His One and Only Favorite

When Gu Yin was five, her gambler father sold her to the magistrate's household in Jishui County for a string of copper coins. Because she was beautiful and naturally alluring, the magistrate's family had other plans for her. They assigned someone to train her, so they could put her to use one day. When she was seventeen, famine struck Jishui County. The imperial court sent an inspecting censor to oversee relief efforts, and the magistrate held a grand banquet to welcome him. Gu Yin, now grown into a peerless beauty, was ordered to dance for the guests. Her sleeves fluttered as she danced, captivating everyone. The magistrate was delighted. The distinguished visitor from the capital couldn't take his eyes off her. After that night, the magistrate's household was one beautiful maid short, while the censor's household had a new favorite concubine. The censor was exceptionally talented. Three months later, the famine in Jishui County was resolved, and he left after completing his mission. Before departing, he brought the corrupt magistrate to justice. Only then did Gu Yin realize she had attached herself to a powerful man She had shared a bed with the Crown Prince for several months! Knowing who he was, Gu Yin wasn't happy at all. She knew her place and didn't dare dream of rising above her station. She only hoped the Crown Prince wouldn't blame her for the magistrate's crimes, considering how faithfully she had served him for months. So she sensibly packed her little bundle and left. After wandering for two months, she suddenly fainted while working. When she woke, she was told she had a baby in her belly. At the same time, a furious man kicked open the clinic door... Jing Shuo had spent half his life calm and self-possessed. He never imagined he would one day be at a loss over a young woman. The male lead seems calm but is actually a madman who loves to shower her with affection; the female lead seems soft and sweet but is actually ruthless. This is what I'm writing next. Please add it to your reading list. Title: The Divorced Wife Jiang Zhilu's husband kept a mistress behind her back. It wasn't a huge matter in itself, just something that left a bad taste in her mouth. After all, they had been childhood sweethearts, and he had promised she would be the only woman in his life. But hearing him say to her face that he was tired of her, and joke with his mistress about how boring she was in bed, was genuinely heartbreaking. After the mistress became pregnant, her husband's family welcomed her back with drums and fanfare, completely forgetting about Jiang Zhilu, the principal wife. Under the concubine's instigation, her greedy, ignorant mother-in-law, her cowardly father-in-law, and her self-willed husband all showed their true colors. If you have no love for me, then I'll leave. She had no desire to remain in that den of wolves, so she requested a divorce and walked away. She used her family's traditional craft to set up a little stall, but on the very first day a man began pestering her. He was two heads taller than her and clung to her, saying his father didn't love him, his mother didn't care for him, and his brothers abused him every day. His big, watery eyes somehow bewitched her into believing him. It wasn't until he picked her up like a little chick and held her in his arms that she realized how absurd the whole thing was. Is it too late to change my mind? The court officials noticed that their emperor had been spending an unusual amount of time away from the palace. When they asked the servants attending him, everyone looked unwilling to say a word. One day, the chancellor heard his wife mention that a new sesame flatbread shop had opened at the end of their alley, but it was so popular that she could never buy any. Since court had ended early, he went there himself. The flatbread really was crisp and delicious, but could someone explain who that man dutifully wiping down the tables was? Why did he look so much like their emperor? Business at the shop kept getting better, much to Jiang Zhilu's delight. But a certain emperor wasn't so happy. The eighth time he spotted two of his ministers and three of his deputy ministers in line, he finally blew up. That night, all the court officials gathered for a secret discussion. Their topic: How to discreetly curry favor with the future empress without the emperor finding out! Seeking advance readers: The Noble Concubine Blurb: In the fifth year of Jingwu, the emperor went incognito and brought a woman back from outside the palace. No one knew who she was or where she came from. People only said her face was as beautiful as peach blossoms, unforgettable to anyone who saw it. The day after returning to the palace, she rose to the rank of Noble Consort. The whole realm was in an uproar, and the harem descended into chaos. The woman had lost her memory, and the emperor personally named her Qing Xun, meaning, "I yearn for your return." His favor for her was clear for all to see. Since she entered the palace, the other women in the harem could barely catch a glimpse of the emperor, yet Qing Xun remained cold toward him. The feeling of being unable to hold on to her drove Su Zeyu mad. Just as he was about to make her empress against the court's objections and abolish the harem for her, he saw his younger brother, who had rushed back for the coronation ceremony, embrace her in the imperial garden, tears in his eyes. They held each other so tightly that he was consumed with jealousy and fury. Only then did he learn that his Qing Xun was his younger brother's fiancee, his sister-in-law. Their engagement had been arranged by the late emperor, and she had been harmed just before their wedding, which was how she ended up by his side. She regained her memories then, too. The two of them knelt at his feet and begged him to let them be together. He graciously agreed and arranged a farewell banquet for them, watching as she happily drank the wine he'd laced. Modern romance, seeking advance readers: The Pearl in His Arms Qin Shangxia went to the riverbank in search of inspiration. When he returned, he was carrying a girl with a mop of frizzy hair. Faced with the startled looks of his studio colleagues, he explained, "I saw this girl by the river and could tell she had an extraordinary physique and innate talent. She'd be perfect for voice acting, so I used my good looks to lure her into joining us. Please take good care of her!" The rest of the studio responded: "Pah!" Looking at the girl in front of them, with eyes swollen like walnuts and a voice that sounded like a horror movie effect, all they wanted to say was What the heck do you mean, an extraordinary physique? What the heck do you mean, innate talent? Little sis, this isn't the place for you. Go back to smoking, drinking, and getting perms! Everyone waited to see when Qin Shangxia would remember to send her away. Instead, she transformed into his personal disciple, using his name to swindle people, while he backed her up. Then everyone waited to see when the girl would get bored and leave on her own. They waited and waited until she became the studio's darling, the queen of voice acting, and finally put on a wedding dress and became their sister-in-law in front of the entire country. From queen to the one and only queen consort, only then did they realize: So someone really did have a good eye. He had tucked the pearl into his arms so early on. A recommendation from a fellow author: Beloved Maidservant by Murong Qingmo, ID: 4007122 Synopsis: A maidservant's path to becoming the Princess Consort of Qin Theme: You must love yourself before you can love someone else