The emperor has three sons and one daughter. His only princess, Zhu Lanzhao, wants nothing more than to live quietly and watch the world go by. Her greatest pleasure in life is staying up late to read the latest popular stories circulating among the people. But just as the struggle for the throne takes an abrupt turn, the emperor kicks her onto the dragon throne with his dying breath. The ministers entrusted with the young ruler are at each other's throats, while the remaining factions refuse to let go. At nineteen, she must match wits with a court full of ravenous wolves.
Zhu Lanzhao is an indifferent, half-dead sort, but she accidentally discovers that the secret intelligence agency left behind by the late emperor, the Cicada Listening Pavilion, is basically a giant gossip farm!
What? The Minister of Rites has sixteen mistresses on the side?
Good heavens! This Minister of Rites has no sense of propriety at all!
What? The Vice Minister of Justice and the Vice Minister of War fought a vicious duel when they were young over the eldest daughter of the Song family, an investigating censor?
No wonder they clash in court every day, and their relationship is tenser than the one between the chancellor and the grand tutor. So there's no public grievance between them, just a private grudge!
The empress watches with shining eyes.
If only I'd known being emperor was this much fun, I would've fought tooth and nail for the throne two years ago!
To relieve the tedium of governing, she casually issues a marriage decree, exposing one shocking secret after another. The old ministers of the two families involved find their households erupting into chaos: henpecked husbands, secret lovers, elopements... And along the way, she also uncovers a nest of rebels who still refuse to give up.
The main attractions:
A gossip-loving ruler at the height of power: the empress's perspective delivers a crushing advantage.
The daily breakdowns of two old ministers: fighting in court or chaos at home.
The surprising sides of the younger generation: everyone has a secret~
Main couple: a tiger in disguise as a pig of an empress vs. a poker-faced but soft-hearted intelligence chief.
A push-and-pull between two people with the most powerful connections.
[Content warning: Contains a small amount of danmei elements that are essential to advancing the main plot. Please skip if this bothers you.]
