The Emperor's Beloved Princess

Hu Jiaojiao goes from being a delicate princess to becoming the first empress in Dongliang's history, all in a daze. She assumes that with the most powerful Grand Tutor in Dongliang history backing her, all she has to do is play the "figurehead" and accept the court officials' worship. But an unexpected palace coup brings her back to reality. The imperial relatives all have their own schemes, the court officials each have their own agendas, and even the Grand Tutor, who has been both her mentor and elder brother, has become a stranger. To top it all off, there's a man eyeing her hungrily. She can't live like this!

Ever since Li Qin met the little princess, who was still a rosy-cheeked child, his life strayed from the path it had been meant to follow. He was desperate to grow up and become stronger, all so he could be her hero alone and win her heart. He dismissed his harem and gradually rose to the highest position among the court officials, leaving her with no choice but him.

Note: Both leads have no prior romantic experience. The harem and such are just seasoning. No melodrama. Readers who demand strict historical accuracy, please stay away!

Author's note: Dou Guo has started a new story, A Losing Deal. It updates daily with 3,000+ characters. Please click the link: http://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=6520477

Blurb: According to street rumors, in order to secure food for the soldiers stationed in Juedong, the Prince of Dongchuan bitterly sent his own youngest son to marry into the Yin family. When the news reached the imperial capital, countless young ladies wept until their eyes were red. Everyone knew that the Prince of Dongchuan's household, with its ancestral rule against taking concubines, was the "ideal in-laws" in the hearts of all the young ladies in the capital. And the men of the Prince's household had always been extraordinarily handsome. For a while, everyone was talking.

"The Yin family? What kind of bumpkins are they? I've never heard of that surname. Who knows what backwater hole this little family crawled out of."

"The Yin family has struck it rich! That's the Prince of Dongchuan's household. Even princesses and commandery princesses marry into that family."

"Waaah, just last month my father said he was going to write to the Prince about arranging a marriage. Where did this ugly nobody come from to ruin my chances?"

When Yin Xinyue, who was scratching her head over the account books at Crescent Moon Manor, heard the news, she slammed the ledger onto the table and snapped, "For this marriage forced on us, my family has to put up a thousand hectares of good farmland, a million bushels of grain, and countless treasures. I also have to offer myself, a beautiful and virtuous young woman. So who exactly is getting the better deal here? This is a losing deal, plain and simple!"

Theme: Grow stronger against the odds.