Scent Fading in the Golden Palace

[A palace-intrigue novel.] Wei Xiang had a face that could topple kingdoms, but she was born in the palace's Yongxiang, and knew that beauty without family backing or power could bring endless trouble. So she kept a low profile and acted cautiously, hoping only to live out her life in peace. But those people kept pushing her around, even killing the only friend who truly understood her in order to force her to submit. After that, she stopped being cautious and keeping a low profile. She turned herself into a seductress, always by the ruler's side. Later, she sat in the golden hall, smiling as those people knelt at her feet, fawning over her with careful, ingratiating smiles. Looking at them, Wei Xiang found it amusing. With a casual stroke of her brush, she wrote a single word on the memorial: “Execute.” *The title, Fragrance Fading in the Golden Hall, comes from Li Shangyin's poem Deep in the Palace. [Warning] * This is a palace-intrigue novel where people fight to the death. * The heroine is truly a peerless beauty. If that trope bothers you, please leave now. * The heroine's life is driven by ambition, and power will gradually change her. If you want to read about a traditionally kind heroine, please leave now. * This is a thoroughly fictional setting with not a trace of historical research. The map and rules are made up, and the clothing mixes Han styles from various dynasties. Please don't apply any real historical facts while reading. * The cover looks great, right? My amazing artist did a wonderful job, huh? Hehe. Author's Weibo: Li Xiao Leechee [Upcoming novel] Marrying My Ex's Younger Brother (Reborn), a lighthearted historical rebirth story. Please add it to your collection! [Synopsis] Before her marriage, Zhu Xueyao had no royal blood, yet the emperor and empress cherished her like their own daughter. Her parents had fought alongside the emperor to conquer the land and died protecting him, leaving behind only her, a baby swaddled in her cradle. Once the realm had been pacified, she was immediately granted the title of Huifu Jun. “A woman granted the title of Jun ranks on par with a princess.” The empress raised her herself, and Zhu Xueyao had even sat on the emperor's shoulders to pluck flowers from the branches. Among the princes and princesses, those older than her called her little sister, and those younger called her big sister. Later, when she came of age to marry, there was no question who she would wed: Yan Jue. Yan Jue was the eldest legitimate son, known for his benevolence, and the indisputable heir to the throne. In everyone's eyes, this was a perfect match. To the empress, it meant her beloved adopted daughter marrying her own son, bringing the families even closer. To the emperor, it meant his benefactor's daughter marrying the crown prince, a heartwarming tale of loyalty between ruler and subject. To Zhu Xueyao, her eldest brother had always treated her better than any of her siblings, and she was happy to become his wife and support him with all her heart! Unfortunately, everyone overlooked one little thing. Unknown to them, Yan Jue had found his “true love,” but because she was common-born and fiery-tempered, she could never become crown princess. So he had no choice but to marry Zhu Xueyao. Zhu Xueyao only found out after the wedding and had no choice but to endure it. She believed she had suffered a terrible injustice, unaware that Yan Jue thought he was the one who'd been wronged. Later, the empress and emperor died one after another, and Yan Jue ascended the throne. At last, he could no longer tolerate this “injustice.” He immediately trumped up charges to depose Zhu Xueyao, because he didn't want her to have anything to do with the throne. He wanted his true love to become his “first empress.” On the day of Yan Jue's coronation, Zhu Xueyao was strangled by a eunuch in a woodshed in the Eastern Palace, her heart full of resentment. When Zhu Xueyao opened her eyes again, she had returned to the time when she was of marriageable age. Thinking of her past life, when she had been used as a stepping stone and met a miserable end, Zhu Xueyao turned her gaze to the fifth prince, Yan Xuan. Yan Xuan had been raised by the empress dowager. Everyone said he loved a life of pleasure and cared nothing for worldly affairs. More importantly, Zhu Xueyao knew he had no “true love.” In her previous life, he had remained unmarried until she died, keeping only a great many kittens for company. So Zhu Xueyao thought: He has no true love, so marrying him won't get in anyone's way. They could treat each other with respect and raise cats together. It wouldn't be a bad life. And so, she became the fifth prince's consort and got the life of cuddling cats every day that she'd wished for. But she overlooked one more little thing. ...Yan Xuan had a whole courtyard full of cats because, when he was six, he had looked after a cat for his study companion. And during that time, she had visited him every day to play. Theme: Good and evil are always repaid; Heaven's justice always comes around