Blurb:
Originally titled The Puppet Emperor Strikes Back
The red palace walls imprison not only their bodies, but their souls as well. Some manage to escape, while others are condemned to remain trapped for life...
To survive in the imperial palace and truly reach the pinnacle of power, the puppet emperor Song Qi'an, who disguises herself as a man, marries Li Wan, the daughter of her enemy. In public, they pretend to be a husband and wife. In secret, she promotes trusted allies and eliminates political rivals, waiting until her power is secure to deal her enemy a fatal blow.
Li Wan, daughter of the Secretariat Director, lost her mother young. Following her family's orders, she marries the young emperor. She discovers that the emperor is actually a simple, harmless little lamb, and that everyone around him wants to harm him! With no choice, Li Wan protects him first, only to find herself drawn to him in the process.
A sunny, cheerful little emperor who is sensitive and ruthless beneath the surface & a gentle, ladylike, obedient young woman who is, in fact, clear-eyed and worldly, the daughter of a powerful minister
When pleading with Li Wan:
Song Qi'an: "Isn't the empress my wife? What's wrong with cuddling?"
Li Wan: "Fine, he's still young."
After realizing she likes women:
Song Qi'an: "The empress and I must keep our distance."
Li Wan: "How does this young man know to be shy now?"
After seizing power, while pursuing his wife:
Song Qi'an: "Empress..."
Li Wan: "Get lost."
Reading guide:
1. Other couples include the eldest princess and General Zhou, and the second princess and Minister Xu. They're all GL couples, and they switch roles. What a wonderful thing!
2. There are several other couples besides those three.
3. Set in an alternate history.
4. This is a story with an ensemble cast of women.
The emperor and empress, the eldest princess and a female general, the eldest princess and a strategist
GL, marriage before love, with some pursuing-your-wife-after-a-mistake drama later on. Slow burn, not angsty, happy ending.
The story is already written in my notebook, and I will definitely finish it.
Advance purchase notice:
This story will enter paid chapters on Wednesday, July 19. The paid chapters begin with chapters 32–46, so please don't purchase them again if you've already read them~
There will be a 10,000-word update when it enters paid chapters. Thank you all for your support so far, and I hope you'll continue supporting me.
For certain reasons, the paid-chapter cutoff is chapter 46. Sorry, everyone.
Theme: Press forward bravely, fear no hardship, and persevere
Hahahaha, wisdom teeth!
Was the ending a bit too rushed? It felt like many things weren't explained, as if it was written halfway and then suddenly ended. There's an indescribable feeling, a sense that the two sides couldn't fully commit before it ended. It doesn't feel like a happy ending; it's more like an oe ending.
Actually, I was hoping for a more dramatic, emotionally intense story, but the current writing is too bland and too slice-of-life. I didn't see any political intrigue or anything like that either. The pacing might be a bit slow.
In the end, they still conceded defeat in the peace talks? What about Miss Duo's situation? Neither the emperor nor her husband gained military power. The Empress was also exposed.
1. The foreshadowing of collusion with foreign tribes should be resolved later. It must be that the two reached some kind of agreement that was too risky, and it's hard to clear up this fact. 2. The young emperor's character seems a bit weak (mainly reflected in the following two points: First, he doesn't care about the fate of the Grand Tutor, who should be considered the young emperor's teacher…
The two finally made a tiny bit of progress.
I feel restless if I don't read for a day ╯╰
Li Shu, study hard and become a good husband (doge)
Good heavens, hahaha, the little emperor must be terrified right now!
Hahahahahahaha