A Courtly Tale in a Matriarchal World

[Matriarchal society, imperial palace, devoted dog, melodrama, written on a whim] [Free story written for love. I'll delete any comments I don't like.] [No rankings, free, all for my own enjoyment.] [Just for my own enjoyment, so don't come in if it's not your thing. If you happen to like it, I'm glad we're a good match. If you don't, just close the page and let the author enjoy herself.] With a title like this, does the blurb even matter? Anyway, the appeal of a devoted-dog story is: devoted to humanity → hurt by humanity → still loves humanity. *I truly want to indulge myself for once. Please, recommendation accounts, don't recommend this story. Let me wallow alone (just kidding). [Warnings for new readers] · Matriarchal society, with women giving birth. I know the mainstream convention in matriarchal stories is for men to give birth, but I can't convince myself that makes biological sense. It's a matter of personal preference, so don't read if it's not for you. · Since this is a matriarchal story, please don't ask whether the leads are each other's first. Please. The heroine is like the male lead in a typical patriarchal palace-intrigue novel. What I can promise is a one-on-one ending. · The ending is one-on-one. The leads love each other, live happily, and have adorable children, but the heroine doesn't live very long. Decide for yourselves whether that counts as a happy or sad ending. If you think it might upset you, please don't read. [Warnings for returning readers] · I mentioned this on Weibo before. This is basically an expanded version of the storyline about Xi Chu in my story Little Green Luan. I've always regretted not turning it into a full-length novel, so to stop torturing myself over it, I'm starting over. · But there are bound to be some differences between the short and long versions. Many details have been changed, such as removing the System and adjusting how much the heroine knows about this world. · Based on the above, I suggest treating this as an entirely new story. Don't bring the plot and emotions of the other story into it. · I also don't recommend rereading Little Green Luan while waiting for updates. It's way too easy to get the two stories mixed up... [New story] Seizing the Phoenix Seal by Li Xiao [Blurb] When the Son of Heaven is enraged, a million corpses may fall. The venerable Qin Chancellor was convicted in a single day, and his whole family was sentenced to death. Their glory and prosperity vanished in an instant. On a rainy night, Xu Wenliang, a former student of the Chancellor, risked his life to rescue the Chancellor's three-year-old granddaughter, Qin Wan, and raised her as his own daughter. To conceal her identity, Qin Wan was entered into the Xu family genealogy and renamed Xu Siwan. Everyone thought a three-year-old child couldn't remember anything, but Xu Siwan was precocious. Thirteen years later, the new emperor ascended the throne and began selecting consorts. Xu Siwan, eldest daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue, entered the palace without a hitch. No one knew that from the day she entered the palace, the Qin Wan buried deep in Xu Siwan's heart came alive. She grew up with the hatred of her family's extermination. She wanted the emperor's favor. She wanted the Phoenix Seal. She wanted the Great Wei empire to know no peace. Theme: Even after being hurt, hold fast to who you are.