To the west lay a country called Gaoguan, where women held power and wives ruled their husbands. The ruler of the country was called the Queen, and her eldest legitimate daughter, heir to the throne, was known as the Royal Princess.
The Royal Princess of Gaoguan, Jiang Diyao, was peerlessly beautiful, with no equal under heaven. Rumors about her never ended, and her wealth and power were as abundant as the mountains.
She admired beauty and loved riches, had a cruel heart, and stopped at nothing to get what she wanted. She committed all manner of wicked deeds in secret. How could she possibly possess even a trace of the heir's benevolent virtue?
That was the most common assessment of her in the popular stories of the day.
Jiang Diyao rubbed her forehead. “Don't I?”
She often thought that if she didn't count as merciful, then those across the kingdoms who dared criticize royal offspring or speculate about the heir would have had their heads chopped off and died a hundred times over by now.
Apparently, in the eyes of the nobles, even iron fists could not silence the endless gossip.
The nobles could grumble all they liked, but once the Royal Princess's notice seeking a husband was posted, young masters and heirs from every kingdom arrived with wagons full of dowry gifts. They lined up from the palace in the north all the way to the city's southern end, like peacocks fanning their tails, offering their sincere hearts and proclaiming their admiration for the Royal Princess.
As luck would have it, the Royal Princess did something else for them to criticize.
Jiang Diyao looked over the young men around her and smiled, pointing in an elaborate little arc. “You.”
She chose a frail, sickly beauty whom her third younger sister had pulled from a river to become Gaoguan's future Phoenix Lord.
He had lost his memory and had no name, so the Royal Princess bestowed the surname Li upon him, the Li made of the character for wood and the character for son.
*
On the first day after being chosen, Young Master Li lamented: How did I end up rising to the top, dragged into this game as a pawn? This is bound to bring disaster. I want to live.
A few days later, after being caught while trying to escape: If a deal falls through, we can still part on good terms. But this woman goes back on her word as soon as things don't go her way. I have to run again.
A while later: I can't escape the Royal Princess's grasp no matter what I do. I should bide my time and regain my strength first. Fine, I'll accept it.
Later: Something's not right. None of this is right. The Royal Princess isn't quite like the rumors say...
And later still...
Young Master Li died.
*
Long afterward, on the night of the Royal Princess's wedding, as candles flickered in the bridal chamber...
With a bang, the bedchamber door was kicked open from outside. The heir of Zhongyu, Wei Jinyi, who should have been eating and drinking at the banquet, barged in without warning.
He brandished his sword, scaring off the groom, then strode over to Jiang Diyao and took her hand. In a voice more familiar to her than any other, he said, “Royal Princess, how can you seduce someone and then abandon him?”
The face, identical to Young Master Li's, made the usually unflappable Royal Princess's composure crack more than a little.
*
An ambitious heroine whose feigned affection contains real feelings & a scheming hero who starts out disdainful and later falls so hard he goes crazy
\In plain terms: I, a woman of high rank and power, take an amnesiac heir from a neighboring kingdom as my lover to provide cover, then outwit rivals and fall in love in a country ruled by women, while navigating the affairs of the various kingdoms.\
[Reader's Guide]
1. Both leads are reborn. They're a couple who bicker and clash, with a happy ending and both remaining virgins.
2. The setting is entirely fictional. The author makes the rules of the world, so readers who care about historical accuracy, please take note.
3. Though the country is ruled by women, this isn't quite a women-dominant novel, nor is it a story where the heroine is strong and the men are even stronger. It falls somewhere in between.
4. Blurb written on January 23, 2026, at 19:55. The actual story takes precedence. The author is working hard to build up a backlog.
Theme: The heavy is the root of the light; the still is the master of the restless.
