Thirteen Years as a Consort

She was as lowly as mud, while he stood far above her.

She had no control over her own fate, like duckweed left to be trampled by anyone. He stood above her, master of her destiny, a crown prince of the realm.

She resigned herself to becoming his concubine, bearing and raising children and supporting her husband. Yet he told her not to bend her back, to hold her head high, and taught her how to grow.

She had been an ordinary modern man before she transmigrated to ancient times. But life wore down her edges until she became one of Yangzhou’s famous “slender horses,” a girl trained to be sold to wealthy men. Years of torment convinced her she belonged in the dust. On the night she was put up for sale, she met the benefactor who would change her life.

In the twenty-fourth year of the Tianqi era of the Dayong dynasty, years of famine left the people in dire straits. Yet a prophecy began circulating in Jiangnan: “Whoever obtains the Map of a Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains will obtain the realm.” Rumors spread, and forces across the land began to stir.

At the same time, peasant uprisings sprang up like wildfire. The rebels cried, “Let all be equal, let wealth be shared, and let all who farm have land to till,” launching a fierce assault on Dayong’s rule. The dynasty was plunged into turmoil and bloodshed.

Faced with such a grave crisis, Emperor Tianqi was consumed with worry. He knew the appearance of the Map of a Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains could trigger upheaval on an enormous scale, perhaps even threaten Dayong’s survival. After careful consideration, he secretly sent the reigning crown prince, Xiao Jingxuan, to Jiangnan to investigate the truth...

After days of covert investigation, every lead pointed to Yangzhou. To bribe Xiao Jingxuan, the prefect of Yangzhou presented him with Xue Sussu/Li Erya, one of Yangzhou’s famous “slender horses”...

The female lead, Xue Linyuan/Li Erya/Xue Sussu, is one and the same person.

The male lead is Xiao Jingxuan.