My Days as a Cat in an Enemy Kingdom's Palace

[The full novel is complete.] My other novel, The Beauty's Substitute Who Ruled the Six Palaces, is now available. The synopsis is below. If you're interested, visit my author profile to add it to your collection~ Forced to become a hostage in the State of Chu, Yu Tao resists with all his heart and hates the Emperor of Chu, who specifically named him as the hostage. But when he wakes up one morning, he's become a cat. ...The cat of Chu Yao, the Emperor of Chu :) Taking advantage of being a cat, Yu Tao secretly stirs up trouble and makes life difficult for Chu Yao at every turn. Yu Tao: If you're unhappy, then I'm happy. But his joy turns to misery when Chu Yao catches him and pets him from head to tail. Yu Tao is overcome by tingling sensations, his legs go weak, and he can barely stand. As ruler of the country, Chu Yao lacks for nothing. The one thing he can't get is a cat's affection. Cats don't like him at all. But one silly cat insists on coming right up to him, so Chu Yao reluctantly gives him a pet. So silly. Good thing I'm the one raising him. One day, after court, a palace maid reports that the cat has gone missing. Chu Yao orders a search of the entire palace with a cold expression, but they can't find even a single cat hair. Suddenly turning back into a human, Yu Tao enjoys his freedom and leaves Chu Yao behind. Eating, drinking, and having fun, he couldn't be happier. On a dark, windy night, he's taken hostage. Just as he's about to struggle and call for help, a hoarse voice sounds by his ear: "Taotao, I've been looking everywhere for you." Yu Tao trembles. The name Chu Yao gave him when he was a cat was Taotao. Coming next. Visit my author profile to add it to your collection~ Title: The Beauty's Substitute Who Ruled the Six Palaces One-line summary: You're both the substitute and the one I loved all along. Synopsis: Chu Qing has always heard that Emperor Jing, Chu Tingyue, is a tyrant: cruel beyond measure and merciless when his mood changes. As a beauty offered to him by an enemy nation, Chu Qing trembles with fear and wishes he could stay as far from him as possible. But somehow, he wins Emperor Jing's favor. Chu Tingyue spends every night in his Qingyan Palace. Others envy his boundless favor, but only he knows what a hellish life he leads. Chu Tingyue seems possessed. One day he wants to see him smile, the next he wants to see him cry. He even demands that he wear red and dance with a sword. If Chu Qing so much as resists, the emperor flies into a rage. He never knows whether tomorrow or beheading will come first. To stay alive, Chu Qing nervously fulfills every demand, only to be mocked: "A poor imitation." Chu Qing: … :) You're dead. . Three years ago, on the night of Emperor Jing's wedding, the Qianyuan Palace caught fire, and the new empress, Chu Yuanqing, perished in the flames. After that, Emperor Jing Chu Tingyue seemed like a different person. Chu Yuanqing became a forbidden subject. No one dared mention anything about Chu Yuanqing again. No one dared to provoke the emperor. Three years later, an enemy nation offers a beauty as a token of peace. He looks eight-tenths like Chu Qing, and even their names are nearly identical. Chu Tingyue originally intended to have him executed, but, as if possessed, he keeps him in the palace, searching for traces of Chu Yuanqing in him. When Chu Qing clumsily dances with a sword in red, Chu Tingyue knows once again, with absolute clarity, that he is not Chu Yuanqing. After tossing out the words "A poor imitation," Chu Tingyue turns on his heel and leaves. That very night, a spy risks his life to bring back a message: "Chu Qing is Chu Yuanqing." Not long afterward, palace attendants see the emperor, who had just left with a dark expression, return to Qingyan Palace. He knocks on the door, his eyes red and his voice hoarse. "Chu Qing, open the door... I was wrong." The only reply is "Get lost," followed by the sound of porcelain smashing against the door and shattering. Not long after that, Chu Tingyue, ruler of all under heaven, kneels outside Chu Qing's palace, humbled to the dust. Theme: Never forget your original aspirations, and you'll see things through to the end.