Synopsis
At seventeen, Ji Lingzhao was cherished by the emperor and enjoyed privileges unique to the dynasty's princesses. She could be said to have his boundless favor. She thought being an idle princess would suit her just fine: admiring flowers, feeding fish, making a few friends to cultivate her refined tastes, and occasionally causing trouble for people she disliked. Life could hardly be better.
On a mountain path after the rain, she came across an uncut gem. The young man named Cheng Chuan, dressed in plain white, was like a shower of rain falling into her life. He was gentle and refined, and talented, too. He offered advice time and again, helping her manage her estate with impeccable order. He was truly a rare talent, and Ji Lingzhao thought she had struck gold.
Even though she vaguely sensed he was hiding something, she didn't care much. There was plenty of time. If Cheng Chuan really proved unacceptable to her, she could get rid of him whenever she wished.
But less than two years later, her father the emperor died suddenly. As shadows flickered through the hall, she took the imperial edict with trembling hands and became Great Yin's first princess to wield regency powers, leaving the court ministers aghast.
The new emperor was displeased, the ministers looked askance at her, and the great clans watched her like hawks. The position of regent princess was not an easy one to hold. In the dim lamplight, Cheng Chuan smiled at her across the chessboard. "Your Highness wishes to serve her sovereign with loyalty. I, too, have a sovereign I wish to serve."
"Let me be your most loyal subject."
Ji Lingzhao was half-convinced.
But later, when Prince Qi usurped the throne, her trusted aides were murdered, and she was forced to flee, he was the only one by her side.
With life and death hanging in the balance, he put on her robes and walked toward certain death, his voice whispering like the wind.
The only way to survive was to become emperor.
During the years when Princess Zhaode governed as regent, she was often accompanied by an adviser.
He was handsome, of unknown origins, held no official position, and had an ambiguous status. Yet he was allowed to take part in political discussions and was almost always at Ji Lingzhao's side, managing every matter for her.
People mocked him in private, calling him a sycophant, a plaything, a pitiful creature with no standing of his own who was enjoying a brief moment in the sun and would one day be cast aside like a worn-out shoe. After all, Ji Lingzhao never treated those around her poorly, yet she was so stingy with him alone. Clearly, she had no real affection for him.
Behind a screen in the princess's residence, Ji Lingzhao listened to the rumors and nearly laughed. She lowered her head, slowly winding the ink-black hair across her lap around her fingers, and asked with a smile, "What do you think?"
Cheng Chuan lay across her lap, his black hair tousled, his eyes lowered on his porcelain-pale face. He gave a soft laugh, reaching out to tangle their long hair together. His voice floated like a feather, irresistibly alluring to the ear.
"Who would dare spread such talk about Your Highness? How audacious. For the sake of Your Highness's reputation, perhaps..."
"No."
Ji Lingzhao refused at once. Smiling meaningfully, she leaned down and whispered,
"How could I bear to let someone this useful leave my side?"
*
One-on-one romance, both leads remain faithful to each other, a slow-burn relationship.
The early story focuses on the heroine managing her estate and her daily life. Later, she takes power and gradually becomes addicted to it. The heroine is kindhearted, but she is not an absolutely good person.
The setting is fictional. There may be invented details or inaccuracies, so please forgive them.
Theme: Be independent and self-reliant. You are the only person you can truly depend on.