The Little Palace Maid Wants to Rise to the Top

[The neighboring story, Reborn Before She Bought Her Freedom, is now available!] Yun Si was just a palace maid. She wasn't a good person, but she was beautiful. She knew her status was lowly. Even if she left the palace one day, becoming a concubine to a powerful family would be reaching above her station. She was used to the palace's fine clothes and sumptuous food, and could never go back to the life she'd once had. So she set her sights on the man seated on the Dragon Throne. Everyone said Yun Si was deeply scheming and had earned the emperor's favor. But no one knew that After catching his eye, Yun Si spent two whole years as an unranked palace maid, with no title and no status. The first reason Tan Yuanchu took an interest in Yun Si was her clumsy attempts to curry favor, which she thought were clever. He kept Yun Si by his side for two whole years before giving her the title she'd always wanted. He watched coldly as Yun Si, once she'd gotten what she wanted, threw her weight around and bullied others. Only at the very end did Tan Yuanchu realize he coveted more than her beauty. He coveted everything about her, including the little schemes she thought she hid so well. [Since you're clever, I'll play the fool.] [What you see may be exactly what I want you to see.] P.S. Palace intrigue, not a fluffy romance. The male lead isn't a virgin, so read at your own discretion. [The blurb has been saved in screenshots.] [The upcoming story, Her Majesty Is Deeply Favored, is open for collection. You can find it on my author page!] Synopsis: [The title and blurb may change.] Chu Qingwan was born into a prestigious family. She was radiant and peerlessly beautiful, and had a childhood sweetheart she'd grown up with. Their families had long agreed to arrange a marriage between them. But before the Shen family could come to propose, news arrived from the palace: The Empress Dowager intended to choose consorts for the emperor, and every unmarried woman of good family had to enter the palace to compete for selection. In an instant, Chu Qingwan found herself facing two choices: - Continue with her engagement to the Shen family - Or enter the palace to compete for a place in the imperial harem That day, Chu Qingwan's father called her into his study, where she stayed all day. On the day she entered the palace by imperial decree, Chu Qingwan thought she glimpsed someone she knew standing in the distance. She calmly looked away. She thought to herself that she truly was a woman who loved wealth and status. On the day her father called her into his study, he had said just one thing to her: The throne is vacant. That was all it took for her to make her choice. The first time Xu Yanheng met Chu Qingwan, he knew she was clever. But he had never thought much of that. After all, Chu Qingwan was only one of his consorts, not someone worth spending much thought on. Until he learned of the marriage that had almost happened. Suddenly, he couldn't stop wondering: When Chu Qingwan entered the palace by imperial decree, how much of it was her own choice, and how much was because an imperial command could not be disobeyed? *Love may be indispensable, but a woman as calculating as her needs to see what she'll get in return before she's willing to give, even sparingly. P.S. Palace intrigue. The male lead isn't a virgin. Completed stories of the same type: The Noble Consort's Rise to the Top The Palace Maid's Rise to Power Upcoming stories of various types: Her Majesty Is Always Frail By: Compete for the emperor's favor on her sister's behalf? No, she's just a shield. The Scheming Beauty By: He says I staged an accident to frame him? A Bewitching Nightmare By: Your sister-in-law is wildly unrestrained The Little Widow By: You wronged me, so I'll do the same to you: A Lover's Rise to Power After Separating from My Husband, I Was Reborn By: He's so ugly. How could she possibly like him? Theme: Stay focused on your goals and never waver.