After Returning Victorious, I Was Forced to Become Regent

I just wanted to lie flat, but did I end up winning at life? I got both a career and love.

A genuinely powerful, undefeated female general × a genuinely frail, sickly, and resourceful male prince

Since childhood, Shen Yanqing's ideal had been to lie flat. Spurred on by her father and brothers, she worked hard at martial arts and medicine, thinking she could live freely once she grew up.

Unfortunately, life is full of surprises. A battle left them dead on their way home in triumph. Shen Yanqing lost the father and brothers who had doted on her and loved her, leaving her the sole head of the Shen family. Although she knew the truth behind their deaths, she could only lie low for the time being. Five years later, the enemy kingdom invaded again, and Shen Yanqing decided to take the field herself and avenge them.

So she donned her armor and went into battle, eventually returning victorious. That was where the story began.

But the Chancellor's influence at court was overwhelming, and he feared her command of the army, so he laid trap after trap for her.

See how Shen Yanqing fights back and foils the Chancellor's schemes. After the turmoil, everyone agreed that General Shen, with both virtue and talent, was the perfect choice for regent. Shen Yanqing had no choice but to work for another ten years before she could lie flat.

Shen Yanqing agreed to work with Xiao Yixuan at first only to see how far he could go. But step by step, she came to realize that the two of them shared the same ideals and became confidants.

As a child, Xiao Yixuan had been saved from hardship by the Shen father and son. When he sensed a storm approaching, Shen Yanqing happened to return to the capital, so he decided to work with her and escape his cage. He never expected the feelings from long ago to blossom.

Romance:

Female lead: She was a free spirit, untethered and carefree, but for him, she was willing to drop anchor.

Male lead: He thought he had little time left and had no intention of getting entangled, yet he couldn't help falling for her.

"After all these years apart, I'm afraid Yanqing has forgotten me."

"There are no men left in Yanqing's family. To carry on the family line, naturally I'll move into the Shen residence. I'm Yanqing's man now."

Please note:

The male lead subverts the usual tropes: he is sickly and frail, but pretends to be an ordinary, healthy person.

One-on-one romance, both leads are devoted to each other, no melodramatic plot, no supporting characters with romantic storylines, and the male lead is not stronger than the strong female lead. The male lead has a secret crush on the female lead in the early part of the story, and they fall for each other in the later part.

This story is told from the female lead's perspective, so she gets most of the page time. She is also the strongest in terms of combat ability.

Physically: strong female lead, weak male lead. Mentally: both are strong.

Theme: Where there's a will, there's a way. If you work hard, you can accomplish anything.