Rather than destined to be together, I think that they're just destined to meet. Spoiler: In Shen Miao's first life She actually met and talked to Xie JingXing but she just didn't remember it until in the later chapters.
Thanks for the spoilers \o/ this novel is actually an interesting read \o/ haha can't wait to read more~ I actually need to catch up on the updates orz
Spoiler: Why the MC got a chance to relive her life It has to do with Peilang (was that his name? the MC's teacher while she was still in school, and concerning whom the MC is revealed to have very ambiguous feelings in her 2nd life). As it turns out, in her 1st life, because of his brilliance, he was approached by the 9th Prince and became his most valued adviser, and was instrumental in influencing and abetting the 9th Prince's political stratagems before and after he became Emperor. I'm a bit sketchy re: the details, but among other things, Peilang let the MC be sent as a prisoner to Qin in her 1st life, let her son be deposed from the Crown Prince position, let her drink the cup of poison in the end. He always worked for the good of the country and did things for political expediency, so he wasn't exactly evil, but he was undoubtedly heartless. Because of his actions, the MC became collateral damage, in a big way. She felt particularly betrayed by him (in her 1st life) as she respected him and he also was very patient in teaching her a lot of stuff after she became Empress (since the MC in her 1st life was very ignorant), yet in the end he drove her to death. Anyway, Peilang regretted his actions after the MC died, and I think at some point he met that Taoist Chi Yan person? He offered Peilang a choice, and he ended up sacrificing his (remaining) life, so that the MC would get a chance to be reborn. In the 2nd life, Peilang always feels like he owes the MC a big debt. For her, he spies on the 9th Prince after becoming once again his valued adviser (like in the 1st life), when he is discovered he endures torture without betraying the MC, later he almost dies because of protecting her with his body from a mortal strike. He falls into a coma, and that's when he remembers the 1st life and finally understands why he felt indebted to the MC, and also why she treated him the way she did in this 2nd life. Spoiler: After the MC dies in her 1st life The ML (the "little Marquis", actually the prince of a foreign country), who the MC thought to have died in the 1st life but actually only faked his death on the battlefield, some time after the MC is killed, leads an army and conquers the country where the 9th Prince has become Emperor. He has him kneel in the great hall, and I think he personally kills him? Anyway, he kills or has him killed and mentions that it is also as repayment for the fact that 9th Prince killed Shen Miao. The ML and the MC didn't get to fall in love in this life since she took a different path by marrying the 9th Prince, but they did have a significant encounter in the palace when she was queen and before the ML went to the battlefield (and he supposedly died). The MC was drunk and gave him a lucky bracelet (?) a red string that she herself had received from the Taoist Chi Yan, and the ML wore it for many years without taking it off, until it fell off his wrist by itself the moment the ML returned to conquer the country and killed the 9th Prince turned Emperor. The ML always remembered the MC even in this 1st life, and was saddened by her death. There wasn't enough between them for him to feel more, but there was definitely this vague... melancholy? An inexplicable and likely unacknowledged but definitely present feeling of loss? The writing left me with the impression that the MC really was the only girl in the world who had that indefinable something necessary to touch the ML's well-shielded heart, in any life. Only in the 1st life, they didn't get the chance to fully realize this fact. Spoiler: the ML's identity In short, the ML turns out to be an imperial prince, the Emperor's only brother, of the neighbouring country. In both lives, he fakes his death to divest himself from his first identity--the "little Marquis" from the MC's country of birth--and eventually returns under his true identity (Rui Wang) and conquers the other 2 countries, the MC's country included. Afterward he rules as Emperor. Spoiler: A Harem for the ML? Never. Before and after he becomes Emperor, the ML never even looks at another woman except the MC. He has cute outbursts of jealousy (the MC has many admirers, and deservedly so), he is 100% the pursuer in their relationship (the MC was burnt very badly by her experiences with the 9th Prince in her 1st life, so she's closed her heart off to any possibility of romance), and he's extremely devoted & protective. The hero works really hard to open up her heart, and waits a really long time for her to openly reciprocate. When he is crowned Emperor, the MC has already fallen in a coma (bc. of exhaustion due to having to hold the country together by herself while he was gone to wage war, and then having a difficult childbirth), so all the officials urge him to crown a different Empress. His response: carrying the sleeping MC in the main hall during his crowning ceremony and proclaiming her his only Empress. He also kisses her (closed) eyelids in front of everyone. (All the officials are stupefied and even outraged). Then they keep urging him to take concubines, he refuses, and when the officials try to directly send their daughters as concubines into the palace without permission, the ML immediately marries each girl off to the family that has the greatest enmity with their paternal family. The officials stop sending their daughters into the palace. He's very yandere and protects his lover, and her position as his one and only Empress, fiercely. The MC eventually wakes up from her coma, and it's a happy ending.
