Rebirth at the Marriage Decree Banquet: The Scumbag Crown Prince Calls Me Imperial Aunt

Shen Yao is the sole surviving daughter of the Shen family, a lineage of generals who served the Great Sheng Dynasty with their lives. After her father, brothers, and uncles perish in battle against northern invaders, she is left alone in the General’s Manor. In her previous life, the Emperor arranged for her to marry the Crown Prince, Xie Jingchu, believing it a fitting reward for her family’s sacrifice. Shen Yao had harbored a secret affection for him since childhood, but the marriage proved disastrous. Xie Jingchu refused to consummate the union, subjected her to relentless humiliation within the Eastern Palace, and callously permitted others to mistreat her. Upon discovering that he viewed her as a burden and felt only disgust, she requested a divorce. Before she could leave, she died and was reborn, returning to the moment the Emperor offered her hand in marriage at age seventeen.

Armed with the memories of her tragic past, Shen Yao rejects the Crown Prince in front of the entire imperial court. Instead, she declares her desire to marry Prince Jing, Xie Yuan, the Emperor’s younger brother. Xie Yuan is a celebrated military hero who has lain in a coma for two years following a severe injury sustained in the northwest. The court is shocked, as marrying an unconscious man means Shen Yao would effectively be a widow for life. However, Shen Yao is resolute. She knows that in her previous timeline, Xie Yuan eventually woke up, though he was left permanently crippled. She intends to marry him to escape her fate with Xie Jingchu and, more importantly, to care for him and ensure he regains his health. She plans to divorce him once he recovers, believing he likely has a woman he loves and would welcome the freedom.

The wedding proceeds, and Shen Yao moves into Jingwangfu. She discovers that the prince’s residence is divided into two factions, with the powerful Aunt Zhou managing the outer household while the inner courtyard remains under the loyal service of Qiushan, a one-eyed deputy general. Shen Yao asserts her authority immediately, managing the household with a balance of kindness and discipline. Meanwhile, Xie Jingchu is consumed by confusion and irritation. He had assumed Shen Yao’s rejection of him was a ploy to gain his attention, and her genuine indifference leaves him unsettled. He falls ill with a fever, plagued by dreams of their past and a growing sense of loss, though he refuses to acknowledge his true feelings.

On the night of the wedding, Shen Yao lies beside the unconscious Xie Yuan, vowing to care for him. The next day, she encounters Xue Suichuan, a notorious libertine and Xie Yuan’s cousin, who is drunk and lecherous. Later that night, Xue Suichuan sneaks into Shen Yao’s chambers, intending to assault her under the false belief that Xie Yuan is permanently incapacitated. As he overpowers her, Shen Yao fights back, grabbing a heavy iron sword. At that critical moment, Xie Yuan’s eyes open. He awakens, disarms Xue Suichuan with a terrifying display of lethal intent, and drives the intruder away. The shock of the attack and the surge of emotion trigger his full recovery from the coma, a fact confirmed by the imperial physicians who note that his condition was stabilized by this intense stimulus.

Xie Yuan, now awake and aware, confronts Shen Yao. He questions her motives for marrying him, sensing her desire for a divorce. Shen Yao admits she only sought to save him from neglect and intended to leave once he recovered. However, Xie Yuan refuses to let her go so easily. He leans against her, claiming her presence as his anchor, and begins to assert his authority over her. The dynamic shifts from a marriage of convenience to a complex struggle for control, as Xie Yuan decides to keep Shen Yao by his side, while she must navigate the political dangers of a recovering prince and the lingering obsessions of the Crown Prince.