Ci Tang 刺棠 by Wu Yuan 雾圆

During the third year of the Tianhou era, on the night of the Lantern Festival, the Crown Prince was assassinated during a sacrificial ceremony and his remains were never found. This event became known as the “Ci Tang” case.

Following the Thorned Betrayal, aristocratic families rebelled and installed Prince Song Lan as a puppet emperor.

To investigate the truth behind this case and to quell the coup while protecting the Crown Prince’s beloved younger brother, Su Luowei—a woman from a prestigious family who grew up with the Crown Prince—married Song Lan. She devoted herself to helping him consolidate power and stabilize his reign.

But one day, Su Luowei discovered that Song Lan was the mastermind behind the Thorned Betrayal.

She had been deceived into ignorance and had even unknowingly aided him in his schemes.

Upon learning the truth, Su Luowei vowed to exact revenge for the Crown Prince at any cost.

Her plan? To win over Ye Tingyan, the most trusted minister of Song Lan.

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The Crown Prince, who had always been upright and virtuous, was betrayed by his own brother and childhood friend. In one fell swoop, he fell from grace into ruin.

Miraculously surviving the assassination attempt, he disguised himself and returned to court under the identity of his loyal subordinate, Ye Tingyan, intending to eliminate those who had wronged him one by one.

But what he never expected was that Su Luowei—the woman who had become Empress—would cross boundaries and approach him with kindness.

He thought he had never truly known her all these years.

Until she leaned against his shoulder and whispered:

“Lord Ye, aren’t you curious about what I seek? Go and kill Song Lan. Avenge my Crown Prince.”

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“On the madness of self-restraint encountering darkness, the perseverance of heaven’s chosen son amidst filth, and the destruction and forging of idealism.”

P.S.: This story adheres to proper moral standards. The female lead does not develop romantic feelings for the male lead while still married to the second male lead.

P.P.S.: Some plot elements are inspired by the poetry of Li He, including but not limited to The False Dragon’s Roar Song , The Golden Bronze Immortal Bids Farewell to the Han Dynasty , The Old Man Collects Jade Song , and Wushan Heights . Thank you, Changji.

Content Warnings (Must Read Before Proceeding)

1. NOT a reverse harem story!! Happy Ending (HE), set in an alternate historical world;

2. Romance plotlines are highly dramatic (melodramatic). Characters are flawed—both leads fall deeply and recklessly in love, sometimes behaving irrationally or dangerously;

3. Writing style may feel dense due to excessive use of ornate language, poetic imagery, and stream-of-consciousness scenes. Slow-paced, not a “feel-good” novel, and stylistically different from the author’s previous works. Proceed with caution if this is not your preference;

4. For more detailed warnings, please read the author’s notes in Chapter 1—mandatory reading before starting!