Lost in the Han Dynasty

[Fake Mysticism, Real Psychology: A Grind-Hard Senior Takes the Ancient Court by Storm]

Xu Yuan has barely received her PhD in psychology when an artificially unintelligent System mistakenly sends her to the Han dynasty.

Xu Yuan was a grind-hard queen in the modern world, and in ancient times she plans to outwork all her peers, wear herself out, and be the absolute best.

She disguises herself as a man and makes a living through bluster and deception.

She reads people's hearts and uses her silver tongue to become a treacherous courtier.

No one expects this “young gentleman” to be such a force to be reckoned with. To make sure she never goes hungry, she races up the ladder of technology and throws herself into infrastructure projects, so the people have fields to farm and food to eat. To secure her position, she schemes for power, climbing over the corpses of corrupt officials until she becomes the foremost treacherous minister at Emperor Wu of Han's side.

The officials call her “ruthless and unscrupulous,” but the people respect her as “a sworn enemy of evil who protects them like her own children.” Thanks to her, no one starves in years of famine, and corrupt officials dare not abuse their power.

When Huo Qubing comes to her door carrying the head of an enemy, hoping they can “meet at the summit,” Xu Yuan sneers. “I reached the top of this power struggle on my own merits. Why should I share half of it with you?”

Huo Qubing thinks for a moment, then grins. “It's fine if you're on top and I'm underneath.”

(Note: The heroine is a strong character who grows throughout the story. Early on, she disguises herself as a man and is referred to as “he.” One-on-one romance, both pure. Power struggles and face-slapping go hand in hand with infrastructure and strengthening the nation.)