[Finished my thesis and defense, back home to write! Six updates a week, Mondays off, new chapters at 9 p.m.]
A calculating, sickly beauty who doesn't realize she's flirting, the Consort X a sweet-faced but dark, pathological and obsessive prince
*Political scheming, intense push and pull, a game played by a cast of ambitious schemers
Blurb:
Everyone says Song Jingque is both the luckiest and unluckiest person in the world. Her father is the prime minister, first among the Three Excellencies, and her elder brother is a General of Chariots and Cavalry, ranking alongside the highest ministers. At just twelve, she entered the palace and was made a noble consort, second only to the Empress. She is breathtakingly beautiful, with a willowy waist, glossy hair, and skin like ice and jade. None of the palace beauties can compare.
But for all that, she is a sickly woman suffering from a serious illness.
“Goodness, Consort Song, what hope can there be in living like this?”
“There is,” Song Jingque says with a smile. She glances at the old emperor, who is several years older than her father, and thinks, If he doesn't die, how can I?
So she chooses the least-favored Ninth Prince as her son. Perhaps if she keeps him in line, she might get to play Empress Dowager one day.
But how did raising him turn him into such a wretched creature?
*
Mention the Ninth Prince, Zhou Ruoci, and anyone will spit in disgust. His mother, Consort Yue, a princess of the Liang Kingdom, hanged herself after the Zhou army crushed Liang. Emperor Yuan despised him as a result and left him to fend for himself for years. When he was nine, he ingratiated himself with Consort Song, who took him under her wing. After that, no palace servant dared bully him.
Some said he was lucky, that a son's fortunes rose with his mother's status.
In the early years, he accepted that. Later, he no longer wanted to play the dutiful son.
At first, their loving mother-and-son relationship was just an act.
But later, the mother was unkind and the son was unfilial.
*
In the bitter depths of winter in the eighteenth year of Yuan Zheng, snow blanketed the ground.
Song Jingque savored the medicine on her tongue, then frowned and demanded to know why the palace servants had added another ingredient.
Nanny Zhang wept uncontrollably. “It was blood from His Highness the Ninth Prince's wrist. He said he couldn't bear to see Your Ladyship die.”
Snow weighed down the branches as Zhou Ruoci knelt for hours before Changxin Hall, begging for the consort's mercy.
At last, a palace maid emerged with a lantern.
The noble Consort Song looked down at him from the steps, not a trace of pity in her eyes.
“I want a pawn.”
[Reader's guide. See the author's note in Chapter One for content warnings, too.]
* One-on-one romance, both leads have only ever been with each other, happy ending
* Slow-burn romance, plot takes priority early on
* The woman is five years older than the man. They do not engage in intimate behavior that crosses the line while their relationship continues
* The leads are flawed and not good people. Please don't judge them by modern standards
* A lightly ensemble-style story with a large cast. The characters' values aren't the author's values, repeated three times
* Alternate history. This Zhou is not that Zhou. Inspired by the Qin and Han dynasties, but with many original details. Please don't nitpick. Keep comments friendly, and don't attack the author.
Completed work: Save the White Moonlight Hound Plan (Both Reborn). Please add it to your library.
Upcoming novel 1: Against All Decency
Arrogant princess x hypocritical eunuch
Synopsis:
Chu Chengshan once thought she was born under a lucky star. Her father was Emperor Yuan of Daye, her mother was the Empress, her maternal grandfather had been made a marquis and prime minister, and her elder brother was the current Crown Prince.
With her noble status to back her up, Chengshan was arrogant and reckless. She not only drove a newly appointed top scholar to his death, but also caused Consort Yue to die in childbirth, yet she continued to live well.
Then a palace coup came, and she died horribly. Her reputation was so bad that no one pitied her.
Once wasn't enough for her to suffer like that. Heaven made her reborn on the day of the coup. Chengshan gritted her teeth and fought back tears. “Hell no! This princess is going to survive! This princess is going to get revenge!”
To stay alive, she has to rely on Helan Zhou, the all-powerful Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and even become his companion wife.
“Help me get revenge, and I'll be your wife. I'll serve you for the rest of your life.”