Oh?! How sweet! ML carrying her to be crowned as an empress. My heart flutters at that. Hihi. Can you give a spoiler of scene when the ML was eating vinger? XD
Spoiler: the ML being jealous I'm just going to paint the general picture and nevermind the accuracy of the details, ok? Because I might have gotten some of those details wrong, and also, it's been a while since I read this. Still, I'll try my best. One example: In the 2nd life, even after the MC embarks on a different path than in her 1st life, her past before she becomes different (at age 14?) is still the same. That is, she used to chase desperately after the 9th Prince, and do things for him like writing him poems and baking him cookies(?). Such little things she used to do were the mockery of the entire capital. Anyway, some time after the MC met the ML (he's already fascinated with her uniqueness), he hears from a 3rd party about how the MC used to chase after the 9th Prince, and in particular about those things she used to do to win him over... The ML does NOT take this well, lol. Not long after, there's a cute moment where the MC asks for the ML's help with something (they're allies at this point, though it's not really an equal give-and-take since the ML has more power & resources than the MC, naturally, but he doesn't care and, I think, is already at the point where he would do anything for her, for free). And get this: when she asks him for this favor, he asks for "repayment" and lists some things that the MC should do for him--write him a poem, bake him cookies etc. That is, precisely all the things that were previously mentioned as what he had heard that the MC used to do when chasing the 9th Prince. The MC is nonplussed at his odd request and doesn't get why he's suddenly being so weird, lol. Another example: The MC comes from a powerful military family, and moreover, in this life, her family didn't fall and managed to maintain their prestige and power (and even increase their status) due to the MC's smart strategizing. So the MC is a desirable marital catch for the princes of the royal family, who would use her family's military might to pave their way to the throne. So anyway, at one point pretty late in the novel, it becomes obvious in the capital (there's a chain of events) that an imperial decree is imminent, which is going to force the MC to marry a prince even against her will. The only solution is for the MC to quickly marry another man, before the Emperor sends the marriage decree down. Problem is, all noble families already know that the MC is being eyed for an imperial marriage, and nobody dares to cross the Emperor. That is, until various suitors actually start to assemble anyway, lol, one by one, and ask for the MC's hand. There's a maternal cousin (who likes her), there's her former teacher Peilang (who likes her and feels indebted to her, though he still doesn't remember why), there's the ML's best friend (who doesn't like her, but his family mistakenly thinks he does, and has come to arrange a marriage for him, lol) etc. Of course, the ML wants to marry her too, by this point, and he's definitely not pleased to hear about all the "competition." He quickly goes and blackmails the Emperor himself quite spectacularly (and shamelessly), and secures a marriage decree for himself with the MC. There are quite a few such examples throughout the novel, just funny little moments, but it's more about the hero's attitude and frowny face, and the way he then plots in the shadows to get what he wants from the heroine, and not about anything very overt. The hero is quite a yandere, and the romance development is slow (because of the heroine), and also, this is not the type of novel where the hero would feel jealous and then forcefully kiss the MC etc. It's more subtle than that, but still really obvious (and gratifying) if you read carefully.
Just finished reading this, must say there were 2 of my favourite moments... Spoiler: The drunk MC The part that whenever MC drunk, she acted like an empress. Each time she drunk, she told ML that he was so handsome and offered to make him as her male pet (LOL). I counted 3 of that occasions. Spoiler: First meeting with in-laws The part when Rui Wang (our ML's new and real identity) after forcing the emperor to make his marriage decree with MC, went to MC's house and met with MC's family formally for the first time. While he quickly gained MC's mother's support, MC's father (SX) and MC's brother (SQ) remained sceptical. When ML told them that his small name was Xie Jing Xing. MC's brother (SQ) told him that it was the same name as the already passed away Xie little marquis. Then proceeded to taunt ML (with the secret approval of MC's father) by bragging to ML that Xie little marquis was a very handsome and skilled person, SQ admired the little marquis and that the little marquis was his (SQ)'s unreplaceable idol. (w/o knowing that they're the same person). MC was so embarrassed by her brother. She thought that if it were possible, she wanted to pretend she didn't know him (SQ).
Depend on your definition of a yandere, while the ML was possessive and protective toward MC, it wasn't as far as "he wanted to lock her up so that no one could look at her except himself and killed everyone who show even a bit interest in MC." So I personally don't think he was a yandere. Oh and the family of ML's former best friend (the Su) was also quite hilarious... Spoiler: Su Ming Feng His family thought that he was in love with MC bc he placed his spies on her. In fact, he did it bc he suspected MC knew sth about ML. When the news about the marriage decree between MC and ML was widespread, he was locking himself in his room bc he was in deep thought (he just found out that Rui Wang was ML), while the family suspected that he was about to commit suicide out of heartbreak and they tried to convince him to live.
