They Say the Chancellor Has Wolfish Ambitions

Everyone says that Chancellor Liu Fushui is a master schemer, and that she began plotting at every turn back when the current ruler was still a princess.

Now, seeing that Li Hanyan's position is unstable, she has started scheming to seize power. Officially, the empress is unwell and needs to recuperate, so she is staying in seclusion in the inner palace. In secret, many suspect the chancellor poisoned the empress and is keeping her imprisoned in the palace.

The empress's supporters are on tenterhooks day and night. Whenever they try to probe the chancellor about the situation, she dodges their questions. They can't help imagining the worst. Could it be... could it be...? The old Grand Tutor can't hold back her tears.

Meanwhile, the chancellor's faction is all smiles, quietly offering Liu ways to speed things up, take control of the court, and don the imperial robes. But the chancellor refuses time and again, saying only, "The time isn't right."

Later on, the whole capital knows that Liu Fushui is an ambitious wolf, bent on usurping the throne and seizing power.

But things don't turn out quite as they imagined. Li Hanyan recovers from her illness, sits firmly on the throne, and takes back her authority.

No, the chancellor must still have some scheme up her sleeve. Everyone thinks so. But years pass, and the two remain on peaceful terms, until a story about the empress and the chancellor starts circulating from who knows where...

Only then do they suddenly understand.

Liu Fushui once read a novel about one woman and many men. It was particularly steamy: the empress in it enjoyed the company of many lovers, and all the handsome men she met outside the harem were breathtaking beauties.

She was bad-tempered and eccentric, and brutal in bed. The men both loved and hated her.

Liu Fushui got sleepy halfway through, lay down, and fell asleep. When she woke up, she had transmigrated. In this unfamiliar world, the first person she befriended was Li Minzhi, a gentle and courteous woman with a wealth of knowledge, an admirable young lady indeed.

But as things unfolded, Liu Fushui began to realize that something was increasingly off. She looked at Li Minzhi, thought about the novel she'd read before transmigrating, and asked solemnly, "What is your name?"

"Li Hanyan, courtesy name Minzhi."

It hit Liu Fushui like a bolt from the blue. She was completely dazed.

She couldn't understand how the person before her could possibly be the same woman as that debauched and licentious empress.

Reading guide:

□ 1v1, both leads have only ever been with each other.

□ The setting is a matriarchal kingdom. In this world, men have a cinnabar mark on their arms, but cannot become pregnant. Other details will be explained in the story.

Theme: None