The Delicate Palace Maid Teases, and the Mad Emperor Skips Court

[Mind Games on Both Sides + Everyone Is Clever + Sweet on the Outside, Cunning Within + Political Intrigue + Eventually His One and Only] A dark, deranged emperor × a resilient, ambitious white lotus Her father was executed, her mother died a cruel death, her younger sister was forced into the world of brothels, and she herself became a government slave. In her first fifteen years, Xu Songyi had never faced such a devastating blow. For the sake of her two young sisters and her own future, she had no choice but to climb, step by step. From the day she entered the palace as a maid, she had the emperor, the supreme ruler on his throne, in her sights. Climbing into his bed, becoming his favorite consort, and rescuing her sisters became her sole obsession. But as she rose higher and things went more smoothly, the treachery of the imperial harem surged toward her like crashing waves, leaving her no choice but to risk everything. Scheming and struggling for power, she would see it through to the end. But she never expected that the person who would hurt her most would be the one who shared her bed night after night. She thought she had the emperor wrapped around her finger, never realizing that she was walking straight into his trap, one step at a time. This time, she would fight and scheme for people’s hearts. “Yi’er, is there truly no place for me in your heart?” “Your Majesty is peerless and perfect in every way. You are in my heart.” Qi Zhengxu gripped her chin and said coldly, “Do you know that whenever you lie, your eyes drift upward?” “Oh? I’m sorry. Next time, I’ll make sure Your Majesty can’t tell I’m lying.” Qi Zhengxu’s lips curved faintly. “It’s fine. All that matters is that I have you in my heart.” Many years later, Xu Songyi would still remember the day Qi Zhengxu asked her whether she had ever loved him. Perhaps she had. After all these years of twists and turns in the harem, she could no longer see clearly what was in her own heart.