Emperor of the Phoenix I: The Phoenix Reborn

[Proud Empress vs. Tsundere Minister]

As crown princess, Xuanyuan Jinzhan had three mountains weighing on her shoulders from childhood: her father, Emperor Xuanyuan Xia, who wanted a son above all else; her mother, Empress You Si Chiyan, who hoped her daughter would become a dragon; and Feng Ziluan, the grand chancellor who monopolized power at court.

The Foolish Old Man moved mountains by taking three generations to do it.

Crown Princess Jinzhan had no need for anyone else. She would use the strategies and wisdom she had learned, along with her talent for recognizing and employing capable people, to move those mountains herself.

Once she had truly moved them, the empress climbed to a high point and surveyed a realm torn apart into four.

In the ninth year of Jinping, rebel forces entered the capital, and the kingdom she had worked so hard to build crumbled overnight.

The victors sneered in Jinzhan's face, calling her "a woman with the kindness of a woman." She went from a noble imperial princess to a disgraced empress of a fallen kingdom, reviled by everyone.

From a dead end, she found a way to survive; her proud spirit fell to dust. At last she understood one thing: the currents of the world could all be turned into weapons.

Everyone who entered the game of the world became a piece on her board.

With the realm on the verge of unification, only the King of Dongxian, whom she herself had raised to power, could match the empress in cunning and strategy. Even in bed, neither could best the other.

The golden banners snapped in the wind, while Jinzhan alone smiled serenely, her imperial bearing unmistakable.

"King of Dongxian, last night you spent the whole night entwined with me and agreed to marry me. Today, with our two armies side by side, shall we join hands to fight the rebels?"

The King of Dongxian tightened his grip on the reins, rode forward, and swept his long halberd across the enemy army.

His horse neighed, his eyes blazed like stars, and he gazed at the extraordinary empress high above him: I will give everything I have to win you peace across the realm.

**

Reader's guide

1. The woman is older than the man by six years. Historical romance with an older woman and younger man. The empress has had previous relationships.

The man's emotional journey: from innocence to deep feeling, from falling into a trap to digging himself in so deeply he never gets out. A classic case of a hero falling for a beauty.

2. A long courtship; a secret crush is a long road. The story is a slow burn.

Coming soon: My Demon King Husband Is Food. Please add it to your favorites:

Sweet and gentle Ye Yu vs. Cunning Stone Statue

Ye Yu transmigrated.

She transmigrated into a sea slug called a leaf sheep, smaller than a grain of rice and almost invisible to marine life.

Every day she took it easy, doing nothing but eat and eat, with the occasional peek at the ocean world around her.

The clownfish next door grew up. With a quick suck of its little mouth, it whisked away its companions hiding in the seaweed.

Ye Yu stared with black eyes smaller than sesame seeds, moved her soft foot, and darted into the seaweed.

The next moment, she swam out again at her leisure to look for food.

She was so tiny that she never remembered what had happened just a second before.

In a crack deep beneath the sea stood a stone statue. Every day, in the darkness, it prayed for some creature to fall into its territory by misfortune, so it could use them to pass the time.

Until Ye Yu fell into the crevice.

The expressionless statue said, "You're so small I can't be bothered to lift a finger."

Many years later, a sweet, gentle sea slug as big as an ox ruled the ocean floor.

Her dolphin friend asked, "A Yu, why are the colors on your back different?"

Ye Yu looked at the plates on her back: above the dark green, there was a patch of red, with a spot of gray-green amid all that red.

That was the stone statue wrapped in chlorophyll.

She smiled at her friend. "It's my food." A row of fine teeth showed, each one chillingly sharp.

The stone statue, which had thought it had escaped, was bound by green liquid and wailed helplessly, "You ungrateful disciple! Let your master out!"

Ye Yu pretended not to hear. She moved her short limbs, now like elephant legs, and began her wonderful life of sunbathing and digesting her food.

Theme: Blend in with the world while keeping your own light.