The Phoenix Reigns Above, Her Master Below

[Two equally powerful leads bound by fate | Empress and court intrigue | A restrained, unhinged, self-loathing master starved for love | An intense push and pull, with angst and devotion] Li Yue, the little princess of Great Zhou’s Zhaoyuan era, left the palace as a child and spent ten years in a monastery. In secret, she trained in martial arts and poisons. She is decisive and never forgives a slight. On the eve of her return to the capital, she used a secret medicine that lasts seven days to force herself on her master, Ling Ciyuan, the aloof and extraordinary head of the Hidden Pavilion, whose medical and martial skills are unmatched. He is a survivor of the previous dynasty, with power over the entire court, cold and untouched by worldly concerns. Yet under her forceful tenderness, he goes from resisting her to surrendering completely, willing to be both her trump card and her weakness. The phoenix rules above; her master submits below. The moment she enters the capital, she takes it by storm, crushing the noblewomen, aristocratic clans, and court alike without ever dragging things out. She once poured all her strength into helping her brother ascend the throne, believing that the bond between siblings could overcome anything. But after two years of exhausting effort, all she gets in return is an emperor’s suspicion, a rabbit killed after the hounds are done, and a merciless betrayal. Family ties are cold, and the human heart is hard to fathom. At last, she understands her mother’s words: Only by wielding imperial power can a woman control her own fate. From then on, her softness fades and her brilliance blazes across the world. She deposes the incompetent emperor, purges corrupt officials, overturns the court, and defies fate to seize power. She will become Great Zhou’s second empress. And her master, who has hidden every trace of his brilliance for her until his hair turned white, remains at her side, devoted to her and indulging her for a lifetime. The vast realm is hers, and he is forever her destiny and her homecoming. [No dragging out the plot, every chapter is exciting! Come on in, dear readers!]