The Little Empress

[Severe writer's block. The kind where I sit in front of the computer all weekend, write five hundred characters in a day, then delete them all. Waiting for inspiration, so updates will be irregular.] Upcoming novel: Ordered to Divorce Her Husband. Blurb at the very end Blurb: At a spring palace banquet, noble young ladies from the great clans gather. Ostensibly, they are there to admire the flowers and stroll through the gardens; in truth, the princes are choosing their brides. The young Crown Prince knows nothing of love. While seated at the banquet, drinking with the others, he catches sight of a girl in a swaying willow-green skirt, with a lovely face as bright and delicate as the finest spring colors beneath the apricot blossoms. The Crown Prince gazes at her until his cup tips, spilling wine onto his clothes. But by the time he has wiped himself off, the girl has vanished. After searching frantically, he finally spots her beyond a secluded rockery. Inside the rockery, the girl has apparently been upset by someone. Her cheeks are flushed, and her bright eyes glisten with tears. The Crown Prince is about to go inside and comfort her when he sees someone else in the cave: the Son of Heaven himself, his own father. His father, usually stern and imposing, a man whose very footstep could make the realm tremble, seems like a completely different person in front of the girl. The tears in the girl's eyes seem more troublesome than matters of state. Sweat beads on the emperor's face as he anxiously fumbles about, bending down to straighten the girl's rumpled skirt while apologizing in a meek, helpless voice. "Miss, I was wrong... Miss, it was my fault..." He calls her "Miss" again and again, but his tone is practically that of someone addressing his revered ancestor. Notes: 1. The male lead is the emperor, twenty years older than the female lead. He has been emperor for twenty years before meeting her and already has a harem and children. After meeting her, he remains chaste. 2. The first three chapters of her previous life contain many hidden details. Some things said in those chapters should not be taken at face value. What the female lead and the people around her believe is not the truth; the truth is revealed after she is reborn. In her previous life, she never fell in love with anyone. 3. The female lead died at sixteen in her previous life and is still only sixteen when she is reborn. Early on, she is young and immature in some ways, but she gradually grows and develops ambitions along the way. She is not a meek, sweet girl. She is a thorny rose, gentle on the outside and fierce within. 4. The emperor is the person with the deepest ties to the female lead, and her only romantic storyline is with him. The emperor, whose old heart has caught fire, is more of a lovesick fool, while the female lead is more levelheaded. By nature, she is both deeply devoted and emotionally detached. Their relationship is complicated, involving not only their feelings but also the grudges of their past lives, their political views, and their ambitions for power. They are bound together for good by the end. 5. The author writes slowly and will do their best to update, but daily updates aren't guaranteed. When in good health and spirits, the author will try to update every day; otherwise, updates may come every two or three days. If things get really bad, the author may take a break for a while. Read at your own risk; it's best to wait until there are more chapters. Upcoming novel: Ordered to Divorce Her Husband In the Qi Dynasty, the Marquis of Pingyang is famous for being devoted to his wife. When his fiancée's family fell on hard times, he stood by their engagement and married her. After more than a decade of marriage, he has only two or three concubines. He firmly upholds his wife's position as the lady of the household and never lets his concubines or their children show her the slightest disrespect. When he goes out to banquets and social gatherings, he never spends the night elsewhere, at most returning with a trace of perfume on him. Yet this husband, regarded by the world as the finest of men, is not cherished by the Marchioness of Pingyang. When she is past thirty and already has a son and a daughter, she takes out a love letter the Marquis wrote in his youth, promising they would be "together for a lifetime, just the two of us." Citing his broken promise, she demands a divorce. The Marquis refuses outright. In a rage, he draws his sword and demands to know if she wants to leave him because she's been sneaking around with another man. He swears he will kill the adulterer and will never let his wife leave his side for even a moment. But his wife calmly replies, "If you won't agree to a divorce, then I'll divorce you myself." Facing the icy edge of his sword, the Marchioness of Pingyang takes out an imperial edict. The Marquis thinks of the emperor on the throne, a man the same age as his eldest son. The realization strikes like thunder, and his sword falls to the ground. Notes: 1. The female lead is the Marchioness of Pingyang, married for many years and with children. The male lead is the emperor, young and without a harem. 2. The male lead is the same generation and age as the female lead's children. The female lead is a generation older than him, by sixteen or seventeen years. Theme: Though life is full of storms, keep believing in love and hope.