After Being Betrayed, She Went on a Rampage

The story I had listed as upcoming has been moved to the derivative fiction section, but the content is unchanged. Its title is "A Playboy Reincarnates as Qin Shi Huang's Elixir of Life." If you're interested, you can visit my author page and add it to your collection. I'll start writing it soon. Thank you, bows. Blurb: Cao'er is a poor girl born in the countryside. Her nimble hands catch the eye of a master embroiderer, who takes her in as an apprentice. Next door to her master lives a young scholar. He often recites poetry to illiterate Cao'er and tells her he loves her. Cao'er blushes and her heart flutters whenever she sees the handsome scholar. On a night when the moon is bright and the stars are few, she gives herself to him. The scholar promises that once he passes the imperial examinations, he will marry her with an elaborate wedding procession. So Cao'er waits devotedly, hoping he will pass. After the scholar leaves to sit the autumn examinations, Cao'er rarely sees him again. On the few occasions he visits, he takes her to bed and then leaves. One day, the scholar moves away. Her master tells her he passed the autumn examinations and is heading to the capital to sit for the highest degree. Everyone in the neighborhood takes pride in the alley producing someone so promising. Cao'er is happy, too. She counts the days, waiting for his return. The scholar is gone for three years, without a word. By the time Cao'er hears from him again, he has placed third in the palace examinations and returned home in glory, welcomed as a guest by the powerful. He hasn't forgotten Cao'er. He comes to find her and offers to take her to the capital. He says, "Our positions now are worlds apart. She's a noblewoman of the capital, while you can only be my concubine. As long as you know your place, I'll treat you well." Overwhelmed by the offer, Cao'er agrees. She uses him to get to the capital, kills him, then turns and throws herself into the arms of a man with even greater power. She is a plaything, but she has no qualms about stepping on them to rise. She is ruthless and cares for no one, not even her own family. Step by step, she becomes the most powerful woman in the land. Reader's Guide: This is a fictional setting, so please don't nitpick the historical details. The female lead is a native of this world. She is naive and uninformed at first, but gradually turns dark. Theme: The brave are invincible