Princess Zhaohua

Jiang Yiyao has a father who doesn't care for her and a mother who doesn't love her. In everyone's eyes, she's a bona fide little poor thing.

Who would've thought that this poor little thing would somehow catch the Empress Dowager's eye?

The Empress Dowager takes her into the palace and dotes on her as if she were a precious treasure.

The poor little thing is soft, fair, and sweet, and before long, both the Emperor and his son have taken a liking to her, too.

When the time comes for Jiang Yiyao to marry, several powerful men aren't willing to let her go.

Blurb 2:

Jiang Yiyao is not the true daughter of the Count of Zhongyong's family.

When the An Lushan rebels invaded Chang'an, amid the chaos, the Count of Zhongyong's family accidentally switched their child with a maid's child from the Princess Jiayang's household.

From then on, the Count's daughter became a princess of great wealth and status, while the real princess became a poor little thing.

The fake princess has a chance to become engaged to the Crown Prince.

To keep their own daughter from losing her privileged future, the count's family decides to keep Jiang Yiyao "out of sight."

But one day, the Empress Dowager visits the temple where Jiang Yiyao is praying to Buddha

and meets Jiang Yiyao, who looks just like her beloved daughter...

An alternate-world, fictionalized Tang dynasty, set during a heavily reimagined reign of Emperor Suzong. Please don't sweat the historical details.

Reader advisory:

1. The heroine is timid and weak-willed at the beginning, but will grow into someone outwardly gentle yet inwardly strong. She briefly dates a male supporting character before they break up.

2. The hero is a spoiled brat at the beginning, disliked by cats and dogs alike. He becomes steady and dependable midway through the story, then goes through a long, painful quest to win her back.

Theme: You have to fight for yourself to become a better person and claim a better future.