Unbowed

During the war between Wei and Fu, a Wei soldier stabbed a Fu soldier in the thigh.

The Wei soldier immediately sheathed his sword and clasped his hands behind his back. "I have offended you."

The Fu soldier returned the courtesy. "I was outmatched."

The commander of the Wei forces was Gongzi Yu, the most courteous and refined of men. His favored concubine, Que Chan, had come along with him.

The two sides fought with such impeccable manners that Que Chan, who had come from the wilds, was stunned.

Later, Que Chan realized that he observed the rites of a gentleman not just on the battlefield. When he argued with her, he would be the first to admit fault, then split the blame evenly between them.

But Que Chan knew nothing of the Zhou rites and paid no heed to propriety.

Even the finest Gongzi Yu couldn't fulfill her wish.

Yan Qing, the finest persuader in the Nine Provinces, came to her with Gongzi An and pledged his allegiance.

Seventeen-year-old Gongzi An knelt before Que Chan, who was adorned with flower ornaments, and watched ambition gradually appear in her eyes.

No one expected that Que Chan would be the most ambitious woman of all.

An alternate Spring and Autumn setting, with a little of the Warring States period. The female lead is a thoroughly evil person, at the lowest point of human morality, a despicable woman. There is no single male lead, only the female lead. Think it over before you start reading.

Theme: You hold your own fate in your hands