In the summer of the second year of Qi'an, Zhang Miaozhen, the cherished youngest legitimate daughter of the Zhang family, held a grand coming-of-age ceremony in the capital.
That day, brilliant light filled the sky, and every lotus in the pond bloomed at once. The story that Zhang Miaozhen was the reincarnation of a goddess spread throughout the capital.
There was a reason: Zhang Miaozhen had an ethereal, otherworldly beauty, with the face of Guanyin, and was a rare beauty besides. She was also kind and compassionate, often giving out porridge to disaster victims. She seemed to embody the Buddhist ideal of "wondrous truth and suchness," with its serene, merciful heart.
Buddhism flourished in Great Qi, and devout men and women were everywhere. After her coming-of-age ceremony, marriage-minded suitors who had heard of her fame crowded the capital and wore down her doorsteps.
Zhang Miaozhen merely smiled serenely at them.
No one knew that it had all been her idea.
Women could make a name for themselves just as men could.
She had been ambitious from birth and had never been content to settle down with a man of equal status. The Zhang family was not among the capital's powerful noble houses, so this reputation was her chance to rise in the world.
Then, one ordinary afternoon, an imperial edict arrived at the Zhang estate. The Empress Dowager's decree announced that she wished to formally invite Zhang Miaozhen into the palace as a consort.
The palace was a treacherous place, and everyone felt sorry for Zhang Miaozhen. Only she herself allowed the slightest smile to touch her lips.
She had never been content with an ordinary life. If she could win the emperor's favor and wield power for the rest of her life, so much the better.
-
The current emperor, Pei Shucheng, was appointed crown prince at eighteen and handled state affairs on behalf of the late emperor. He ascended the throne at twenty-three and took full control of power at twenty-five, becoming the youngest and most promising emperor in Great Qi's history.
He governed diligently and never indulged in women. Strict with himself and fair in his dealings, he had only one exception: his grandmother, the current Empress Dowager, whom he treated with great filial devotion and whose every wish he granted.
When he learned that the Empress Dowager wanted to take a consort for him because of a dream, Pei Shucheng merely furrowed his brow, unconcerned.
He thought, it's only a woman.
His grandmother was getting senile. As long as it made her happy, adding any number of consorts to the palace would be no problem.
After all, to him, the women of the harem were only there to continue the imperial line and provide a little relief.
Until the day he first saw Zhang Miaozhen, and could no longer take his eyes off her.
[At first, I only wanted to give it a try. I never expected that one try would last a lifetime.]
Tip: Harem intrigue. The male lead is not a virgin. He devotes himself exclusively to the heroine later on. The heroine seems sweet but is cunning, and is no good person.
Theme: Take charge of your own life
