The Noble Consort's Tale

She was born to a poor family and entered the household as a maid, yet she had remarkable talent. All she wanted was to quietly serve until she was old enough to leave and live an ordinary life. But fate brought two men into her life, entangling her with them for years. She wanted no part in the struggle for power, yet she was swept into the bloody turmoil of the imperial harem and countless palace intrigues. She was not only the legendary Consort Li of Ming history, but also a sensitive young woman prone to sorrow. He was a gifted scholar and a worthy official. Devoted to his country, he repeatedly met with frustration in his youth. When he gave everything for the Ming dynasty, he lost the woman he loved most. He was the key architect behind the Ming dynasty's most remarkable reforms: Zhang Juzheng, its grand secretary. To fulfill his ambitions, he sacrificed love and became embroiled in the fierce struggles at court. Yet for all his achievements, he was still just a man grieving the loss of his beloved. He was a prince with great ambitions, forced to keep them buried. A sorrowful son who had to feign mediocrity to allay his father's suspicions. When he became the ruler of all under heaven, the woman he loved most still had someone else in her heart. How could such a perceptive, sensitive man not know? Set against the historical events of the Ming dynasty, this novel primarily follows the tangled love between Consort Li, the Longqing Emperor, and the era's grand secretary, Zhang Juzheng. It also features palace intrigue and struggles for the throne. The tangled, sorrowful feelings between Zhang Juzheng and Consort Li, the Longqing Emperor's grief and helplessness as he loves only one woman all his life but receives no love in return, and the conflict and tragedy of the imperial consorts fighting for power are all here.