Fu Yu is the fifth princess of the reigning dynasty. Fair, virtuous, and learned, she holds the high office of Minister of Rites. Unfortunately, because her birth father came from a lowly background, the sovereign does not favor her, and her mother has never considered her a candidate for Crown Princess.
The sovereign's assessment of her is that she could be an able minister, but not a ruler. The throne is naturally beyond her reach.
Beneath Fu Yu's kind and virtuous exterior, however, lies a heart full of ambition.
She has spent years laying the groundwork, all for the position at the very pinnacle of power.
If her mother's lack of affection is the reason she cannot obtain the throne, then she will do everything in her power to win even a little of her mother's favor.
To learn what is happening around the sovereign, Fu Yu sets her sights on the newly appointed royal consort: Shen Minghe, the chancellor's eldest legitimate son.
Shen Minghe's birth father died young. He was never valued by his mother or cherished by his stepfather, and grew up quietly, becoming the cool and beautiful young nobleman in other people's eyes.
When the aging sovereign falls gravely ill, the state preceptor advises her to take another royal consort to bring good fortune. He then calculates the birth date and hour of the new consort.
They turn out to be exactly the same as Shen Minghe's.
And so he becomes the new royal consort.
The sovereign is advanced in years and has never once summoned him to her chambers. Shen Minghe, alone in the deep palace, is like a solitary moon, rising silently as he waits for the day his youth fades.
But then the fifth princess quietly appears at his side, offering comfort and help in his time of need.
"Little Father, my mother doesn't care for me. Could you care for me instead?"
He does everything she asks, stepping into the abyss for her.
But what he gets in return, after she succeeds, is to see her dressed in red, marrying the only son of the Duke of State.
She abandons him again.
Both leads are each other's first and only partners; happy ending.
Content warnings: 1. The female lead really isn't a good person. She's both the protagonist and the antagonist.
2. This is a world where men can give birth. Do not read if that's not for you.
3. The novel includes some abuse of the male lead, though it isn't suffering for suffering's sake.
4. The male lead will become corrupted and a little insane, fixated on the female lead. (Well, that's exciting.)
Theme: Obtaining what you want through proper means
