From Palace Maid to Empress: She Plots Every Step

[Traditional historical romance + palace and household intrigue + clear-headed heroine who isn’t a self-sacrificing saint + hero with a secret crush]

When You Ning first entered the palace, she was terrified of making a mistake and being punished to death by her mistress. Everyone knew the palace was a place that devoured people. The only way to live well was to climb higher.

Shen Youning naturally understood that, but the man on her mind wasn’t the emperor. It was the Fifth Prince, who always wore a stern expression and did everything by the book. Everyone thought the Third Prince, born to the Noble Consort, was the best choice, but Shen Youning didn’t think he’d make a good match. She liked men who were devoted. She mended the Fifth Prince’s clothes and cooked for him, gradually finding her way into his heart.

Until she became the most important woman in his life.

She’d assumed that the Fifth Prince’s cool demeanor meant he wouldn’t be enthusiastic about romance, but only after they married did Shen Youning discover just how warm he was beneath that icy exterior.

Her back and hips ached every day, so at night she pretended to be asleep.

“Why are you asleep again? That just makes things easier for me.” The Fifth Prince stood by the bed, taking off his clothes as he spoke with casual delight.

Shen Youning’s eyes flew open. She looked at him pitifully and muttered, “You brute. All you ever do is wear me out.”