The Ruthless Villainess of the Embroidered Uniform Guard

Twenty-two years ago, the Imperial Preceptor, who had fought alongside the founding emperor to conquer the realm, retired from public life. Passing by the Shen residence, he asked for a cup of tea. As it happened, Madam Shen was expecting a child. After finishing his tea, the Imperial Preceptor said, "If this household bears a son of exceptional talent, he will be beyond compare in nobility, rise to the highest ranks of the court, and preserve the foundations of the dynasty." "But if the child is a daughter, she will surely bring chaos to the realm, ruin the court, and defy all propriety." The following month, Madam Shen gave birth to a baby girl. Because of that prophecy, Shen Yan spent twenty-two years disguised as a man. And because of that prophecy, she rose swiftly through the ranks to become the powerful Commander of the Northern Garrison's Embroidered Uniform Guard. She commands countless subordinates, and her orders are obeyed without question. She is truly a woman of the highest rank, beyond compare in nobility. Among the officials at court, some hate her, some fear her, some love her, some admire her, and some respect her. No one is indifferent to her. When the prophecy is brought up, Shen Yan can only scoff. How could she bring chaos to the realm if she hadn't first risen to the highest rank? And as for the court and propriety? She looks at the magnificent palace hall and the towering dais before her. She has only ever believed in the laws of heaven and propriety that she herself lays down! ** Romance blurb After years away from the capital, Commander Shen is summoned back by imperial decree and ordered to investigate Li Lingzhou's case of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country. In the dim imperial prison, Li Lingzhou is covered in blood, his lips cracked and dry. Only the hatred in his eyes remains, like a spark in the darkness, fixed on Shen Yan without ever going out. Resting her chin in her hand, Shen Yan thinks back to seeing him before the emperor seven years ago. All she can remember is his bright clothes, spirited horse, and wild, carefree face. It seems that aside from his face, his bones are impressive too. Very hard. So she deliberately orders her men, "Don't hold back." At the time, she could never have guessed that the general whose pipa bones she had pierced would, when Shen Yan's identity was exposed and she was sentenced to death for deceiving the emperor, be willing to trade his military achievements, noble title, and life for her safety. The chains around Shen Yan's ankles clink as she says, "Even at my worst, I don't need you to plead for me." The general bends down and lowers his head to wipe the dirt from her ankle. He pauses, then looks directly at Shen Yan. In the gloomy cell, the ardor in his eyes burns like a blazing fire. Li Lingzhou's voice is slightly hoarse, but resolute. "It was my own wishful thinking. I have only myself to blame." But he isn't the only one who loves in vain. * 1. The main plot comes first. Romance is just a touch of color. 2. The female lead is the strongest fighter, and she's powerful and satisfying to read about. 3. The setting is entirely fictional, with a few official titles inspired by the Ming dynasty. Upcoming work I Became Invincible After Giving Up Mu Qingguang, the celestial leader of the Upper Realm, is the ultimate workaholic. She works every hour of every day, all 365 days of the year. Because she takes her duties too seriously, she provokes everyone's anger. The immortal realm hunts her down, and everyone wants her dead. After some deep reflection, Mu Qingguang decides to fake her death. She flees and becomes an unofficial employee of the ghost realm. Mu Qingguang gives up and lies flat. She shirks her duties every day, putting off any task her boss gives her for as long as she can. If she can't delay it, she puts in the bare minimum. Even while keeping watch at the gate, she splits her attention, munching on melon seeds and gossiping. But as she lies around, she somehow ends up with underlings everywhere and wins the allegiance of heroes across the land. Her boss abdicates in her favor and runs off faster than a rabbit. Mu Qingguang panics and shoves her boss back onto the throne. "If you run away, who's going to do the work?" Her boss works through tears, while Mu Qingguang contentedly sneaks back to the gate to slack off. Legend says the great demon locked behind the gate is cruel by nature, having slaughtered gods and immortals and stained his hands with oceans of blood. One day, amid the howls of ten thousand ghosts, the gate of hell, sealed for three thousand years, swings open... Inside is a man in pristine white robes, peerlessly beautiful, with a vermilion mark between his brows that could steal anyone's soul. Mu Qingguang drops her melon seeds everywhere. The great demon is none other than the once-untouchable, untainted Buddha of the mortal world. It is only much later that Mu Qingguang learns the truth. After she died, the Buddha of the mortal world, a man always known for his noble grace and boundless compassion, emerged from the Eighteen Levels of Hell. That day, her body sat upon a high dais. The coldly handsome man slaughtered in front of her, rivers of blood flowing beneath his sword as countless stars fell behind him. Afterward, he sealed himself beneath the Eighteen Levels of Hell, enduring the poison of boiling water and fire and the agony of excruciating torment day and night, all to atone for a lifetime of sin. She was the sin he could never atone for in this lifetime. A bold, carefree female lead who unknowingly brings down the aloof flower on the highest peak x a cold, handsome male lead who was once untainted but unleashes a massacre for her Premise: In the face of hardship, be even more independent, strong, and unstoppable.