I Simply Don't Play by the Rules

[Pre-registration open for my upcoming novel, I Seek a Path Through the Flowers. Please add it to your list!] After transmigrating, Li Lingyu never expected to become someone else's fake son. Her father is in prison, and the household is full of women and children. The family of a convicted official could be sold into slavery at any moment. To survive, she returns to her old trade, making a living by selling paintings and cultivating ties with the powerful. From there, she rises steadily, carving out a path to fame as a treacherous minister. She moves freely through the inner palace and keeps close, ambiguous ties with court officials. In the end, she becomes a powerful, corrupt minister. Even the famous young master Yu is completely taken in by her. Only in the end does he learn that she is a fake, and her identity is fake too. They serve in the same court and scheme against each other, but she is clearly the more skilled of the two. At the end of their struggle, she stands bloodied, points her sword at him below, and says: I intend to hold the entire court in my grasp. You can't stop me. If you don't believe me, just try. Let's see whether the sword in my hand is sharper, or your bones are harder. The young general Yan Bainian, who commands the three northern provinces, once called her his brother. He says lightly, "I am loyal only to the Xiao dynasty. Who rules it doesn't matter. I was born in the north, and I will protect its peace for the rest of my life." P.S. Set in an alternate world, a very alternate one. Pre-registration open for Mandarin Ducks Pair. Please add it to your list! Theme: Strive relentlessly and take control of your own fate