Helan Zhou, who never showed interest in women, chuckled. “And how will you serve me?”
As the red candles flickered, Chengshan flushed and bit her lip, cursing him in her heart: Damn eunuch. Once I get my revenge, I'll kill you!
Later, their interests become impossible to disentangle. She realizes she can't use the law to take Helan Zhou's life, so all she can do is hope to bite the damned eunuch to death.
He strokes her hair and clicks his tongue.
Upcoming novel 2: The Emperor's Sister-in-Law
A little empress dowager with a noble heart x a ruthless regent
Synopsis:
Xu Qingru is the legitimate granddaughter of Xu Rong, a three-dynasty veteran and cabinet minister. The late Emperor Ai personally chose her to be the young emperor's stepmother, and at just fifteen, she became empress dowager of the realm.
As she watches corrupt eunuchs take control of the government and the young emperor become their puppet, with the Dasheng dynasty teetering on the brink, Xu Qingru puts her hopes for survival in the Prince of Yanshan, Fu Yuhuai.
The Prince of Yanshan is the late emperor's half-brother. He commands the army and holds immense power. Everyone says he will rebel and take the throne for himself.
On the day the new emperor ascends the throne, he strides into court with a sword, arrogant to the extreme.
Behind the curtains, Xu Qingru forces herself to stay calm and asks what reward he wants for his victorious return to the capital.
Fu Yuhuai says he wants the entire Dasheng realm.
The ministers curse him, the young emperor sobs, and the little empress dowager says nothing.
That night, a carriage stops outside the Prince of Yanshan's residence. Xu Qingru, tears in her eyes, tells him, “I can't give you the realm, but I can give you myself.”
Fu Yuhuai caresses Xu Qingru's delicate, jade-like face and says coldly, “To me, you are worth less than the realm.”
But in the end, with her before him and the realm spread out for thousands of miles, he is willing to serve as her subject and help her save a country on the verge of collapse.
Theme: Never abandon hope, never give up
Welcome to today's good book recommendation column. I am the host A Shi. First of all, I will introduce "Unfilial Son" - watch how two people who appear to be a loving mother and a filial son gradually reveal their masks, and watch how the two people who have their own agendas become the closest lovers! The column ends with a good article "The Plan to Save the White Moonlight Dog" - in the previous life, she was the master and he was the servant, and the two of them had a crush on each other, but they were not destined to get married. But in another rebirth, she led him to change his destiny against the will of heaven, and personally raised him as a husband to the loyal dog of the God of War! The prelude to the five-part Taboo column is "The Great Rebellion" - the beautiful but infamous eldest princess Chu Chengshan fell into the quagmire and clung to the eunuch He Lanzhou for revenge, but she accidentally became her ancestor. "Emperor's Wife" - Xu Qingru, who was forced to become the little queen mother, was attacked from both sides. One was the gang of treacherous eunuchs who were ready to take action, and the other was the eyeing Yan Wang Fu Huaiyu. Where should she go? "Emperor's Kill" - "I have nothing in the south of the Yangtze River, just give me a spring." Mu Xichun was the most unpopular concubine in Taifu's house. One day, an even less favored concubine came to the family, and they became brother and sister. "Cousin Wan'an" - During Chu Ningying's escape, she met her cousin Mu Yin who was meditating in a temple. She spent a ridiculous night with her, but she never expected that this cripple would marry her! Since Kaiwen has not reached the lottery number requirement of 30 people posting comments in one week, the welfare activity has been extended to next Thursday ~
Hey, hey, welcome to Ashi's Ruyi House! Those who bookmark this article and leave comments within a week of its publication may get a red envelope (thirty people will be drawn). Your support is the author's biggest motivation for coding!
There is an update today, stay tuned~
Good-looking, good-looking, good-looking!!!!
Because there were not enough 30 comments in the first week after the article was opened, which was not enough for the lottery (please add a favorite to comment enthusiastically), so the time was extended until the first list was completed.
This old emperor is so annoying
Coming! It's tied, looks great!
The male lead has sex with this golden eared guy
The little theater is so cute^0^~Hahahaha
Hahahaha the little theater is so cute