[Opening in November-December, working hard to build up a stockpile] *Main text in third person, the powerful one falls first
My name is A Sheng, and I was born a slave.
My mother gave me this name in the hope that I could survive in this place that devours people.
Her name was A Fu, but sadly, she was not blessed with good fortune.
She died young.
The mistress I served was Lady Liu. She used to be kindhearted and treated me very well.
But I was still a slave.
So she pushed me forward to take the blame.
That was the first time I met the Son of Heaven of Daheng.
He wore a crown reaching to the heavens and a dark dragon robe, sitting upright before me. I didn't dare look up. I could only kneel with my face to the ground, waiting for one word from the emperor to crush my lowly slave's life.
But he merely said calmly,
"The Lady thought I would be easy to fool."
His voice gave no hint of whether he was pleased or angry.
But I knew I had survived. I had been given life once again.
I began to feel grateful that my mother had given me my name.
And I slowly remembered that this emperor was a wise ruler of Daheng.
After leaving Lady Liu, I began to climb my way up.
And the emperor gave me that chance.
Even though he had no interest in women, I still wanted a place of my own in the imperial palace of Daheng.
I wanted to live.
"Your Majesty, this servant asks for no love, only a chance to live."
Love is to me what I am to the nobility: something they can take or leave.
Yet this emperor inexplicably felt a trace of pity for me.
"A Sheng, A Sheng."
And so,
he gave me a surname, granted me power, and asked for my love.
[Reading Guide / Content Warnings]
1. One-on-one romance, both leads are sexually inexperienced, happy ending.
2. An alternate Han dynasty setting, not strictly historical and with original elements, focused more on romance.
3. A wise emperor who plans everything × a lowly maid unwilling to remain at the bottom, with a ten-year age gap.
4. This novel is also titled The Emperor's Downfall.
Theme: Strive to live.
