The Empress Is Coldhearted, Yet Rises Step by Step

Name: The Empress Is Coldhearted, Yet Rises Step by Step
Author: Yun Yuebai

娘娘薄情，步步为后

by Yun Yuebai (云月白)

Status: Completed
Length: 294k Words
Genre: Ancient Romance
Subgenre: Palace & Household Intrigue
Updated: 1y ago
Source: Fanqie

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Stats

133Chapters

526Reads

5.8Score

19Listens

49.7kReads · all time

Synopsis

Shen Tongning had been the emperor’s favorite consort for two years, always believing that he loved her. It wasn’t until his first love entered the palace that she finally realized he had never loved her at all. His beloved framed her for using witchcraft to sow chaos in the harem. The emperor gave her no chance to prove her innocence, ruthlessly stripped her of her title, and demoted her to a convict servant in the Yeting Palace. The Shen family was implicated as well. Their home was confiscated, and they were exiled. Her father, brothers, uncles, and cousins were all killed along the way, while her two trusted maids met their deaths in the palace. As for Shen Tongning, she endured endless humiliation and suffering in the Yeting Palace. From then on, she changed. She shut away her heart and devoted herself to revenge and power. She acted meek, played the victim, and was both calculating and ruthless. She took her beloved rival’s path and drove her mad. The empress, whom she had treated like a sister, turned out to be a venomous beauty? Fine. Then she would take the empress’s throne! She plotted at every turn, battling her rival, the empress, and everyone who opposed her. Even the emperor fell into her schemes. She knew how to act, and she played her part so well that the emperor believed she was madly in love with him. Until one day, he finally learned that all her love had been an act. The emperor went berserk, his eyes red as he asked, “A Ning, did you ever love me?” Shen Tongning smiled sweetly. “Your Majesty, of course I love you.” The emperor said, “A Ning, are you still lying to me?” Shen Tongning smiled. If she didn’t lie to you, who would she lie to? The emperor was nothing but a stepping stone on her path to power. She wanted authority, not love.

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