No, he wasn't yandere as in psycho-obsessed and stalkerish (though he did investigate the heroine and kinda liked breaking and entering in her private quarters long before they were ever officially "together"... but *ahem* not my point). I just meant that he was black-bellied (beautiful and charming on the outside, scheming and ruthless on the inside), very protective and possessive of the heroine, and that he had absolutely no compunction in eliminating his (and the heroine's) enemies in vicious ways. He killed quite a few people in cold blood... not that they didn't deserve it, arguably. In any case, because of all the attributes I listed, he fits my personal definition of "yandere", but I apologize if I made anyone else confused.
"Breaking and entering like Chu Fei Yang in Chu Wang Fei?" Yep. Through the window, if I remember correctly. I think he even eats her food... or gradually comes to like the food that the MC gradually starts to have ready for him in her room (she's an excellent cook, a skill from her previous life). And one time he even "stalked" her outside the capital after the MC left with her family. Spoiler: Expanding on that When the MC and her family had just left the capital at the end of Book 1 (after the MC's father was demoted by the Emperor), the ML detoured (he had been sent on a war campaign), and he went to find her at night when she was alone. He found her drunk, which resulted in the first hilarious instance mentioned by @Eis, of the heroine acting all empress-y, all "ben gong finds you very handsome. how about you follow ben gong? if you do, ben gong will feed and clothe you and take care *good* of you." Rofl. Basically, whenever she's drunk, she wants him as a male concubine to her Empress, and the ML's reaction! He just can't believe his ears, especially the first time this happens, and the MC even forces a kiss on him (their first kiss). I mean, you can imagine the teeny-tiny MC somehow managing to "force" the strong, tall martial arts expert ML... It's to-die-for hilarious. Of course, the MC doesn't remember anything the next day, while the ML is haunted by the feel and scent of her for 2 years (until they see each other again).
Spoiler He was ML's best friend when ML was Xie little marquis, but then after ML faked his death and returned to his real identity, they had little to no contact. The only contact that they had was when SMF suspected Rui Wang was ML and confronted him, ML admitted and SMF accused him of deceiving him and of being a traitor. MC was there and scolded SMF. Later when they married and was about to go to ML's homeland, SMF came to apologise and told him that the next time they met, they would be enemy. There was no mention of SMF later on, except when ML attack the country and told his subordinate not to hurt the Su and a princess (the maternal aunt of Xie little marquis).
"Was she allowed to have a male concubine back then?" No, of course not. That's not admissible or possible in their culture (for a woman). My word choice--"concubine"--might not have been ideal, but I just meant that she wasn't asking him to marry her, but to be the equivalent of a male concubine, a beautiful pet/plaything. Spoiler: Long rambling... In her 1st life, the MC was only ever intimate with her husband, the 9th Prince, and even that only in a perfunctory manner, I think (i.e. "performing one's marital duty"). I mean, she loved the 9th Prince in the beginning, but he never loved her back, so I don't imagine there was any pleasure for her in his bed. In fact, the impression I got (though I likely missed some of the more subtle nuances in the text) is that sex with her husband left her extremely disenchanted about the act of physical love. Not to mention, his indifference and chain of betrayals left her emotionally savaged. That is why, in the MC's 2nd life, she doesn't even consider falling in love, so the ML has a really steep uphill battle trying to win her over. What I think happens, when the MC is drunk in her 2nd life, and she becomes very daring with the ML, trying to "bait him" into becoming her male pet--it's not because she's desperate for sex (I imagine, that would be furthest from what the author is trying to express here) but because only when her defenses are forcibly lowered (by alcohol), her true feelings come through (which she would never, ever acknowledge even to herself, much less act on when sober and in control). And her true feelings are that she finds the ML handsome, and that she's extremely attracted to him. That's the complete subtext here. Mostly though, I think the author meant these scenes to be funny (and they are), with the MC and the ML basically switching roles, with her suddenly and uncharacteristically becoming the "aggressor" and him the... well, not the "blushing maiden" exactly, but kinda sorta that, lol. But the drunk "fake Empress" of the 2nd life is not really the same as the MC's personality in her 1st life. From what is shown of the MC in her Empress role in her 1st life, she was actually never really that arrogant--even overbearing. Not to mention, as disenchanted about men (and one supposes, sex) as she had become (also in her 1st life), I don't see the Empress MC hiding secret yearnings for a male harem, lol. So really, don't over-analyze it--like I ended up doing just now.