The Princess's Consort Pretends to Be Aloof

The Grand Princess Who Protects the State of the Great Jing Dynasty loves power above all else, while the legitimate grandson of the Meng clan of Gusu is the most refined and charming young gentleman around.

As luck would have it, these two had been betrothed as children, a match that had become a joke known throughout the surrounding villages.

Later, Young Master Meng fell in love with the female tutor in his household. In a fit of fury, the Grand Princess had him dragged thousands of miles to her residence and forced him to marry her.

Everyone knew that the Grand Princess had once nearly been named Crown Princess. She was a ruthless woman, so her consort really had the worst luck.

But this was how the storyteller in the tavern told it: The Grand Princess had once gone so far to pursue her beloved that she put aside her royal dignity, concealed her identity, and went to the Meng household to serve as a female tutor...

The listeners beat their chests and spat blood in frustration: The consort was such a hypocrite, pretending to be aloof! If he had known, why not just marry her from the start? The whole realm would have celebrated!

The storyteller continued: Don't rush, the story isn't over yet. That consort later usurped the throne and slaughtered the imperial clan and nobility. Now that was what you call ruthless.

But even the storyteller didn't know how this joke ended. Three years later, the Grand Princess stormed back into the imperial palace and killed her consort with a single slash.

Coming soon: The Top Scholar Is a Villain

The top scholar is a villain, yet the female emperor happens to pick him as her consort. This leaves a whole crowd of ministers worried sick, afraid that the emperor is a lovesick fool.

One day, the female emperor and the top scholar wake up in the same bed.

The emperor remarks, "I ascended the throne when I was young, and fought quite a few treacherous ministers. You certainly held out longer than any of them."

The top scholar touches the small, delicate bite marks covering his neck, his face turning ashen. "Your Majesty, did you tame them this way, too?"

The female emperor's eyes widen. "Of course not! They were all old men. In all these years, you're the only young man of real talent I've met."

From then on, the top scholar reforms and vows to become a loyal minister.

The ministers beam with delight, thinking: Our emperor is still our emperor. What a brilliant move!

But one day, the story suddenly takes a turn. The top scholar appears at court with a long sword in hand, his presence terrifying.

"Your Majesty has never sincerely cared for me, not even for a moment. You only agreed to the consort's appointment after the Three Departments urged you to do so, and wanted to use this opportunity to tame me."

The female emperor looks at the long sword and swallows. "Actually, dear minister... there's one more reason."

"What is it?" A glimmer of hope appears in the top scholar's eyes.

"Among all the officials at court, you're the best-looking."

The top scholar spits blood and storms off. From then on, he goes further and further down the path of villainy, making the capital an unsettled place.

The ministers are horrified and send memorial after memorial to the emperor: Your Majesty, perhaps you should go back to being a lovesick fool.

The female emperor has no choice. With a large belly, she runs to the top scholar and pleads, "How about you wait until after the baby is born to rebel? It won't make much difference if you wait a little longer."

The highest art of an emperor's struggle against treacherous ministers: give him a child to be the crown prince, and see if he still rebels.

Currently serializing: The Noble Family's Young Lady Went Astray

Xie Ru was born into a distinguished family with a four-hundred-year reputation for integrity and loyalty, yet she grew up to be a wicked schemer.

Throughout her life, she allied herself with the powerful, served two masters, colluded with foreign enemies, and deposed emperors. Once, she thrust a sharp sword into the grand plaque of the Hall of Supreme Harmony and openly defied the world: "The Xie clan's four hundred years of loyalty and integrity do not amount to blind devotion. If someone isn't doing a good job as emperor, then let someone else take a turn."

The road of villainy was a difficult one. Then, one day, she met a general who was invincible in battle, forthright, and carefree.

During the Changjing mutiny, the general made a thousand-mile raid and found her by the Miluo River, in the middle of poisoning her own younger brother.

During the hunting expedition at Dufeng Mountain, the general traveled far to the southern lands and found her in a maple forest, leading a group of assassins in the middle of a major undertaking.

At the autumn tea banquet in Chaohai, the general met a friend late at night and found her setting a great fire in the friend's ancestral shrine.

The general was speechless. "Can't you avoid me a little when you're killing people or setting fires?"

She replied, "Do you really think you're the King of Hell? You're awfully nosy."

Later, the King of Hell left the two of them alone, but the Matchmaker intervened.

But Xie Ru was a leopard that couldn't change its spots. When the general raised an army to conquer the realm amid the rivalry of heroes, she betrayed him again. She married a young gentleman of the upright and proper Qinghe Xun clan, with an eight-man bridal sedan and ten miles of wedding finery.

But on their wedding night, she froze.

The refined and charming young man before her, waving a white jade fan carved from bone, looked exactly like the general she cherished. Was she seeing things?

The groom waved his fan and smiled with a raised brow. "Didn't see that coming, did you? I've got a secret identity, too!"

Theme: Behind every mature princess stands a proud consort.