Three Steps: From Assassin to Empress

Synopsis

Ying Xiu is a perfectly ordinary, naive assassin who’s good at nothing except “taking care of” people. In his downtime, he falls in love with a handsome scholar-retainer. The man is beautiful, a man of few words, and though he seems cold, he’s a good person.

But he’s a little strange. Anyone who messes with the scholar soon meets with terrible misfortune, the kind that results in their entire family being exiled.

Ying Xiu笨拙地安慰:“他們都沒逝，抄家而已。” (Ying Xiu clumsily comforts him, “They didn’t die, it’s just a confiscation of their property.”) The scholar still seems sad, his face expressionless: “Hmm.”

This gives Ying Xiu a headache; his partner is just too kind-hearted. He must never let his boyfriend know he’s an assassin. If he knew, wouldn’t he break up with him?

To leave his old life behind, Ying Xiu decides to assassinate the tyrannical emperor. Before he goes, he tells his boyfriend, “You’re really good-looking, but I’m tired of seeing you. Let’s take a break. Is that okay?”

The scholar looks at him deeply, and after a long moment, finally nods: “Hmm.”

That night, during the assassination, Ying Xiu is cornered. The bright light of the palace lanterns reveals his location, and with a net of traps surrounding him, there’s nowhere to run. He looks up and sees the tyrannical emperor looking down on him from not far away. The emperor’s imperial robe, cold and dignified crown, and his familiar face are identical to the scholar-retainer’s.

The beautiful and cruel young emperor leans down, gripping Ying Xiu’s chin and forcing him to look at his face. His voice is calm and strange: “You have two choices.”

“One, continue to love this face.” “Two, die.”

Three steps, from assassin to empress. Infatuation at first sight, mutual affection, and a sword assassination.

A beautiful, naive, and simple-minded assassin (shou) x a beautiful, tyrannical, feudalistic father-figure emperor (gong).

Reading Guide:

• Older man/younger man relationship
• Both characters are pure (double-clean)
• Happy ending
• Not a serious historical drama

Alternative Synopsis

A beautiful, tyrannical, feudalistic ‘daddy’ x a beauty-obsessed, naive assassin.

Theme:

• Lou Tai Ding Nai, Jian Lu Shan He (樓臺鼎鼐，劍履山河) – This phrase can be interpreted as “The authority of the prime minister and the might of a warrior,” or more poetically, “Holding court on a high pavilion, walking the rivers and mountains with a sword.” It suggests a person who possesses both great political power and military prowess.