After the Villainous Chancellor Takes Me In, I Ascend the Throne

“Winning a title is not my ambition. I only wish for the seas to be calm.” [Strong female lead + equally matched leads + nurturing male lead + love at first sight + love growing over time + one-on-one romance + both leads are each other’s first and only] A heroine who grows into a brilliant, all-rounded, white-on-the-outside, black-on-the-inside emperor vs. a gentle hero who is soft on the outside but strong within, unwaveringly loyal, devilishly clever, and tenderhearted Chu Zhao was once nothing more than a little beggar in Xijing. Then one day, Pei Xingzhou, the most powerful minister in the court and a notorious traitor, took her home. Pei Xingzhou told her she was the last surviving member of the Great Zhou imperial family. He said that when she was born, the sun and moon shone together, and the Imperial Preceptor had prophesied that she would unite the realm. He said she was the Ziwei Star descended to earth, the chosen daughter of Heaven. But Chu Zhao knew nothing about the realm, emperors, or court politics. All she knew was that Pei Xingzhou said being emperor meant she could eat more steamed buns than she could finish in a lifetime. So she became emperor. Pei Xingzhou hadn’t lied to her. But Chu Zhao was no longer happy just because she had steamed buns to eat. “Fine wine and meat rot behind vermilion gates, while frozen corpses lie by the roadside.” “That year, Jiangnan suffered a drought, and the people of Quzhou ate one another.” Chu Zhao wanted everyone in the realm to have steamed buns to eat. Pei Xingzhou had lured a little girl home with a steamed bun. Against all opposition, he put her on the imperial throne. From then on, he lived as a loyal minister, a teacher, and a mother all at once. Five years later, the little girl came of age, and the court began discussing the selection of a consort for His Majesty. When the ministers gathered portraits and lists of the capital’s eligible young men, they discovered that the name at the very top was none other than Chancellor Pei Xingzhou. In the Cabinet, Pei Xingzhou smiled gently, yet chillingly. “Do you truly believe there’s anyone more suitable than me to be His Majesty’s consort?”