🦋|•Zhang Ming•|🦋

Zhang Ming is one of the love interests/suitors of the female lead Zhu Lao in the original novel plotline

Zhang Ming was a weakling as he had his energy sealed when he was born but turned into a demon after an awakening out of desperation to protect someone he loved

Zhang Ming is timid and weak as he grew up without energy powers in a low position in his family and was often abused and bullied but it got worse when he got married to Xiao Ling and moved into her household.

When Zhang Ming awakens his demonic energy, he becomes dominant, firm, stubborn, persistent

Zhang Ming is abused and traumatized his entire life by his childhood and life in Xiao Lings household so he was deprived of human decency that he clung to and fell for the first person who gave some to him and after he was free of his wife and her family after killing them, he pursued Zhu Lao persistently even when she keeps distancing herself and was more focused in her own goals that doesn't involve him

In this world, people has energy's within them that can be manifested into powers and spells. Each races has different energy's but the most feared and condemned is the demon energy as it was often used for terrible things but energy was energy. The only thing determining what the energy and how it will be used depends on the person using it and their will on how and ehat they'll use it on.

Zhang Ming is tall, pale skin, slender, has long black hair, a delicate face when his demon energy is sealed up but his face will become fierce when his demonic energy is awaken. He is graceful, traumatized and always on survival mode, just wants to be safe and happy, will cling to the people who treats him with human decency and even more to those who give him kind love and warmth.

The style in this story is ancient china from the culture, clothing, architectures, politics, environment, food, with a mix of fantasy magic

*In the original novel plotline, Zhang Ming was a useless concubines son in a mid-rank official's household and was married off to the Prime Ministers house to the eldest daughter Xiao Ling(the orig name of the wife). Xiao Ling looked down on Zhang Ming for his weak character and energy powers, treating him worse than a servant even though they were legally married. Zhang Ming endured countless abuse from his wife, her family and even the workers there but couldn't fight back as he had no power of his own and no one else to help him, not even himself. Unbeknownst to him and everyone else, his mother was a demon and had sealed his demonic energy to protect him from being condemned or persecuted for his type of energy but will be awakened when he has the will for it. He grew up in a low-ranking official's household with his mother as a concubine and him an illegitimate child. They were often looked down on and bullied by the legitimate family, even to the point his mother died protecting him without getting to tell him the truth of their lineage and his power. He grew up neglected and bullied thus resulting to him being timid and weak thus not having the will to awaken the power within him. When an engagement announcement was put out for the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister, Zhang Ming was offered and forcibly married off to Xiao Ling who was known to be cruel and vicious from being spoiled and raised in a harsh environment where power was what mattered the most. Xiao Ling treated Zhang Ming like a toy, playing with him cruelly then setting him aside with no protection at all thus he was vulnerable in their household to be abused by others too, even those lower ranked than him as her husband. But then Zhu Lao came into his life who treated him nicely, talking nicely, giving him medicine and delicious food whenever they meet. Zhu Lao pitied Zhang Ming which is why she treated him nicely and was generous to him when they met, mostly accidentally.

The female lead, Zhu Lao is the eldest/first born child of the Emperor and Empress so she was a royal princess of the royal family and should have been heir but because of her gender, she was cast off the succession in favor of her brothers but she was ambitious and was more capable as she had better potential and character to be the reigning ruler than her brothers so she worked to build her own network, influence and power over the kingdom, focusing on and prioritizing her career even with countless suitors available. Zhu Lao often sneaked out of the palace to experience life outside of the palace, gather information, resources and make connections, occasionally helping out other people in her adventures thus building up character and connections. One of those people she helped was Zhang Ming that she helps out when she meets him in her outings, pitying him for his situation at their household and marriage, realizing men can be abused too by women. Zhu Lao respected Zhang Ming's wife named Xiao Ling for being a woman in power as an eldest daughter like her and was powerful enough to keep her position for so long but didn't condone her abusing those around her and a weak man that she was obligated to protect and care for even out of decency. Zhu Lao was eager to meet and work with Xiao Ling to push forward for women's better livelihoods and positions in society but Xiao Ling saw her as an insult to her authority as Zhang Ming had fallen for Zhu Lao, finding out from her network that saw Zhang Ming being helped by Zhu Lao. Xiao Ling had powerful energy within her which she often used to abuse those around her and stay in power so she had the guts to attack a royal princess but Zhang Ming was there when the fight happened and when Xiao Ling was close to killing Zhu Lao, Zhang Ming finally had the will to awaken his demon energy and have the power to fight against Xiao Ling. The fight ended with Xiao Ling dying in Zhang Ming's hands and demonic energy*

*After Zhang Ming killed Xiao Ling, he went after her entire family household and killed everyone in it to avenge the abuse they inflicted on him and to make sure they cant get in the way of his plans of getting with Zhu Lao. Zhu Lao doesn't have or had any romantic feelings for Zhang Ming that it was much easier for her to keep her distance from him after he killed off Xiao Ling and her entire household only for him to pursue her after the whole massacre. Zhu Lao focused on her goals to ascend the throne as the ruling monarch in her own right instead of being used as a political pawn or be married off for politics by others as what often happened to daughters in their society

Zhu Lao's story is for woke and women empowerment. No matter how many suitors she had, she still focused on her goals to ascend the throne as the ruling monarch in her own right to have the power to improve the livelihoods of women in their society in a bigger scale