The Empress is Mad and Charming, the Tyrant Bends for Her

Jiang Wantang was the neglected second daughter of Chancellor Jiang, raised in a remote rural estate since childhood while her elder sister, Jiang Wanfu, enjoyed the status of the Capital's First Beauty. Their fates appeared destined to diverge until an Imperial Edict for a concubine selection forced the Chancellor to recall Wantang. Wantang entered the palace in her sister's place, while Wanfu, having fallen for the ruthless Emperor Ji Wuyuan, married Wantang's childhood sweetheart, Xiao Jingheng, the young Marquis of Pingyang. In the previous life, Wanfu suffered in the Cold Palace after being abandoned by the Emperor, while Wantang married Xiao Jingheng, believing their union was built on genuine affection. However, Wantang soon discovered that Xiao Jingheng’s devotion was entirely reserved for Wanfu. He treated Wantang with polite distance, using her only as a placeholder while secretly visiting Wanfu in the Cold Palace, promising to rescue her. Heartbroken and betrayed, Wantang learned that her family viewed her solely as a disposable pawn. Her mother, Madam Qin, demanded that Wantang enter the Cold Palace to substitute for Wanfu, revealing that Wantang had been abandoned at age six because her father, Jiang Zhixu, harbored a deep, inexplicable hatred for her striking beauty, which he feared would overshadow his favored daughter.

The betrayal culminated during the Emperor's birthday celebration. Wantang waited for Xiao Jingheng at a pavilion, only to watch from afar as he embraced Wanfu under the fireworks, celebrating their reunion. Wanfu then confronted Wantang, mocking her as a mere substitute and orchestrating an assault by hiring thugs to defile her before she was forced into the palace. In a desperate act of defiance, Wantang fought back, killing the attackers and holding Wanfu hostage. Rather than submit to a life of misery, she leaped from the pavilion with Wanfu, choosing death over further humiliation. As Xiao Jingheng screamed in regret, both sisters died. However, their souls were reborn, returning to the eve of the Imperial Selection, granting them a second chance to rewrite their destinies.

Reborn, Jiang Wanfu immediately sought to correct her past mistakes. She publicly renounced her desire to enter the palace, declaring her love for Xiao Jingheng and accepting the marriage into the Marquis Estate. She manipulated her father into believing she had come to her senses, knowing that the Emperor was dangerous and that her previous path had led to ruin. Meanwhile, Jiang Wantang returned to the capital on the day of Wanfu’s birthday banquet. Dressed in plain white, she stunned the crowd with her unparalleled beauty, instantly eclipsing Wanfu’s reputation as the Capital's First Beauty. Wantang deliberately exposed her family’s cruelty, revealing that she had been abandoned for ten years, which turned public opinion against the Chancellor and his wife.

At the banquet, the contrast between the two sisters was stark. Wanfu, adorned in luxurious crimson, found herself ignored as all attention focused on Wantang. When Jiang Zhixu attempted to punish Wantang for her insolence, she countered by threatening to expose his crimes to Xie Zhiyan, the Emperor’s feared minister, forcing him to retreat. Wantang refused to enter the palace or marry Xiao Jingheng, declaring that she would no longer be a pawn for her family. She announced her intention to reclaim the status and reputation that were rightfully hers, setting the stage for a fierce rivalry. While Wanfu planned to secure the Marquis Estate and Xiao Jingheng’s love, Wantang resolved to forge her own path, rejecting the hypocritical family bonds and the false marital promises that had destroyed her in her previous life.

The story shifts into a complex struggle for power and identity within the imperial court and noble society. Wantang’s return disrupts the carefully laid plans of both her father and her sister. Jiang Zhixu, terrified by Wantang’s resemblance to the woman who haunted his dreams and his fear of her beauty, struggles to control the situation. Wanfu, now the intended bride of Xiao Jingheng, faces the reality that her childhood sweetheart may have developed genuine feelings for Wantang during their previous life’s marriage. The narrative explores the dynamics of rebirth, as both sisters navigate a world where they possess foreknowledge of future events. Wantang uses her experience to dismantle the illusions of love and family that once bound her, while Wanfu must contend with the consequences of her past arrogance. The Emperor Ji Wuyuan, a figure of fear and authority, remains a looming presence whose favor or displeasure can determine the fate of all involved. As the Imperial Selection approaches, the two sisters prepare for a confrontation that will determine who rises to power and who falls into obscurity, with Wantang determined to ensure that she never again becomes the mud beneath her sister’s feet.