A Palace of Greed and Pleasure

Also known as: After My Husband Died, I Got a Happily Ever After with My Stepson [Unhinged, wicked big bad wolf X beautiful, adorable young consort] Emperor Xuanhe had ruled wisely for most of his life, but in his old age he became muddleheaded, filling his harem and indulging in beauty. However, with the Crown Prince overseeing the state and governing effectively, the court officials turned a blind eye to the old emperor's debauchery. Gu Yanshi, the young daughter of a medicine merchant, was at the age of first love, with stunning looks and a gift for playing the pipa. Local officials sent her into the imperial harem. Unexpectedly, after summoning her to his bed only twice, the emperor forgot all about her. Six months later, the emperor died, and she began her life as a widow. Later, the new emperor came to pay his respects to the imperial consorts. She thought the new emperor looked familiar. The new emperor thought she looked familiar, too. - The court officials of the Zhaowen era were satisfied with everything about His Majesty, except for his affair with Dowager Consort Jing. It was utterly scandalous, a disgrace to the imperial palace! But His Majesty was upright, talented, and virtuous. How could he possibly commit such a transgression? Dowager Consort Jing must have bewitched him with her seductive wiles! Little did they know... That night, Dowager Consort Jing shut the door tight. With tears in her eyes, she called through the crack, "I was perfectly happy being a dowager consort. Why do you keep coming after me? You should be calling me Mother Consort! We mustn't see each other again!" Su Yao's voice sounded from outside. "Really?" "Really." "All right." He paused. "I brought you some milk cake. Come out and eat it. Consider it a farewell gift." Behind the door, Dowager Consort Jing wiped away her tears and gave him a soft, "Pah." He'd said the same thing last month. [Content Warnings] * Stepmother and stepson, with no blood relation, but you know what kind of relationship this is. If you can't accept it, please don't read. * This is a fictional setting. No historical research has been done. The author can do whatever they like with the various details, so don't apply settings from historical sources or other novels to this story. * This story contains old-school melodrama. I'm putting the old-school melodrama right here in the spotlight (...). If you don't like it, don't start reading. * The praise of the male lead in the blurb reflects the court officials' perspective. The male lead has a dark side. From certain angles, he could be considered a hypocrite. If you can't accept that, please don't read. [Concubine Ranks] Noble Consort Consort Hui, Consort Shu, Consort Xian, Consort De Consort Lady of Bright Deportment, Lady of Bright Countenance, Lady of Bright Appearance, Lady of Pure Deportment, Lady of Pure Countenance, Lady of Pure Appearance, Lady of Abundant Deportment, Lady of Abundant Countenance, Lady of Abundant Appearance Worthy Lady Noble Lady Lady Lady of Graceful Deportment, Lady of Fine Deportment, Lady of Proclaimed Deportment, Lady of Compliant Deportment, Lady of Cautious Deportment, Lady of Solemn Deportment Beauty Talented Lady Lady of Precious Forest Lady of Praise and Virtue Lady of the Imperial Decree Imperial Lady Lady of Purity Lady of Selection [Coming Next] Marrying the Deposed Crown Prince, now available for pre-order in my author profile. Please add it to your collection. [Blurb] Qu Xiaoxi was born into a down-at-heel noble family. Her birth mother died young, and her stepmother was cruel. Qu Xiaoxi was always short of food and clothing, so to survive, she learned to cook well at an early age to please her stepmother. When she was fifteen, people from the palace suddenly arrived with a marriage proposal, saying she was to marry a prince of "distinguished status." To her surprise, her stepmother, for once, called Qu Xiaoxi in to meet them. Only after the marriage was settled did Qu Xiaoxi learn that the prince was Prince Xun, Chu Qin, the famous deposed crown prince. They said Chu Qin was ignorant, violent, sinister, treacherous, and a wanton murderer... When Qu Xiaoxi went to meet him, fear made cold sweat run down her back, and her hand shook so violently as she carried in the plate of pastries that she shook the flaky crust right off them. - Chu Qin was the legitimate son of the late empress. He was named crown prince at four, then deposed at six amid the palace intrigues. Afterward, he spent fourteen years as Prince Xun. The people in the palace schemed against him and praised him to ruin. Day after day, they finally destroyed his reputation completely. When he came of age, the palace went to great lengths to choose a consort for him. In the end, Chu Qin only had to look at the records to see how "carefully" they had chosen: She came from a respectable family that had fallen on hard times, and although she was the legitimate daughter of a prestigious clan, she was oppressed by her stepmother. Every detail was meant to prevent him from using his wife's family connections to rise again. Chu Qin was consumed by resentment, and didn't even go to see his new wife on their wedding night. When he finally met her later, she was holding a plate of pastries and said she'd made them herself. Lowering his eyes, he could tell at a glance that the pastries were wonderfully flaky. Quite a lot of the crust had already fallen off as she trembled. When he looked up again, he happened to notice a tiny crumb at the corner of her mouth. She was so afraid of him, yet she had still snuck a bite? Chu Qin looked at Qu Xiaoxi, unable to understand her. Theme: Live for love, fear no worldly constraints, and strive for the happiness that belongs to you.