Cross-dressing woman | Rivals-to-lovers
The male lead starts fighting to claim her after hating her for long enough.
After the late emperor's death, the crown prince had only just ascended the throne when his elder brother, Xue Rang, seized the empire and demoted him to a rebel prince.
The former Eastern Palace officials were all on edge, doing everything they could to pledge their loyalty to the new emperor and save their lives. Only Qu Yunzhi watched coldly, unmoved.
She knew she could not escape death.
She had been the one who forced Xue Rang to leave the capital and take up his fiefdom all those years ago.
Xue Rang had held a grudge ever since.
To her surprise, she was carried into the emperor's bedchamber in a sedan chair.
Xue Rang lifted her chin and made her look up. He personally applied her powder and shaped her brows, his gaze deep and thoughtful. "What a face, so convincingly like a hibiscus. What a pity you're not a woman."
It turned out her second elder sister, the fiancee the late emperor had promised to Xue Rang, had fled the capital alongside the rebel prince and disappeared without a trace.
And in the entire Qu family, there was no suitable unmarried woman of the right age besides her, the third young master with a "feminine face."
He wanted her to impersonate the empress.
She refused in fear, and Xue Rang's smile grew even more mocking. "I nearly lost face. Do you think you still have room to bargain, Lord Qu?"
"You have no choice now."
-
The empire changed hands, and every former Eastern Palace official was imprisoned. Only Qu Yunzhi was restored to her old position. People said it was thanks to her sister, the empress.
Little did they know that Lord Qu Yunzhi at court and Empress Qu in the palace were one and the same person.
At first, Xue Rang could not understand why the rebel prince treated Qu Yunzhi differently from everyone else.
He kept her in office so the rebel prince could watch as his trusted favorite was slowly tamed by Xue Rang himself.
Until suddenly, he realized how naturally she played a woman, every glance and smile utterly convincing.
His feelings stirred. After probing her again and again, the answer became clear.
Just then, the rebel prince was escorted back to the capital. Qu Yunzhi knelt for a long time, begging him through tears to show mercy.
Xue Rang sneered and slowly brushed a fingertip over the tear track on her cheek. "So what if he's your former lord? Don't forget, you and I were married before Heaven and Earth!"
[Reading Guide]
1. A story about a powerful man failing to tame someone, only to find himself gradually tamed without even realizing it.
2. A combative ruler-and-minister pairing. The blurb is short, so it may seem like the female lead is being controlled, but they are evenly matched.
3. They truly hated each other and both hurt the other, even wanting to kill each other. If you can't accept the leads having once genuinely wanted to kill each other, this isn't for you.
4. The male lead is only attracted to women. This story contains no BL content.
5. The female lead will not give up her career. (See my completed novel for reference.)
Theme: I'll tremble with you beneath the boundless snowstorm
