The Daily Rise of a Palace Official

Su Shang has lived in the Great Liang dynasty for over a decade, enjoying a comfortable, middle-class life.

Her father teaches at a private school, while her mother is a governess who teaches etiquette to wealthy families. Su Shang has also learned to read and write, and conducts herself with poise.

Her family is harmonious, and life is peaceful. But fate is unpredictable. While returning to their hometown to visit relatives, her parents are both killed by bandits. Su Shang and her young brother escape the tragedy because they are visiting their maternal uncle's home.

With disaster striking, the clan pressures them, and the family business is at risk of falling apart.

Determined to carve out a way forward, Su Shang grits her teeth and enters the palace selection for female officials.

Only after entering the palace does she realize that not only is it hard to find a way forward, even staying alive is difficult.

Emperor Yongjia has many children. His thirteenth prince, Zhao Qiyu, was born to a palace maid in the Yeting Palace. His birth mother has low status, so no one pays him any attention. On top of that, his birth date is considered unlucky, earning him the emperor's displeasure. Even the palace servants often speak of him with contempt.

Yet this prince, trapped in such a difficult situation, saves her when that old eunuch bullies her.

Su Shang begins to pay attention to him.

His vacant eyes, his perpetually hungry stomach, his ill-fitting clothes, his shoes that pinch his feet. Even a prince of the imperial family like him gets frostbite on his hands in winter.

Su Shang can't bear to see him like that. She makes him clothes and shoes a few times, gives him ointment and pastries, and occasionally shares a few words with him.

After she becomes a records officer in the Palace Attendants Bureau and gains some standing in the palace, she takes a little extra care of him.

It is only a small kindness, but he remembers it for a very long time.

Long enough to ascend the throne and, to repay her, promise to grant her one wish.

When Zhao Qiyu first studied at the Imperial Academy, he was exceptionally quick to understand. His teacher's first lesson was to conceal his brilliance.

A heart like thunder, a face like a still lake: that is how one achieves great things.

After meeting Su Shang, he discovers that some things simply cannot be hidden. Whenever she is around, his eyes can't help but turn toward her.

After enduring humiliation and hardship until his success is within reach, Zhao Qiyu turns to the female official at his side and promises to grant her one wish.

He secretly thinks that even if she wants to become empress, he will find a way to make it happen. But she says she wants to leave the palace with dignity and fanfare.

For the first time, Su Shang sees a burning warmth in his usually cold eyes. The next instant, he has her held against him, their breaths mingling. His voice remains calm:

"Why not leave in a blaze of glory by taking your place as empress?"

#How to Play Mind Games Among Master Manipulators

Reader's Guide: 1. This is a slice-of-life story whose main themes are family, friendship, romance, and plot, in no particular order.

2. Both leads are virgins.

Theme: Let your brilliance shine.