Playing the Foil in Kangxi's Harem

Please add my upcoming novel to your reading list! "A Noble Consort's Golden Blessing in the Qing Dynasty" Blurb: Jingshu was born with a face of unparalleled beauty. A sharp-eyed national preceptor plucked her from a crowd of beggars and raised her into a spoiled, demanding young woman, intending to make her a femme fatale who would bring chaos to the empire and allow him to seize power. But before Jingshu could become a femme fatale, the national preceptor's scheme fell apart. After drinking poisoned wine, Jingshu transmigrated into a Qing-dynasty palace-intrigue novel, where she became the foil to her clan cousin. In the story, she and her cousin entered the palace as maids in the same year. On New Year's Eve, her cousin danced on a moonlit terrace and caught the emperor's eye. She was made a Consort that same year and later became Consort Yi, the most favored woman in the harem, surrounded by servants and celebrating her birthday in a magnificent Buddhist sanctuary. She had everything a woman could want. Jingshu, meanwhile, was merely a maid the Kangxi Emperor casually favored while drunk. Though she was favored before her cousin, she spent half her life as a low-ranking concubine, miserably huddled in a cramped rear chamber and never sure where her next meal would come from. In the end, someone framed her and made the emperor hate her, and she died suddenly in the Cold Palace. She was clearly both the foil and a tool for the plot! When Jingshu arrived, it was the very day she was to be summoned to the emperor's bed. The young emperor was hazy with drink. The young woman opened her almond-shaped eyes wide, pouted, and kicked Kangxi off the bed. “You stink! Get down!” She'd grown up in splendid palaces and feasted on the finest delicacies, always getting whatever she wanted. Who would want to be some wretched low-ranking concubine? Lately, Kangxi had repeatedly dreamed that he was a charlatan, one plotting a rebellion. To legitimize his cause, he intended to use his beauty to beguile the emperor. But he never expected that he would be the one to fall for that beauty first. When he woke up, he suddenly discovered that the spoiled little troublemaker he'd raised with his own hands had come with him. And it seemed she was about to start making trouble for him. After the emperor was kicked out of bed, Liang Jiugong assumed the little palace maid was doomed. But he watched with his own eyes as the emperor treasured her in his hands, raising her from Consort to Noble Consort, and eventually to Empress... A sweet, pampered little troublemaker x Kangxi, a wolf in sheep's clothing 1. The setting is fictional, with plenty of author-created details. Read at your own discretion. 2. I'm trying out a new character type. The logic may be a little shaky, so don't read if that bothers you. 3. If it's not your thing, feel free to leave. No need to tell me. Please add my upcoming novel to your reading list! Title: A Noble Consort's Golden Blessing in the Qing Dynasty Blurb: Song Yining had a dream that Consort De sent her to serve the Fourth Prince. She was obedient and proper, and lived an ordinary life, only to find in the end that she couldn't even protect her own child. When she awoke from the dream, still dazed, she was brought before Consort De. “...She's from a humble family and should be fertile. She'll be just right to teach the Fourth Prince about women.” And so Song Yining, dressed in brand-new clothes and carrying a small bundle, was sent to the princes' quarters. Once there, Song Yining looked at the Fourth Prince's empty rear courtyard, rolled up her sleeves, and set herself a modest first goal: For instance, to start with, she would get pregnant with a precious daughter. Who could have guessed... that later on, she'd exceed her goal by far! Yinzhen had never been fond of the women Consort De sent him. But this woman had naturally tearful eyes. When they reddened and filled with tears, he couldn't help but soften toward her. Little by little, she had him wrapped around her finger. He couldn't even bring himself to punish her. What a strange thing! Theme: Break free from the cage and face challenges without fear