The Beauty of the Eastern Palace

[Wrapping up, no daily updates. Please add my upcoming novels to your collection: The Noble Consort's Promotion Diary and After Taking the Beloved as My Wife] Blurb: Nan Shu is the lowliest palace maid in the Eastern Palace, yet she was born with a face capable of throwing the entire harem into chaos. To protect herself, she hides her figure and conceals her looks, as humble and unnoticed as the remnants of snow beneath a wall. No one ever imagined that the Crown Prince's favor would fall upon her. On a rainy night, the Crown Prince's carriage stopped in front of her. The servants around them knelt on the ground, trembling with fear. Seated inside, he tapped twice with his long, well-defined fingers. "Get in." Nan Shu bit her lip, lowered her head, and climbed into the Crown Prince's carriage. Nan Shu had long known that the one thing a woman in the harem must never give is her true heart. So she acted deeply devoted, playing the part of a woman wholly in love. With three parts cunning and seven parts skill, she won the Crown Prince's pity time and again. Relying on her acting, she climbed steadily upward. The people who had once humiliated her gradually found themselves kneeling at her feet. Later, when the new emperor ascended the throne, she rose in one leap to become a noble consort. She alone enjoyed his favor and was the one who pleased His Majesty most. Everyone said the two of them had been in love since his days as a prince outside the palace. +When Nan Shu heard this, she only shook her head and smiled faintly. All along, she had sought only to rise in rank; she had never once entertained any romantic hopes for the Emperor. Reader's Guide: 1. A harem power-struggle story. The male lead is not a virgin. 2. The heroine is a scheming black lotus, with cunning, tactics, and acting skills. Everything she does is to rise in rank. 3. The male lead will fall in love later on, but the heroine will not. Next up: After Taking the Beloved as My Wife (marriage first, love later; a groveling pursuit) [A powerful minister forcibly takes a beloved wife. His possessiveness backfires, and he is left with no choice but to grovel as he pursues her.] Lin Youwei, the third daughter of the Lin family, and Shen Yunan, young master of the Shen family, grew up together and were a match made in heaven. All that stood between them was a marriage contract, but at the last moment someone stepped in and ruined everything. Xu Yunhe was sent from the capital to Jiangnan to investigate an old case. The first time he saw Lin Youwei, she was riding a spirited horse, her smile dazzling and uninhibited. The next time he saw her, she was playing the zither, her profile as gentle as water. After that, he tossed and turned at night, unable to suppress the heat stirring inside him. For the first time in his uneventful life, he felt the desire to possess something. If he wanted her, then he would take her. The imperial examinations were compromised, and Shen Yunan, a brilliant young man, was thrown into prison. Lin Youwei pleaded everywhere but found no help. In the end, she went to the presiding judge, who had just arrived in Jiangnan. She had heard that Lord Xu had come from the capital, held a distinguished position, and was upright and honorable, a rare good official. With snow blanketing the ground, Lin Youwei knelt outside his sedan. Her slender figure looked frail as she pleaded softly, "My lord, please reopen this case and clear my betrothed's name." Xu Yunhe sat inside the sedan, his gaze lingering almost imperceptibly on the delicate line of her neck. "The case has already been closed." Then he sighed. "Though it isn't as if there's no way." "Become my woman, or marry me." Late at night, the hand holding his brush settled on her waist. His breath brushed her ear as he said in a husky voice, "Only then can your betrothed come through this safely." Only then did Lin Youwei learn just how vile Xu Yunhe's intentions toward her were. Content warnings: The male lead is ambitious and ruthless, steals the woman he wants, then grovels as he pursues her. No corner can resist a determined hoe; some just need a little more effort. Whether or not a forcibly plucked melon is sweet, this official insists on tasting it. Xu Yunhe Theme: Do not discriminate based on social class. Even in adversity, one can be reborn.