Uncle Prince, I'll Be Good

An imperial decree arrived without warning, and sixteen-year-old Zhu Zhao became the Emperor's chosen bride for Prince Wen. She was to marry a man she'd met only once, ten years her senior, and the least respected of all the princes, known as the "Imperial Uncle." From then on, she began life as a newlywed princess consort. She watched music and dance with the concubines and discussed "bedroom pleasures." She brought two books of erotic illustrations back to the residence and got scolded. She attended tea parties with the princesses to exchange "ways to tame a husband." She witnessed the eldest princess's consort begging for mercy on his knees and got scolded. She went to the gardens with the officials' wives and heard nothing but tales of "the sorrow of abandoned wives." In the end, she kept them company, drank herself into a stupor, and was personally fetched by Prince Wen. When she woke up, she got scolded again. She heard that Prince Wen had been visiting the red-light districts lately. Holding back her heartache, Zhu Zhao suggested he take a concubine to cheer himself up. She got scolded again. Prince Wen rubbed his forehead. "Can you behave yourself?" Zhu Zhao nodded. "Imperial Uncle, I do behave!" Zhu Zhao obediently stayed inside the princely residence, but even going out at midnight to catch a cat led her to stumble upon Prince Wen holding a secret meeting with his ministers, apparently discussing a coup. In the study, Prince Wen asked coldly, "Who's there?!" Hugging the kitten, Zhu Zhao replied, "...Meow." P.S. Sweet and angsty, just read it! Slow burn. Alternate history, don't nitpick the details. Theme: A battle for power, status, and love.