I Married a Lazy Prince and Became the First Female Chancellor

[Justice-minded smart-mouth x Chaotic Neutral henpecked husband]

Next up: She Won't Take It Anymore

Note: Imperial-exam story with a female lead who doesn't disguise herself as a man.

The year Pei Ruzhao was born, her father placed first in the imperial exams, making it a double celebration for the Pei family.

For a time, they were at the height of their glory, their prospects brighter than ever.

In the eleventh year of the Qianning reign, Pei Ruzhao's father, then Minister of Revenue, was demoted and sent back to Luozhou because of a major case.

Pei Ruzhao watched with a sour expression as Lu Jingzhi, now the Prince of Virtue, stood outside the old Pei family residence.

The young nobleman wore fine clothes and carried a birdcage, grinning shamelessly. "Xiao Zhao, long time no see."

In this melodramatic, old-fashioned tragic romance, Pei Ruzhao was doomed to be the male lead's early-deceased first love. Her life was one long struggle, and she died in despair.

But now the original plot has gone off the rails. Instead of waiting for the Crown Prince to save her, Pei Ruzhao has found another way to return to the world of fame and power.

She sets out on the path of the imperial examinations without hesitation.

Take the exams, enter government, pursue power and fame, and scheme for political advantage.

Save a collapsing dynasty, and rescue the nation from disaster.

The woman who was supposed to die in despair can finally escape the constraints of the plot and make her way, step by step, to the pinnacle of power as a scholar-official...

Lu Jingzhi asks himself three questions every day: Where is the Princess Consort? When will she be back? And...

Lu Jingzhi: "When will the Princess Consort retire?"

Steward: "She won't. The Princess Consort has become the chancellor."

Lu Jingzhi: "..."

Father! Your son has made something of himself!

Lu Jingzhi spent his life losing everything. He thought he was merely an observer in a story, but when he saw Pei Ruzhao struggling forward through the mud, he resolved to become a sacrifice in this revolution.

He wanted Xiao Zhao to know that the world was a good place, and that he...

Loved her very much.

The original female lead and a male lead who transmigrated into a book. The main focus is character growth, so it's not a wish-fulfillment story. Just a story told straight.

The female lead is quite assertive, while the male lead is the sort of man who says one thing and means another, with a doting, maternal streak.

Theme: It's never too late if you keep trying