The Sparrow Terrace Beauty (Matriarchal Society)

[VIP Announcement]: After discussing it with my editor, I've decided to start charging for this novel on February 19. Make sure to read it soon, everyone~

Yun Jing is the Great Chu Empire's Guardian General and one of its powerful nobles. She is determined to conquer Liangzhou, but Liangzhou is too strong, so she'll have to use both force and persuasion.

She hears that Liangzhou's governor has a particular fondness for beautiful men.

Among the people she has just conquered in Jiaozhou is a gorgeous male slave, with tender, expressive eyes, alluring cherry-red lips, snow-white, delicate skin, and a heady fragrance. His every movement is seductive, and both his looks and his body are far from ordinary.

Unfortunately, he is so accustomed to being a slave that his vulgar manner puts people off.

She will personally train him, teach him, and turn him into a well-liked, refined gentleman.

At times, she is exceedingly gentle, teaching him poetry and books and cultivating his character until he is utterly beguiled.

At other times, she is brutally harsh, scolding him, having him flogged, making him kneel, and forcing him until he learns to fear and avoid her.

She thought... he would always be a slave. But in the end, he became something else: her lover.

*

When the rebels hang him from the city wall, trembling with fear and certain he has reached his end, they ask Yun Jing, "The empire or the beauty? Choose one."

The spirited woman smiles calmly, sets down her weapon, and says indifferently, "I choose the beauty."

She has the power to claim the Central Plains and rule the world. The empire can wait. But a beauty like him cannot be found again.

After that, the empire's lonely thousand-mile expanse is warmed by their love. Night after night, she stays in his tender embrace, lost in passion.

She knows he has her personal crest tattooed on his lower back, and smiles as she says,

"You bear my mark."

The man lowers his head with a smile and gazes at her earnestly, answering in a faint, hoarse voice,

"I... am Your Highness's mark."

Author's Note:

1. One-on-one pairing, strong chemistry, gender-bender, happy ending. The male lead isn't a virgin. I don't think I specified whether the female lead is, but it doesn't matter.

2. The female lead is a powerful figure who believes in elite education. She's ruthless, and she was truly merciless to the male lead in his early years. She's a very cold, dominant ruler.

3. The female lead is heartless, ruthless, and cold, but also gentle. No whitewashing!

4. To the female lead, the empire comes before the male lead. She's career-minded, a good ruler, and deeply responsible. She doesn't need to choose between the empire and her lover: loving someone means not letting him stand in harm's way.

5. No pirated copies, please, and no writing critiques.

Theme: Don't let yourself be stifled by frustration and inner turmoil.