My General Is the Phoenix Lord (Female-Dominated World)

On the very first day Yu Yao transmigrated into the body of the emperor of a matriarchal kingdom, she was dragged off to select consorts.

Facing row after row of noble young men with skin like cream and voices like songbirds, she swallowed her frustration and pointed to the only handsome man who was her type.

The head attendant was aghast. "Your Majesty, please think twice."

The man's name was Ji Liang. Born into a military family, he had led an army in his mother's place for three years. Though exceptionally handsome, he was aloof and bad at ingratiating himself. He also had a frightening scar on his neck, and was looked down upon by officials and nobles alike.

Ji Liang said, "I only entered the selection to fill a quota, as the rules require. I hope Your Majesty won't be blinded by your own eyes."

Yu Yao thought, I'm only picking someone pleasing to the eye so I can get this over with. But what she said was, "There may be three thousand beauties, but you alone are the one I favor."

Ji Liang gave a chilly smile. "Your Majesty knows that I wield blades and swords. If one day Your Majesty betrays me..."

Yu Yao: !!! (quietly feeling the back of her neck)

Many years later, everyone in the Great Zhou praised the emperor for marrying a general as her husband and never taking any other consorts in her life. The two lived together in perfect harmony, loving each other until they grew old.

Only Yu Yao knew that her husband, rumored to plant a knife by the bed whenever they disagreed, actually had a very tender heart. He loved sleeping in her arms, was afraid of the dark and thunder, and was simply so used to bearing everything on his own that he didn't want to reveal his fear. All he knew was how to keep pushing her away.

What else could she do but cherish someone like that?

Content warning: One-on-one romance, male pregnancy

Another matriarchal-world story, The Secondary Husband. I should write it next, so please add it to your to-read list.

Everyone in Qixia City knew that Xiang Ning, the legitimate son of the Marquis of Jinping, was refined and well-mannered, with striking looks and a powerful paternal clan. He had been promised in marriage to the daughter of the Duke of Anguo from a young age, and was destined to inherit a title and enjoy every luxury.

His family's illegitimate son, Xiang Wan, on the other hand, was merely an outsider's child, looked down upon by everyone. Only after the old matriarch pleaded on his behalf was he grudgingly brought back to the family estate. Even the lowliest servants dared to treat him with contempt.

That day, he listened with his head bowed as his legitimate father said, "With your background, it's difficult for you to make anything of yourself. As your father, I have to look out for you. Become A Ning's secondary husband and marry into the Duke of Anguo's household with him. That would be an incredible stroke of fortune for you."

He, too, thought that someone like him ought to be grateful for what he had.

Unexpectedly, during an aristocratic family's spring outing, on the day everyone was secretly sizing up potential matches, he watched the young princess Si Mingyu, a notorious wastrel, lean close to the daughter of the Duke of Anguo and then raise an eyebrow at him. "A beauty like this would be wasted as a secondary husband. Do me a favor and let him marry me as my prince consort, will you?"

Theme: Love is sincere admiration. Love is drawing closer, little by little.