The Noble Consort Alone Holds the Emperor's Heart

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A clear-headed, calculating beauty slowly devours him x A rational, cold emperor gradually falls for her

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Liang Fu is the least favored illegitimate daughter of the Changning Earl's household. After struggling through more than a decade of hardship, she knows better than anyone that she must take her fate into her own hands.

The year she comes of age, the emperor happens to hold a selection of consorts to fill the imperial harem.

She makes a deal with her father.

When the selection is over, she gets her wish and enters the palace. Though she is only a sixth-rank Baolin, she knows this is just the beginning.

From then on, she treats the emperor with gentle consideration and humors the other consorts, acting cautiously at every turn. In just a few short years, she rises to become the leading consort of a palace.

Everyone says her favor never wanes and that she is the emperor's favorite. She only curls her lips. This is still far from enough.

What she wants has always been clear:

To reign over the imperial palace and become someone above everyone else.

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Newly enthroned, with an unstable foundation, the emperor holds the selection of consorts only to balance the court. The new consorts are nothing but pawns.

Fu Qingheng maneuvers among the palace's factions, never revealing the emperor's true feelings.

Whom he favors and whom he neglects are entirely at his whim.

But Liang Fu is an exception. She is beautiful and knows when to advance and retreat. She is gentle and considerate, never jealous or competitive, and her family background is modest.

She is a useful pawn who requires little effort to manage.

Yet, at some point,

he begins to despise the very things about her that he once liked most.

He, too, wants something real.

#Traditional palace intrigue, female lead is a virgin, male lead is not

#If this story has any dealbreakers for you, please don't read it

Ranks of the imperial consorts:

Empress

The Four First-Rank Consorts: Noble Consort, Worthy Consort, Virtuous Consort, and Sagacious Consort

Second rank: Consort

Senior third rank: Jieyu, Zhaoyi

Junior third rank: Xiuyi, Xiurong

Senior fourth rank: Noble Concubine

Junior fourth rank: Concubine

Senior fifth rank: Beauty

Junior fifth rank: Talented Lady

Senior sixth rank: Baolin

Senior seventh rank: Imperial Lady

Senior eighth rank: Selected Lady

Those of fourth rank or higher may preside over a palace and be addressed as Your Highness. Those of third rank or higher may raise princes and princesses on their own.

Theme: Love yourself most of all