Responses

Spoiler+++
Chpater 29-30 onwards of the manga is where shit starts hitting the fan. The emperor becomes interested in him and there's also a secret to the actual background of Yu-er. The male lead is also plotting something (revenge) against the emperor hence the reason why he's an asshole to the uke later. Even if he sortof likes the uke at , at this point Yu-er is only just a chest piece, nothing more.
This is actually a really good story. I've just completed the novel, 250 ish chapters.
Let me jsut get this off my chest, the male lead is a dick. 100 chapters for his asshole persona then another 100 chapters of repentance. I honestly just wanted Yu-er to be happy.
Anyways, despite all that angst, it's a happy ending. And worth the read. This and the manga/novel "To take an enemy's heart" gave me similar vibes.
Spoiler ε=ε=(ノ≧∇≦)ノ
They have a child together