The Young Empress

The main story and extras are complete. Please support the official release! The blurb for my upcoming modern reincarnation novel, Raising a Little Wildcat, is at the very bottom. Lin Zhen has always lived with her father in the southwest and has rarely set foot in the capital. She never imagined she might one day come so close to becoming empress. Then the current empress fell gravely ill and the clan had to choose a daughter to take her place. By chance, all the clan's legitimate daughters of suitable age were already married, so Lin Zhen, a distant niece of the empress, was pushed into the role. Lin Zhen did not want to enter the palace and become empress. But for the sake of her family and the stability of the country, she resolutely entered the palace to learn at the empress's side. Then the emperor got involved, and somehow she seemed to be drifting further and further from her ideal of becoming a virtuous empress... Lin Zhen: (.) The Son of Heaven, Shen Ding, had once seen Lin Zhen at his birthday banquet. Back then, he praised her for taking after her father and said she would surely become a remarkable woman. He never imagined that years later, Lin Zhen would become a candidate to be his second empress. When his first wife asked him to let Lin Zhen enter the palace, he never expected to fall in love with a girl twenty years younger than himself. He thought of her as an extra daughter, someone to keep well fed and comfortable in the harem, a mascot to help balance the court and the inner palace. But after years spent together day and night, Lin Zhen won his heart. Faced with Lin Zhen, whom he had unknowingly spoiled until she was utterly unruly, Shen Ding had this to say: (.) In the second year after the empress passed away, Lin Zhen entered the palace by imperial decree to become empress. This girl, barely in her teens, became mistress of the emperor's harem, overseeing a group of consorts who were much older than she was. At first, they refused to accept her, but Lin Zhen won them over with a combination of kindness and authority, wielding her power decisively. From then on, they never dared defy her again. Throughout her years in the palace, Lin Zhen never forgot her aunt's teaching: "Only by not loving the emperor can you become a good empress." She put that belief into practice, managing the harem fairly and impartially, and keeping everything in perfect order. The emperor, who had accidentally fallen for her: ... A little scene: The Emperor: The Crown Prince likes you, the Grand Tutor's grandson and the Crown Prince's companion likes you, the new top scholar likes you, and even that lowly guard in the palace dares to like you! Lin Zhen, who has renounced love and only wants to be a good empress: Mm-hmm. And? The Emperor, awkwardly: I mean, I like you too. Why not consider me? Lin Zhen: Since you asked so nicely, I suppose I can make an exception and say yes. (.) A rational, sunny, doted-on empress who is single-minded about her career and utterly without guile, paired with an emperor who is a lovesick, humble, fatherly boyfriend whose old heart has caught fire. An older man raising a younger woman. All I can say is, he spoils her rotten. The male lead may suffer, but the female lead never will. [Warnings] [Important]: The heroine will not have children! Absolutely not! The author hates scenes where the heroine gives birth! 1. An alternate-history setting, focused on the growth of a young empress. Mostly career-focused, with little romance and plenty of everyday life. Includes harem and household intrigue. The pacing is slow, and this is neither a wish-fulfillment novel nor a sweet romance. 2. Since the title says she is a second empress and the age gap is so large, I assume readers who have made it this far have accepted that the male lead is not sexually inexperienced (looks up at the sky). I can only promise that after they get together, they will be faithful to each other in both body and heart. 3. This novel is the author's way of indulging lingering feelings about various emperor-and-empress stories, especially tragic romances and stories about powerful, calculating heroines. So the heroine will have a pretty good time, while the male lead will be humble and aggrieved. 4. A passionate work written on a whim, with plenty of flaws. Please be forgiving. The author is both bad at writing and unable to stop writing. _(:з"∠)_ Blurb for the emperor-and-empress reincarnation novel, Raising a Little Wildcat: Tong Zhen entered show business as a child star after a photograph of her went viral. She grew up famous, with everything going smoothly, until she turned eighteen and finally saw the dark side of the entertainment industry. At a dinner party, desperate for protection, she blurted out a call to Shen Zhizhuo, who happened to be passing by: "Godfather!" At last, she managed to get away. They met again at a banquet. Forced by circumstances to try her luck, Tong Zhen was keeping a low profile when a producer she knew suddenly called out to her: "Tong Zhen, aren't you going to say hello to your godfather?" Tong Zhen: ... Shen Zhizhuo calmly took a sip of wine and beckoned to her. "Come here." Shen Zhizhuo is the youngest son of the Shen family. Rumor has it that after his fiancée abandoned him, he remained single. Quiet and scrupulously respectable, he is the most eligible bachelor in their circle. His friends all wondered who could win over this aloof, untouchable man. Then a girl whose personality was the complete opposite of his began appearing at his side all the time. Sometimes, she even called him "Godfather." His friends: So this is what you're like, Shen Zhizhuo! Shen Zhizhuo: ... At first, Shen Zhizhuo simply couldn't stand the way things were done in their circle, so he rescued Tong Zhen on impulse. When they met a second time, he couldn't bear to watch her stumble around like a headless fly in a dog-eat-dog world. At last, he took her under his wing and cared for her devotedly. After spending more time with Tong Zhen, he realized she was like a little wildcat. When she was happy, she would act cute and seek affection; when she was upset, she would bare her teeth at people. Fortunately, she was as easy to placate as a wildcat, all she needed was something tasty to eat. It took Shen Zhizhuo quite a while to tame this little wildcat. Or perhaps he was the one she tamed. From then on, he could never leave her. Shen Zhizhuo calmly remarked, "I knew it. Getting hooked on cats is addictive." Tong Zhen bared her teeth. "Who are you calling a cat?!" Note: The heroine is 159 cm tall, and her height is a lifelong sore spot. She is not delicate and submissive, but she is proud and willful, knows martial arts, and has a strong sense of self-respect. Sometimes she acts cute and seeks affection. The hero is 189 cm tall and 34 years old. The story features a striking height and age gap, and focuses on him raising her, though not very successfully. He is a fatherly cat owner. [Warnings] One-on-one romance, both leads are virgins, but the hero previously had female companions who attended various events with him in a professional capacity. The hero and his fiancée never met and had no feelings for each other; it was all rumor. However, the fiancée has another important identity and is connected to the heroine. The heroine's background is a mystery. Theme: Marriage is not about obedience and deference, but mutual respect and support. Women must also learn to stand on their own and become strong.