Minister of Personnel

This novel will go VIP on May 26. Thank you all for your support. Noblewoman Wen Tang is graceful and dazzling, with talent unmatched by anyone in the realm. By imperial decree, she travels south to take up an official post, becoming one of the first female officials of the Great Wei. Wen Tang's journey south draws countless eyes, but what the court factions care about most isn't the very idea of a "female official." It's her three childhood friends, whom she regards as elder brothers. The most unusual of them is her third brother, Mu Wen. Back then, Mu Wen wore dark robes and a formal headdress, exuding the utmost refinement and nobility. He had the officials kneel before the emperor and wielded the authority to command the realm. He was already the most powerful minister in the southern capital of Great Wei, the Minister Secretary. What the world found most disgraceful was his infamy. The people and court officials hated him to the bone, calling him a treacherous minister. Before traveling south, Wen Tang knew none of this. The four siblings had been together for twelve years, and the person Wen Tang had relied on most as a child was none other than Mu Wen. So as she traveled south, anxious and uncertain, she refused to believe that the man who had taught her that "a gentleman cherishes virtue" had changed. Yet after she entered the court, Mu Wen turned all his ruthless schemes and probing against her, showing no regard for their past. It wasn't until they had gone their separate ways that, one day, Mu Wen raised the arm Wen Tang had bitten. His eyes gleamed with pleasure as he studied it closely. The moment he pressed his lips to the mark left by her teeth, his whole body trembled uncontrollably. He laughed at his own behavior with scorn. Mu Wen asked himself what he felt, but in that moment he didn't dare think too deeply about his private feelings. She had only bitten him once, yet in an instant, the composure he'd maintained for three years, and the ruthlessness he showed before others, both fell away completely. Reading notes: One-on-one romance, both leads are virgins. The heroine has admirers, and the hero goes through a long, painful redemption as he pursues his wife. The hero is a black-hearted man who turns out to be good, a madly devoted lover, the kind who's completely love-struck. He becomes the antagonist early on, but circumstances leave him no choice. Plot-driven, with romance as a supporting element, and a large ensemble cast. Set in a fictional Wei-Jin era. The worldbuilding carries over from my previous book, The Marquis of Shanting, but has completely diverged from history. Great Wei is not the historical Northern Wei. Some customs are based on the Wei-Jin period, but the official positions and historical backdrop have been adapted for the story. Please don't scrutinize them too closely. My previous book is The Marquis of Shanting. This is its follow-up. If you're interested, check out the earlier book too. The stories can be read together. Theme: A gentleman cherishes virtue.