Mistaken Past Affinity

The story of Li Nu and Zhou Yan. At the beginning of the story, she asks him his name. "A mere convict's slave, sent into the palace in the eleventh year of Xihe." Through a lifetime of ups and downs, he is forever undone by a past connection. The Xia History records: In the third month of the fifth year of Yongping, the emperor married and made the legitimate son of the Wei family his empress. In the second month of the ninth year, the palace attendant Zhou was appointed Chenjun. This is Li Nu's chapter in the afterword to When We Were Wrong. It features a matriarchal society, male pregnancy, and angst. The court politics and career plotlines are not a major focus. The heroine is a ruler who maintains the status quo, presiding over a peaceful and prosperous age. Completed: The Manual for a Powerful Minister's Rise, a matriarchal story Blurb: Rong Zhen comes from a distinguished family that has fallen on hard times. She enters public service at eighteen and quickly earns the emperor's favor. At twenty, she marries Ji Heng, the imperial prince consort of Ninghua, and from then on rises swiftly through the ranks until she reaches the highest position in government, admired by everyone at court. Her friend Zheng Yu quietly warns her, "The imperial prince consort has three rules: without an imperial decree, you may not share his bed; without permission, you may not take another consort; and without an heir, you may not cast him aside." Rong Zhen intends to move into a separate residence after the wedding. But on their wedding night, the elegant, refined man removes his resplendent robes and stops before her. With a smile on his lips, he reaches out to help her undress, fulfilling every duty of a husband, and softly says, "My wife, please be gentle with me." Rong Zhen loses her parents at a young age and is raised by a close friend of her mother's. She lives carelessly and spends her time frequenting the pleasure houses. When her mentor is convicted of a crime and his entire clan is implicated, Rong Zhen finally comes to her senses and enters the world of government. From a low-ranking sixth-grade official to the regent who rules from the court, Rong Zhen holds power over the realm. But how will the story of a powerful minister end? A matriarchal world, male pregnancy, and no female-male pairings. Coming soon: Who Fell in Love with Her First? Three years ago, Ji Lan and Xie Yao entered into a business marriage in name only. Three years later, Ji Lan puts a divorce agreement in front of him. He sneers, spits out two words, "Dream on," and tears the paper to shreds before her eyes. She thinks she'll be entangled with Xie Yao for the rest of her life, until a male assistant joins her team. Scene 1: Ji Lan: You should know I won't take responsibility for you. Fu Jiacheng: I know. Scene 2: Xie Yao: You have your eye on another man's woman. Do you think I'll let you walk out of here alive? You're nothing but a shameless, lowly homewrecker! Fu Jiacheng: A homewrecker? I doubt anyone is more practiced at that than Mr. Xie. Theme: Love is not a crime.