Forced to Marry a Corrupt Eunuch, I Climbed into the Dragon Bed and Won the Emperor's Favor!

[Traditional historical romance + love that grows over time]

After the Empress Dowager died, Shen Yuchun, a senior palace maid, should have been able to leave the palace. Instead, Consort Shu forced her to stay and ordered her to serve in Chief Eunuch Yang's quarters.

Chief Eunuch Yang was over forty, cruel, and lecherous. Yuchun went to Kunning Palace to beg the Empress to rescind the order.

But the Empress said, "You're an old palace maid past your prime. Marrying Eunuch Yang is a blessing for you."

"Besides, you're already twenty and past your prime. You won't find a husband if you leave the palace. Yang Jinlu is devoted to you, and Consort Shu has arranged everything thoughtfully. I think it's an excellent idea."

In despair, Shen Yuchun turned her gaze to the Son of Heaven.

That night, while the emperor was drunk, she climbed into his bed.

She had never wanted to stay in the palace, where everyone schemed against everyone else. But if she truly couldn't escape this palace that devoured people, she would have to carve out a place where she could live in peace.

*

In Xiao Ji's eyes, Shen Yuchun had always been his mother's capable senior palace maid.

She was gentle by nature and always did her work properly.

When he woke up drunk in Ciyuan Hall, she was kneeling at his feet in a panic, begging him to save her.

At that moment, Xiao Ji thought that since she had served his mother so diligently, he might as well grant her a title and let her fend for herself in the harem.

Later, he discovered that beneath her unremarkable appearance, this palace maid was astonishingly beautiful once she removed her makeup.

And he began to desire her.

By rights, all under Heaven belonged to the emperor, and all within its borders were his subjects.

No one would refuse the emperor's favor, yet Shen Yuchun avoided it at every turn.

At first, Xiao Ji could still keep his composure and play little games of flirtation with her.

But when he learned she had already given her heart to someone else, jealousy overcame him, and he finally took her.