Becoming Hongyun's Concubine in the Qing Dynasty

[The male lead is a lovestruck romantic who falls for the heroine on his own. The heroine stays clearheaded and rational until the very end.]

-- New novel: Opening Mystery Boxes with Young Qin Shi Huang is out now and updating daily~

Shu Shu woke up in the Forbidden City, having become Shu Jia, the daughter of a fourth-rank official from Shengjing. She looked around. Who in their right mind would transmigrate into the Cold Palace?!

She seemed to have no System and no golden finger, only a sheet of ibuprofen capsules, a bunch of keys, and a pack of tissues that had been on her bedside table, all of which had come along with her.

It was shortly after Emperor Yongzheng had ascended the throne, but this Qing Dynasty seemed rather different from the history she'd studied.

The Imperial Consort Li, known in palace dramas as Consort Qi of Emperor Yongzheng, was actually the second most powerful woman in the palace after the empress.

And Hongyun, the imperial consort's eldest son, who had supposedly died at ten, had instead lived to the age of sixteen. He was a learned, gentle young gentleman, though a little quiet and hard to approach.

Hmm... In any case, Shu Shu absolutely had to get out of the Cold Palace.

Wait, how did she end up living long enough to become the Empress Dowager?

Those who knew Hongyun knew that there was a favored maid in his prince's residence who was always on his mind, and could even make the same old rigid man break his own rules.

But no one knew that

while Hongyun tossed and turned in misery on his wedding night, Shu Shu closed her door and finally enjoyed authentic spicy hotpot.

The treasured sachet Hongyun wore every day was one she'd casually bought at a shop in town for three copper coins.

While Hongyun prayed every day for a child, Shu Shu secretly used birth control until she was old enough, determined not to risk the harm of childbirth.

--

When Hongyun endured the pains of pregnancy and childbirth on Shu Shu's behalf, he never imagined that one day he would feel the bone-deep chill and coldness in her heart.

From beginning to end, his love had been one-sided.

**

That day, Hongyun headed straight for Yunshu Courtyard after court.

He'd promised yesterday to take his son horseback riding, and couldn't keep Shu Shu and the boy waiting long. If the boy started fussing, Shu Shu would get annoyed.

He rushed to the courtyard, drenched in sweat, brushed off his clothes, and waved off the eunuch's announcement. Court had ended early and he'd hurried there, so he was sure to surprise Shu Shu.

But then he heard someone inside say, "Side Consort, are you really not going to embroider it yourself? It's Second Master's twentieth birthday. What if he finds out?"

The familiar, gentle voice replied, each word stabbing into his heart: "A sachet is embroidered with longing. How can I embroider longing when I feel none?"

In the blazing summer heat, he felt as though he had fallen into an icy cellar.

**

Content warnings:

Not a traditional sweet romance. Set against a traditional feudal backdrop in an alternate Qing Dynasty, with lots of original worldbuilding. The imperial selection system and historical timeline will be changed.

The heroine is calm, calculating, and resourceful. She only wants to protect herself and make a living. She develops feelings by the end, but never gives the male lead her true heart.

+++ Also, this is not a melodramatic revenge-and-redemption story.

The male lead favors and dotes on the heroine early on, but doesn't give her his undivided attention. Later, his love grows humble and devoted, and he gives her his undivided attention. Readers who require chaste leads or strict historical accuracy, please don't read.

--- Click over to my profile to check out the upcoming novel: My Days in the Qin Palace

Moral: No matter what circumstances you find yourself in, do your best to make a good life for yourself.