After the Marriage Alliance, the Mad Tyrant is Insatiable

Xie Hengwu, the third daughter of Changping Marquis in the southern kingdom of Nanliang, is secretly an orphan adopted by the noble household. To secure a temporary peace treaty with the northern empire of Beijiang, she is sent as a marriage alliance princess to the Beijiang emperor, Xiao Yanzhou. Upon her arrival in the frigid capital, she encounters Xiao Yanzhou, a ruler infamous for his tyrannical nature and cold demeanor. Despite her low rank as a Meiren, Xiao Yanzhou, suffering from a severe head ailment caused by ancient gu poison, discovers that Xie Hengwu possesses a rare natural fragrance that alleviates his pain. He orders her to reside in Shicui Palace, the quarters closest to his own Zichen Palace, marking her as his sole consort in an otherwise empty harem.

Xie Hengwu’s true mission is not diplomatic but assassinal. Agents from Nanliang and the Changping Marquis Manor have instructed her to poison or kill Xiao Yanzhou, promising her freedom in return. However, she is a cautious woman who loves her own life more than her homeland’s political ambitions. When an assassin disguised as a palace maid attempts to stab Xiao Yanzhou during a breakfast meeting, Xie Hengwu instinctively throws herself in front of the emperor, taking the brunt of the danger and shielding him with her body. This act of protection, whether calculated or reflexive, solidifies her position at court and draws the suspicion of Xiao Yanzhou, who is paranoid about assassination attempts linked to rival princes and the powerful Cui clan.

The political landscape is further complicated by the return of Empress Dowager Cui, Xiao Yanzhou’s mother and the head of the dominant Cui family. The Empress Dowager seeks to control the emperor through a mandated selection of consorts, aiming to place a Cui clan member on the throne as empress. She views Xie Hengwu as a temporary novelty that will eventually bore the emperor, planning to use her as a pawn to undermine Xiao Yanzhou’s independence. Meanwhile, Prince Qin, the emperor’s rival brother, challenges Xie Hengwu’s status by demanding she perform on the konghou, a Nanliang instrument, during a banquet. Xie Hengwu accepts the challenge and delivers a masterful performance, revealing skills cultivated by her adoptive family for political utility, which both impresses the court and deepens Xiao Yanzhou’s complex mix of possession and suspicion.

As days pass, Xiao Yanzhou keeps Xie Hengwu close, utilizing her fragrance to manage his chronic pain and headaches. He tests her loyalty repeatedly, oscillating between cruelty and unexpected tenderness, such as when he personally treats her waist injury after a clumsy accident. Xie Hengwu navigates these dangers with careful diplomacy, hiding her secret allegiance to Nanliang while trying to survive the treacherous palace politics. She discovers that the emperor’s illness is not merely physical but a lingering curse from his ascension, and that the imperial physicians are searching for a rare cure that requires ingredients only available in spring. The story follows Xie Hengwu’s struggle to balance her covert mission with her growing entanglement in the emperor’s life, as she becomes the central figure in a power game involving the emperor, the Empress Dowager, rival princes, and foreign spies.

The narrative establishes a tense dynamic where trust is nonexistent, and every interaction is a potential trap. Xie Hengwu must decide whether to continue her assassination plot, which risks her life and the stability of Nanliang, or to find a way to survive and perhaps escape the emperor’s grasp. Xiao Yanzhou, aware that she may be a spy but unable to discard her due to her unique value in managing his condition, keeps her under constant surveillance. The story moves toward a confrontation where the political machinations of the Cui clan and the secret orders from Nanliang will collide with the fragile alliance between the emperor and his marriage alliance consort.