The Rise of a Treacherous Official

Story blurb

[He wanted power, so he became the Chief Grand Secretary. He wanted her, so he became her shadow.]

Fu Jinyue wielded power over the entire court, manipulating politics and killing without mercy. The high-ranking officials who filled the court were nothing but bones beneath her feet. Everyone said the eunuch faction was ruining the country, yet no one knew that beneath that black official robe was a woman.

Xu Xingzhi was refined and elegant, with a smile as warm as spring. Everyone praised him as a gentleman of impeccable character. Little did they know that what he loved most was stripping people of their skin and breaking their bones.

His mother had taught him since childhood: if you want something, stop at nothing to get it. For years, that was exactly how he lived.

But now, he wanted her, and he had no idea how to claim her.

That day, beneath the covered walkway at the imperial residence, a beautiful young maid wearing a veiled hat appeared beside the Crown Prince.

As they passed each other, the breeze lifted one corner of her veil, and Xu Xingzhi's breath caught.

That face was unmistakably the one he had sketched in his mind night after night, the one he hated to the depths of his soul, and the one he desired with maddening intensity.

That night, he invited her to his private residence. Incense curled through the air as he smiled and offered her a cup of tea. "You look a great deal like someone I used to know." Fu Jinyue lowered her eyes and accepted it, unaware that a muscle-relaxing poison had silently seeped into her. By the time she realized, it was too late. Her inner strength ebbed away like a receding tide. Her gauzy dress was pressed against the cold sandalwood desk as Xu Xingzhi leaned over her, his cool fingertips tracing her features. Candlelight flickered in his eyes. "I never knew that the mighty Grand Eunuch, who rules the court, was actually a woman."

She turned her face aside, her voice cold as iron. "You've mistaken me for someone else, sir. I'm just a maid serving His Highness the Crown Prince."

Xu Xingzhi's smile turned colder by degrees. His wandering hand suddenly clamped around her chin. "When did he find out?" His voice was gentle, but his eyes churned with a jealousy fierce enough to destroy the world. It gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake.

Why? He had tormented himself day and night, hating that he had fallen for her, hating her for her coldness. She had dragged him into this consuming, heart-searing affair. But Heaven had finally shown him some mercy: the head of the eunuch faction whom he longed for was a woman. A tide of elation swept over him, but what followed was even deeper resentment.

Someone else had learned her secret before he did.

"It doesn't matter." Xu Xingzhi suddenly smiled and gently smoothed the loose hair from her forehead. Then he leaned close to her ear and whispered like a lover, "If I kill the Crown Prince, I'll be the only person in the world who knows your secret."

A little scene

① "When you kill, I'll hand you the knife. When you lay a city to waste, I'll set the fire. But..." He raised his eyes, possessiveness churning in them, twisted and obsessive. "If you so much as look at someone else, I want to gouge out their eyes! Man or woman."

② One day, she left the imperial prison. Xu Xingzhi stood waiting with an umbrella, covered in snow from head to toe. He adjusted the fur cloak around her shoulders. "It's cold, sir. Take care of yourself."

① The heroine is genuinely ruthless [emphasis], absolutely not a sweet, kind-hearted girl. She will repeatedly try to kill the hero. Readers who are very protective of the hero, beware!

② Cold, ambitious heroine x scheming, fake-sweet, love-struck hero.

③ The hero is a bit of a scoundrel early on, then turns into a lovesick puppy later. His wife comes first!

④ The heroine is devoted to her career from beginning to end and is highly skilled in martial arts. No one can beat her, so this is not a case of the hero being stronger than the powerful heroine.

⑤ Welcome, lovely readers! We've got seats ready for you.

Theme: Run forward

4: Coming next: Feeding Myself to the Hound. Please add it to your collection!

To outsiders, Princess Yongjia, Chu Ningyu, was peerless in status, adored by the emperor and empress, and loved by Chancellor Xie.

But only Chu Ningyu knew how wretched and debased she was at night, and how Xie Rongyu tormented her until she wished she were dead.

Until the old emperor fell gravely ill and a revered monk from Qinghe Temple came to pray for his recovery. Amid the crowd, Chu Ningyu caught sight of a dignified, aloof Buddhist monk.

The monk, Xuanling, was born Li Zhi. He commanded a powerful army and was the only person in all of Great Chu capable of standing against Xie Rongyu.

Chu Ningyu narrowed her phoenix eyes, calculating how to drag him down from his lofty pedestal, how to make him willingly brave any danger for her.

