A Qing Dynasty Princess Consort, Plus One Free

[Sharp-tongued, clever little ray of sunshine x scheming, gentle big wolf]

Shu Ning is merely an ordinary noblewoman from a county outside the capital.

One day, she hides her family background and a secret, then accompanies a princess to the capital to investigate a case.

As she follows the clues, a well-known Ninth Prince comes looking for her.

After several such encounters, Shu Ning finally loses her temper.

"Your Highness, are you investigating the case, or investigating me?"

His annoying figure blocks her path.

His tone is impossibly mischievous, yet his smile is warm.

"You."

The cold, sharp scent of dragon's-blood incense wafts into her nose, giving Shu Ning a sudden chill.

"Will you come home with me? My future princess consort..."

Shu Ning glares back at him with her almond-shaped eyes and snaps, "Get lost. Who's your princess consort?"

*

Later, the entire General's household is convicted.

Shu Ning's identity as a noblewoman is exposed, and she can only watch as the imperial edict ordering the family's confiscation arrives.

Inside the great hall,

the proud and dignified Ninth Prince willingly kneels at the emperor's feet, asking only for an edict granting her marriage to him.

"A Ning..."

He presses her jade pendant to his lips, a deep and unwavering fire burning in his eyes.

"This time, let me protect you."

[Reader's Note]:

1. One-on-one romance, both leads are virgins.

2. All characters in this story are heterosexual, with no BL. The male lead and second male lead are allies, and there is some emotional tension between them, but no romance. Any other interpretation is a personal reading. Please don't read if this bothers you.

A preview of my upcoming novel, The Concubine's Daughter Insists on Becoming Empress~

Jiang Lingyue, the daughter of a concubine, has a beauty capable of bringing a kingdom to ruin.

She has also learned every bit of her mother's skill at hiding a blade behind her gentleness and climbing the social ladder by attaching herself to the powerful.

On her first day back in the capital, her legitimate elder sister despises her low birth, her stepmother sees her as a thorn in her side, and the noblewomen of the capital are all eager to grind her into the dirt because of her stunning face.

Today she takes on her legitimate elder sister, tomorrow she puts her half-sister in her place, and the day after that she turns the entire Minister of Rites' household upside down.

Jiang Lingyue leans lazily against the window, covering her lips with a round fan as she smiles and watches the whole household descend into chaos over her.

Suddenly, she realizes that the world within these walls is far too small.

All their squabbling will get them no further than marrying into an official's family.

She might as well try the palace.

*

The world calls her a bewitching consort who leads the emperor astray.

But that night, Lingnu lies drunk before the imperial throne, the corners of her eyes tinged with wine as she smiles and reaches out to him.

Only then does he learn what it means to be blinded by beauty.

So he places the phoenix seal in her hands.

Then he lays half the realm before her.

Because, "Lingnu wants it."

"Then it's all hers."

Theme: The threads of family and nation, woven by women