The Fallen Queen Is Forced to Ascend the Throne (Nation-Building)

[Upcoming novel "The Virtuous Matriarch Returns from the Future". Please add it to your favorites!] In the third year of the apocalypse, Chu Yunyao died of starvation. When she opened her eyes again, she had become the empress in a book whose dynasty was doomed to fall. The good news: Though the empress wasn't favored, she held the power of the palace and wanted for nothing. The bad news: In five years, rebels would breach the capital. The empress wouldn't escape death either, and would be left hanging from the city gate to starve. Before Chu Yunyao could enjoy her riches, she hurriedly put the stockpiling skills she'd honed in the apocalypse to work, hoarding money, food, and talent to stay alive. She knew the importance of preventing trouble before it began. She stocked grain and bought farmland to stave off hunger and cold, and accumulated seaborne merchants to bring in gold and silver. She recruited doctors to guard against disease and warriors to serve as bodyguards. Along the way, she also took in scholars, artisans, merchants, and others. Five years passed. The imperial consorts regarded her as their leader. Crops were grown from the capital all the way to the far northwest, and nearly ten thousand granaries were filled with grain. Seaborne merchants brought back countless treasures and high-yield crops like sweet potatoes and potatoes from overseas. Doctors developed anesthetic powder, and artisans invented armor made of refined iron. Even merchants independently opened a trade route to the Western Regions. The storehouses were full and every need was met. All that remained was to abandon the capital and flee. The rebels arrived right on schedule. But the rebel leader riding at the forefront looked strangely familiar. Chu Yunyao: "..." He kind of looked like Pei Heyu, the Prince of Qin's heir she'd raised for five years. Then she saw the sweet potatoes and anesthetic powder tied to the rebels' waists, and the refined-iron armor they wore. Chu Yunyao: "..." Something seemed off. In full view of everyone, the cold-faced, imposing rebel leader dismounted, then knelt and crawled to her feet, bowing his head. "Your Highness, please ascend the throne!" After him, tens of thousands of rebels knelt and begged the empress to ascend the throne as ruler. Chu Yunyao: "..." The rebels were my people? The whole country celebrated the empress's coronation. Yet no one knew of the twisted obsession in Pei Heyu's heart. In public, he was a trusted general, deeply relied upon by Her Majesty. In private, he disguised himself as a pitiful actor, a palace eunuch, even a courtesan from a brothel... Pei Heyu didn't dare hope for the position of empress's consort. He only dared to lurk in the shadows and get his emperor to summon him a few more times. He knew that his empress disliked ambitious founding generals, but showed great care for the pitiful and powerless Prince of Qin's heir... Reader tips: 1. Bold, careful little hoarder x ambitious heir, a tragically beautiful and powerful man who cooks for love 2. The heroine grows into her role and will become an empress who has the final say 3. She won't marry or have children. The male lead is there, but has no name or title and must stay hidden from view. Entry reason: Born to be useful, and surely there is a use for me After transmigrating into the role of an empress in a doomed dynasty, the heroine makes full use of the survival skills she honed in the apocalypse. She starts by stockpiling farmland and grain, then opens trade routes and gathers talent, and ultimately ascends the throne, improves a series of outdated systems, and establishes a new golden age. **Blurb for the upcoming novel "The Virtuous Matriarch Returns from the Future"** Xie Hanyi was born into an aristocratic family and raised to behave in every way like the matriarch of a great household. After marrying, she managed the household, served her mother-in-law, and when she heard her husband had a cousin with whom he was in love, she even helped arrange for him to marry the girl as a second wife. Everyone who spoke of her called her gentle and magnanimous, saying that every man should marry a virtuous wife like the Marquess of Wuan's Lady. But no one knew that facing her spiteful mother-in-law, her unruly younger brother-in-law, and her affectionate husband and his cousin every day filled her with nothing but irritation and disgust. Then one day, Xie Hanyi transmigrated. She transmigrated five thousand years into the future. In this era, she no longer had in-laws who made her miserable at every turn, and no one taught her to be meek and patient. No one would accuse her of failing to act like a proper matriarch, either. Xie Hanyi entered a military academy and went to war. After ten years of countless military achievements, she became one of the Federation's five generals. She said goodbye to her beloved husband at home, but was assassinated on the way to her new post. When she opened her eyes again, Xie Hanyi was still dazed when she heard someone barking in her ear. She turned her head and saw her husband, the Marquess of Wuan, whom she hadn't seen in years, impatiently saying, "Miaomiao didn't push you into the water on purpose. She apologized, so why are you still lying in bed all day, pretending?" Miaomiao was his beloved childhood friend and cousin. Xie Hanyi remembered. She had transmigrated to the future because Lin Miaomiao pushed her into the water, and nobody came to save her before she passed out. Listening to the endless accusations, Xie Hanyi forced her sick body out of bed. She walked to the desk, picked up a brush, and wrote the words "Divorce Letter." The Marquess of Wuan was about to ask what she was up to now when a sheet of paper, its ink still wet, smacked him in the face. At the same time, Xie Hanyi's voice rang out, icy cold: "Get out!" Xiao Zhi was the heir to a princely estate. Orphaned young, he struggled for decades before finally becoming regent. After an accident, he transmigrated five thousand years into the future, becoming the useless youngest son of a noble family. The regent, who had finally gained supreme power: ...Forget it. As the least useful member of the family, he naturally took the place of his brother, who had broken off his engagement, and married a military academy student with no power or influence. For ten years of marriage, he was both a ruthless politician who stirred up trouble in the assembly and a virtuous househusband who doted on his wife. Just as he was preparing a celebratory dinner for his beloved wife, who had been promoted to general, the ceiling suddenly crashed down on his head. When he opened his eyes again, he was seated high in the court, with the new emperor, still sucking on his fingers, beside him. Xiao Zhi's face immediately darkened. From then on, his aura was gloomy every day as he searched for immortals and sorcerers, determined to find his way back to the future and his wife. Until one day, he saw the Marquess of Wuan's Lady making a huge fuss about divorcing her husband... [Brave, decisive female general x powerful, devoted househusband] Theme: Prevent trouble before it begins