The Phoenix Rules the World: The Meng Wan Chronicles

Meng Wan, the daughter of a sixth-rank official, was selected for the palace thanks to her talent and beauty, and initially received the title of Answering Lady. After Emperor Huang Shichen unexpectedly favored her for two nights in a row, he promoted her to Noble Lady. Her sudden rise to favor earned her the envy of the entire harem. When the concubines set a trap to frame her, Meng Wan saw through it. Her secret investigation uncovered a shocking truth: Prince Yin, Jin Minyu, was the heir favored by the late emperor, while the current emperor had seized the throne by altering the imperial will. The emperor held an old grudge against her because Prince Yin had once sought her hand in marriage, and took it out on her. He used the empress to poison Meng Wan’s close friend, Consort Jin, but the attempt failed. Though grief-stricken, Meng Wan took in the daughter of Attendant Lu and was promoted to Consort Li. Then she witnessed the emperor personally torture Consort Jin to death. Pretending to obey his wishes, she secretly allied herself with Prince Yin. When the empress tried to poison her again, Meng Wan anticipated the plot and was promoted to Consort. Later, Meng Wan was seriously injured and fell into a coma. Under pressure from court affairs, the emperor allowed her to travel to the Han Kingdom for treatment. She faked her death and escaped under the assumed name Lan Linle, severing all ties with Great Zhou. Prince Yin was actually Jin Minyu, crown prince of the Han Kingdom; the real Prince Yin had died in battle long ago. Jin Minyu seized the Yanzhou region, and he and Meng Wan joined forces to make their way through the chaos. Meng Wan gave birth to a son, Jin Minyu ascended the throne as King of Han, and she became queen of the Han Kingdom. Their son was named crown prince. After learning the truth, the emperor of Great Zhou fell gravely ill. The power of the harem eventually passed into Wei Xiaoyue’s hands. The empress dowager was devastated when General Cui’s identity as a Han national came to light and died soon after. Noble Consort Ying hated Jin Minyu for deceiving her, but had lost any chance of revenge. Using the palace of Han as her chessboard, Meng Wan ultimately became the one who held the fate of the world in her hands.