On the night the old emperor died, Xie Rongyu's men surrounded her and her young brother inside the Golden Throne Hall, with death hanging over them. In her despair, Li Zhi arrived in full armor with his troops to save her.

One by one, the men fell before her, their blood staining the hem of her snow-white skirt. Just as the man was about to leave, Chu Ningyu grabbed him.

Her slender hand hooked around the armor on his arm, her bright eyes fixed on him. "I'm afraid, Reverend. Would you stay with me tonight?"

*

At first, Chu Ningyu thought Li Zhi was every bit the enlightened monk one would expect after years of spiritual practice: devoted to saving all beings, merciful and compassionate, like an immortal too lofty to reach.

Later, she accidentally glimpsed a different side of the man.

In a dim room, he held a long sword, drawing one bloody gash after another across the eunuch before him.

"Tell me, who is a better match for Her Highness, me or Chancellor Xie?"

"Y-You, of course!" the eunuch stammered, trembling all over.

But the man had no intention of letting him off. In the blink of an eye, a line of blood appeared across the window lattice.

Chu Ningyu instinctively stepped back. The noise alerted the man nearby, and he walked toward her, sword in hand and blood all over his face.

He had lost every trace of the monk's aloof bearing. Instead, he looked like a bloodthirsty, murderous fallen immortal.

Smiling, he trapped her in his arms. His bloodstained fingers traced her cheek. "Do you still like me like this, Your Highness?"

-Content warnings-

1. The setting is extremely, outrageously fictional. The plot exists to serve the romance, so don't worry about historical accuracy!

2. The heroine is not a virgin, while the hero is. The heroine has a lot of scenes with the second male lead early on. If that bothers you, this isn't for you!

3. The heroine has plenty of flaws. If you want a flawless character, this isn't for you!

4. The writing is at kindergarten level. If you expect perfect prose, this isn't for you!

(P.S. Blurb written on August 15, 2022.)

Coming soon: The Princess Is Heartless

On the day of Princess Yi'an's engagement banquet, all of Jiangzhou was abuzz. Countless nobles rushed to send gifts, and Shen Dai was the center of attention.

After drinking too much at the banquet, Shen Dai stepped out with her maid for some air. As she walked beside the artificial hill and lake, a solid wall suddenly slammed into her.

She looked up and saw a handsome face, blurry yet strangely familiar. Fear rose in her heart along with the haze of wine, and her body suddenly seemed to sink beneath her.

The young lord opposite her reached out in time to steady her. A cool, strong arm gradually circled her waist, forcing Shen Dai to take a step forward and press close against his chest.

"It's been so long, sister-in-law. Why are you trembling?"

That familiar tone brought back memories from two years earlier, and of the thing she regretted most in all her life...

*

Two years ago, while out of the palace, Shen Dai had a brief affair with Pei Qingzhou.

Back then, he was an innocent, naive young man who was blind. She had enjoyed his company, but because of the difference in their status, Shen Dai left him a box of silver and disappeared without a word a month later.

Two years later, Shen Dai never expected that the young blind man would not only reappear before her, but become her future... brother-in-law.

Shen Dai felt guilty. When Pei Qingzhou repeatedly tried to get close to her, she kept backing away, until at last there was nowhere left to retreat. Only then did she steel herself and draw a clear line between them.

"What happened before is in the past. I am now married to your brother. We should... avoid meeting in private from now on."

The man couldn't help laughing at that. He pressed closer, backing her into a cramped corner, then roughly lifted her chin and said,

"You want to cut ties with me, sister-in-law, but I won't let you have your way!"

*

Pei Qingzhou had suffered from an eye condition since childhood. He was the least favored illegitimate son in the family, and his life was unbearably bleak. It was only when a young woman entered his life that he opened his heart again and gave her all his love.

But later, he learned that to Shen Dai, their relationship had been nothing but a lie. The sad part was that he had been the only one to believe in it.

After carefully plotting to cure his eyes and return to the Pei family, he changed completely and exacted revenge for every grievance and slight he had suffered over the past decade.

Only the Princess Yi'an who had deceived his heart and body left him at a loss for what to do.

Late each night, Pei Qingzhou would hold the trembling woman who had hidden herself in the corner of the bed, repeating the same words over and over:

"The day you learn to love me, sister-in-law, is the day Yannu will let you go."

Theme: The road ahead is long and arduous. I will seek the truth from every direction.