No More Palace Scheming, This Consort Has a Thing for Women

[Palace Schemer x Reclusive Lady]

To protect herself, Hua Jiaonu had to keep rising through the ranks of the Great Zhou's imperial harem. She'd dreamed of becoming empress dowager since childhood.

That position represented power and status beyond compare.

Most importantly, it would let her make sure the people who'd bullied her had no way to go on living!

But then a formidable rival appeared out of nowhere. The king granted Jiang Yu, the eldest princess of Chu, the title of queen, making her the most honored woman in the realm after the queen mother.

Hua Jiaonu's hopes of rising in rank came to nothing.

She was so furious in private that she wrung her hands and bit her handkerchief. Then, under the moonlight, she swore, "Then let's fight for power in the harem. We'll see which of us has the last laugh."

How would she do it?

She'd already figured it out.

Know yourself and your enemy, and you can win every battle.

She was going to play the green-tea little sister to the hilt!

*

When Jiang Yu arrived in Great Zhou, she learned that the land was damp year-round. The tentacle hidden on her back couldn't sit still, and it secretly slipped out for some fresh air.

That hadn't been a problem in Chu, but Zhou was full of prying eyes. And now she also had clingy Lady Hua to deal with.

She often clung to Jiang Yu and said sweetly, "Sister, I want to be your confidante. I want to be by your side, talking about painting and poetry. I want to spend our lives together, so we can comfort each other and survive in this cold imperial harem!"

Jiang Yu had no interest in that. Her marriage alliance with the king was a mutually beneficial arrangement, and her nature made her prefer living in seclusion on her own.

But she couldn't let Lady Hua find out.

And as the saying went, speak of Cao Cao and he appears. Lady Hua was back to cling to her again.

Later, when Jiang Yu fought the queen mother, Lady Hua helped her. When Jiang Yu showed off her martial arts, Lady Hua was delighted. When she was punished, Lady Hua came to her aid.

Jiang Yu was troubled by the need to repay her, so she tried giving her treasures to suit her tastes. But why was having her by her side gradually starting to feel like a blessing?

What would happen to the man they had both married?

She'd figured it out.

She would take his place and become Lady Hua's support.

*

The incompetent, foolish ruler of Great Zhou brought about the kingdom's downfall.

When the capital fell and the palace gates were breached, Jiang Yu fled with Jiaonu.

Jiaonu took good care of Jiang Yu throughout their journey.

They were like lovers wandering the world together, but one day Jiaonu suddenly demanded, "Take me to Wu. I want to seek refuge with my aunt."

"Why not take refuge with me?" Jiang Yu asked outright.

Jiaonu's heart tightened. She thought, I can't let her know how I feel. Everyone knows that in love, whoever confesses first loses.

To keep her from leaving, Jiang Yu resorted to force.

Beneath the bright moon, tentacles wrapped around Jiaonu, leaving their first mark. Jiang Yu's fingertips traced every curve of her body.

But Jiaonu only tried to get away.

Jiang Yu tugged gently, and Jiaonu was trapped in her embrace. She coaxed her softly, "Call me Sister. I want to hear you say it."

Jiaonu swallowed her moans and forced herself to stand on trembling legs. Defiantly, she said, "No! Don't think I'll submit to you. And I'm leaving!"

That attitude made Jiang Yu briefly lose control.

As Jiaonu endured the onslaught, she smiled with satisfaction and thought, It's wonderful that she's fallen for me. I don't need to fight for power in the harem anymore.

*

Reading Guide:

1. Both leads are inexperienced and emotionally pure.

2. Male characters appear, but neither lead has an intimate relationship with any man.

3. This is a fictional setting, but the harem system is modeled on the Qin dynasty, and the historical setting is inspired by the Eastern Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods.

4. I'm still a relatively new author, but I'm putting real effort into writing. I don't fear comments of any kind. I just hope my next book, and every book after it, will be better and better!

--Coming next: My Wife Is a Vampire [Republican Era]

Blurb:

Honest maid x vampire noblewoman

Bai Youwei, the progenitor of vampires, came to Hong Kong in the seventh year of the Republican Era because of an overseas war.

The vampire church worried that the chaos of war would affect the vampire birth rate, so it arranged for a female believer to come to Hong Kong to marry her progenitor and bear her a litter of children.

But the woman was in love with someone else. Before she could meet Bai Youwei, she secretly eloped.

The church official in charge of the matchmaking had to conceal the truth to save her own life. Then she thought that all that mattered was producing pureblood children.

So she looked among the believers in Hong Kong for a suitable woman.

Bai Youwei was naturally fair and beautiful, and shone especially brightly. The woman chosen for her would need to be just as lovely, with a gentle, trouble-free personality.

Once the little vampires were born, she would give the woman a lavish funeral and her family a generous sum, so the believers would not lose their faith.

The official chose Yuan Muti, a little maid doing odd jobs at the Lichi.

Yuan Muti had a pitifully lovely face, an honest nature, and an extremely tragic family background that had driven her to seek death as an escape.

The official promised her a generous sum after she gave birth, enough to sever ties with her family, and a chance to fulfill her wish to die.

Clinging to this lifeline, Yuan Muti immediately agreed to take on the task.

&

Three days later, after being trained, Yuan Muti was sent to a room to serve her wife.

There, Yuan Muti saw a familiar, beautiful face. Remembering how the two of them had been entangled before, her legs went weak and numb, and she wanted to beg for mercy.

&

Bai Youwei had lived for so long that, after raising humanity with her own hands, she could only watch them fight with numb indifference. Yuan Muti was nothing more than a little toy to amuse her.

That was until Yuan Muti became pregnant. Bai Youwei fed her blood every night to keep her safe.

Yuan Muti was still uneasy. For once, Bai Youwei felt a rare stir of emotion and gently comforted her. "Once you've given birth, I'll let you stay by my side for the rest of your life."

&

The second time they met, Bai Youwei thought, For a lowly human maid, bearing my child in a life as fleeting as a mayfly's is already an immense honor.

Then Bai Youwei had to travel overseas on business. When she returned, only her son and daughter remained in the mansion. She frantically searched every inch of Hong Kong, but couldn't find a single trace of the little maid.

Only then did Bai Youwei clearly see that Yuan Muti hadn't just changed her mind about dying. She wanted to escape from Bai Youwei, too.

&

Three months later, Yuan Muti made a living selling river snails, relying on her skill at cooking luosifen.

But while gathering river snails again, she was surrounded by vampires.

Yuan Muti clutched her basket and stood warily, afraid to move.

Then a freezing embrace came from behind her.

Bai Youwei had arrived. With a smile that didn't reach her eyes, she asked coldly, "How about I turn you into a vampire, too, so our family can stay together forever?"

&

Reading Guide:

1. In this story, vampire pregnancy works by shooting fangs from the fingertips to inject a fluid.

2. Both female leads are virgins, and there is an age gap of more than ten thousand years between them.

3. Lead 1 is an authority figure who lowers herself and takes a wife by force. Lead 0 suffers terribly and wants to die at first, but grows resilient later and learns to live well.

4. The protagonists are not perfect, and each has flaws.

5. Thank you to everyone who reads this story (^3^)

Theme: Face yourself honestly