Being a loyal minister isn’t easy. You have to guard against treacherous officials plotting rebellion, a heartless emperor, and persecution from your colleagues. Even if you’re sold off one day, you still have to count out the money for the emperor.
But don’t assume he’s some delicate flower or a pure white lotus. When he’s pushed too far, he can strike back with a sword, putting on a spectacular fight. Afterwards, he’ll even smile faintly and say, “I’m afraid I’m not much to boast of. Back when I competed for the top military degree, I missed out by just one place.”
The onlookers wiped cold sweat from their brows and said to the treacherous minister who had just arrived, “My lord, the matter’s settled. Could you put down that forty-meter broadsword now?”
A court in chaos, loyalty and treachery impossible to tell apart. Two powerful men join forces to build an age of prosperity, turning clouds into rain with a flick of the hand. Every move is a game, every countermove a trap.
A short novel in three stages: before the gong buys his gear, while he’s buying his gear, and after he’s bought his gear.
Main couple: “The Humble Boy’s Quest to Win My Worthy Wife.” Side-couple extras: “Master, Please Love Me,” and “The Ninth Prince and His Secret Lover.”
Main couple: a virtuous, talented, proper beauty with a gentle heart, a loyal minister who is absolutely not a white lotus shou x a loyal dog of a treacherous minister, whose virtue is lacking but talents abound, and who is absolutely not a black lotus gong.
Note: All dynasties, place names, and official titles in the novel are entirely fictional. Don’t overthink it, and please don’t flame me. There’s no main plotline in the early chapters; it appears in the middle and later parts.
