approaches, the tension between Lin Zhaoyue and Xiao Yan escalates, with the Crown Prince becoming increasingly obsessed with understanding the source of her transformation.