As a Queen

As an active detective, Ling Cangcang is determined to uphold the dignity of law and justice. The thing she hates most is getting married, then being locked at home to have a whole litter of children.

But her shameless father, the prime minister, sells her off to a representative of the corrupt ruling class for the sake of his political future.

So... while she's sprinting after an escaped criminal, the Queen's personal AI gently reminds her: "Your Majesty, please be sure to take care of your personal safety. I'll be ready to summon the Royal Guard at any time."

While she's sweating buckets and pinning a suspect to the ground, taking handcuffs out of her pocket, the personal AI says: "Your Majesty, please be sure to maintain your composure."

Ling Cangcang: Shut up and get your Emperor out here!

Personal AI: "Your Highness, thank you for your kind words. However, I must correct your phrasing. His Majesty the Emperor is the spiritual symbol and actual leader of the entire Federation, not one of 'us.' The word 'us' is also ambiguous..."

Ling Cangcang: Shut up!

Personal AI: Heh...

Ling Cangcang: ...Xiao Huan, you're pretending to be an AI back there again!

This book was first published on Jinjiang in 2015 and first released in print in 2016.

Theme: Clouds, seas, and stars are poetry.