The Consort Who Claims the Crown

[Advance Reservation; Will Start Writing Once It Reaches Its Goal]

From the day she entered the palace, Wei Ning knew her purpose: to be the young emperor's confidante.

In the dead of night, the young emperor would often hold Wei Ning close and weep, lamenting:

"The court remembers only Grand Marshal Qiao. Who still remembers the Jin emperor?"

It was an age of chaos. The imperial house was in decline, warlords rose on every side, and the young emperor had ascended the throne only to find himself surrounded by enemies. Fortunately, Grand Marshal Qiao Fu protected him, allowing him to hold on to his throne by the skin of his teeth.

After that, he was even more like a caged bird.

Grand Marshal Qiao Fu was a ruthless, suspicious, power-hungry tyrant who bullied his sovereign. He once deposed the empress dowager in Hejian and executed the empress before all the officials.

The court feared him openly and hated him in secret, condemning him as a bloodthirsty man without a shred of loyalty or compassion.

Only Wei Ning knew that Qiao Fu had once stood in the snow outside her palace, lantern in hand to light her way, and had helped her mount her horse and held its reins for her.

There had never been anything pure in the way he looked at her.

As the young emperor's bedmate, Wei Ning was unwilling to sully her good name, so she pretended not to notice and kept her distance from him.

Until one night, beneath a bright, starry sky, Wei Ning sat alone before a mirror, arranging her hair.

A handsome, wicked face suddenly appeared behind her in the glass.

Qiao Fu gazed down at her, took a pearl hairpin, and placed it in her raven-black hair. Leaning close, he asked, "I deposed the empress dowager and killed the empress for you, Lady Wei. How will you repay me?"

With nowhere to run, Wei Ning trembled like a crabapple branch in spring, yet still bit her lip and said, "I am only a woman, with nothing to my name..."

"Don't sell yourself short, Lady Wei." Qiao Fu interrupted her with a soft laugh. Unhurriedly, he loosened the sash at her waist and kissed his way along her neck. "My new Qiao dynasty... still needs an empress."

*

From the son of a traitor to a powerful warlord commanding a million troops, Qiao Fu's path was far smoother than it had been in his previous life.

In his previous life, Qiao Fu drenched the palace steps in blood, usurped the throne, and seized power. His only wish upon his death was to be buried beside his young wife, who had died before her time.

Reborn, he had power in his grasp, yet could not find even a trace of his beloved wife.

Perhaps he had shed too much blood to hold on to the only pure thing in his heart.

So Qiao Fu concealed his sharp edges and ambition, supported the young emperor, and did everything a loyal subject was supposed to do.

All he hoped was that Heaven would take pity on him and let him reunite with his deceased wife.

Then, at a palace banquet, a slender figure beside the young emperor caught his eye beneath the brilliant lights.

At that moment, he crushed a corner of the wine table in his hand.

The mask of the loyal subject shattered in an instant.

Qiao Fu thought,

It would do no harm to become a traitor once again in this life.

In his previous life, he could only grant her a posthumous title.

In this life, he would make sure she lived to become his empress.

Reader's Guide:

1. Gentle imperial consort, a little white rabbit VS ruthless power-holding minister, a big bad wolf

2. Rebirth, older man-younger woman. The male lead remembers his previous life; the female lead gradually regains her memories in the middle and later parts of the story.

3. They were both virgins in their previous lives. In this life, the female lead is a virgin, but the male lead is not. The female lead and the young emperor will have scenes together early on.

4. The male lead is a loyal subject early on, at least on the surface.

[Blurb written on September 24, 2025]

[Revised on February 13, 2026]

Theme: Choices determine one's fate.