Ambitious Princess and a Dowager Empress Who Conceals Her Talents
Tip: Two “villainous women” use each other, until in the end neither can tell sincerity from pretense / Political rivals to lovers / Contains implausible political scheming / Alternate universe / Please refrain from giving writing advice
Synopsis
Liang Shu, the emperor’s only daughter, has been observing mourning for her mother and living in a Taoist temple for years, taking no interest in worldly affairs.
On the eve of the new empress’s entry into the palace, the emperor’s years of overwork caught up with him, leaving him bedridden. Liang Shu returned to the palace and welcomed the bride on the emperor’s behalf, in order to calm the unrest in the court.
A breeze stirred the curtains of the bridal sedan. Beneath the elaborate coiffure, the face was young, radiant, and dignified, truly bearing the bearing of a woman fit to rule the empire.
*
Meng Zhaoyan, daughter of the current chief minister, had been famous in the capital for her quick wit since childhood. Yet after coming of age, all anyone saw in her was proper decorum and knowledge of the classics.
Everyone said she was fortunate. No one knew that when the imperial decree ordering her marriage arrived, she had once cut off her hair and vowed to die rather than comply.
The scene she had anticipated never came to pass. Through the curtains, she saw at once the Princess of Chongqing, her eyes half-lidded and her manner carefree.
Meng Zhaoyan remembered her.
Back then, she had galloped on horseback and swung her mallet at polo, soundly defeating a crowd of imperial relatives. Now she rode a tall horse, holding the reins as she moved at an unhurried pace. Even plain clothes could not conceal her noble bearing. She was like the moon in the sky, cold and distant.
Liang Shu met her gaze. With just one look, she could tell they were cut from the same cloth:
Skilled at scheming, guarded and restrained, waiting only for the day their ambitions would break through the ground.
*
A little over a month after entering the palace, the emperor lay gravely ill. The court was mired in turmoil. Liang Shu led a young child of the imperial clan to the throne, and Meng Zhaoyan became empress dowager.
Holding power was no easy matter. The imperial clan and court officials obstructed her at every turn, imperial authority was weak, and the northern tribes raided the borders.
When the young emperor demanded that she return power, Liang Shu stood in the main hall. Her stepmother quietly entered and came to stand beside her.
Standing shoulder to shoulder with Liang Shu, Meng Zhaoyan let her sharpness show and said softly:
“That foolish child is too incompetent. You are far more capable of governing the realm, Your Highness. You may as well take the throne yourself.”
Liang Shu rested her palm on the throne. Smiling with amusement, she took in Meng Zhaoyan’s pale mourning clothes and asked in response:
“What does Mother Empress want?”
*
One morning in Yining Palace, Liang Shu woke on the bed, her inner robe hanging loose. Propping herself up, she watched Meng Zhaoyan dress.
Whenever Liang Shu reached out with an open hand, the empress dowager would come over and take it, then straighten the Grand Princess’s sash for her.
They were both pieces on the board, existing to maneuver for advantage. Before the world, they were known as enemies; the intimacy they shared in private remained hidden in the depths of the palace.
One day, the Grand Princess ascended the throne and made the empress dowager her empress, sending shockwaves through the court.
Liang Shu could only laugh. She had been the one to welcome the bride, the one to marry her, the one to lift her veil, and the one to consummate the marriage. What did the late emperor have to do with any of it?
Deep in the palace, Liang Shu held a brush and, with her fingertips pressed against Meng Zhaoyan’s, wrote a short line on the marriage contract in firm, deliberate strokes:
I offer the realm as my betrothal gift, and we shall share its mountains and rivers in bed.
Theme: Trusting each other and overcoming hardship.
You still have to study. Although studying may not necessarily lead to a way out, at least there are more ways.
I have finished reading this book. Compared with the previous one, The Empress, this book is indeed much simplified and idealized in terms of tactics, but if it were to be written in depth, I would probably never finish it. The emotional line is more like love at first sight, which is quite interesting. I look forward to the next book.
Compared with Tang and Qin, Liang and Meng's journey was much smoother! [Shy]
After reading this chapter, I feel that there is still some vague status gap between the two of them. When there was no one else around, Liang Shu inadvertently called herself "I" in front of Meng Zhaoyan. Meng Zhaoyan had always called herself "the emperor's wife", and it seemed that she had never thought or dared not think that "the emperor is also her wife, Meng Zhaoyan". Because of the relationship between the emperor and the empress, Meng Zhaoyan seems to have been placing himself in a subordinate position to Liang Shu at certain times. This is not the epitome of a royal relationship, although it has been diluted a lot.
We guard the country together in the morning and evening, and we can only achieve success by not forgetting our original intention! [Fireworks][Fireworks][Fireworks]
Thank you to heaven, thank you to earth, thank you for your hard work~
They love [orange candy] so much [orange candy] so much [orange candy] so much
The Empress cannot let the new Khan escape! [Anger]
There is no need to cover up, just record the Queen's actions fairly and truthfully, that is, there are fair people in the world who judge based on their conscience. [Sunglasses]
3~ The ceremony is completed! (Speaking of which, is that moon stone of great use?)
Annoying Stepsister Becomes Teacher
The Inheritance of Thousands of Miles of Mountains and Rivers
After Accidentally Crushing His Wife's Grave
The Taoist Master Will Not Go Down the Mountain Today
Countdown to Death
Psychic
The Girl in the Sadistic Novel Wants to Marry Me, GL
The Story of a Bankrupt Movie Queen Chasing His Wife
Lily Extra
Roommate Said She Would Rather Break Than Bend
After Coaxing My Crush to Live Together, GL
Draw My Wife with My Hand
You still have to study. Although studying may not necessarily lead to a way out, at least there are more ways.
I have finished reading this book. Compared with the previous one, The Empress, this book is indeed much simplified and idealized in terms of tactics, but if it were to be written in depth, I would probably never finish it. The emotional line is more like love at first sight, which is quite interesting. I look forward to the next book.
Compared with Tang and Qin, Liang and Meng's journey was much smoother! [Shy]
After reading this chapter, I feel that there is still some vague status gap between the two of them. When there was no one else around, Liang Shu inadvertently called herself "I" in front of Meng Zhaoyan. Meng Zhaoyan had always called herself "the emperor's wife", and it seemed that she had never thought or dared not think that "the emperor is also her wife, Meng Zhaoyan". Because of the relationship between the emperor and the empress, Meng Zhaoyan seems to have been placing himself in a subordinate position to Liang Shu at certain times. This is not the epitome of a royal relationship, although it has been diluted a lot.
We guard the country together in the morning and evening, and we can only achieve success by not forgetting our original intention! [Fireworks][Fireworks][Fireworks]
Thank you to heaven, thank you to earth, thank you for your hard work~
They love [orange candy] so much [orange candy] so much [orange candy] so much
The Empress cannot let the new Khan escape! [Anger]
There is no need to cover up, just record the Queen's actions fairly and truthfully, that is, there are fair people in the world who judge based on their conscience. [Sunglasses]
3~ The ceremony is completed! (Speaking of which, is that moon stone of great use?)