The Delicate Lady

[Younger man, older woman. A male lead who grows up under her care and an already powerful female lead. Slow burn at first, then melodramatic chaos later. A gentle but possessive relationship.]

Xiao Shu isn't exactly a good person. Others say she's gentle and beautiful, but they don't know she's the one who cheats and schemes, the one who toys with people's hearts. To her, the black and white worlds are no different.

When the previous dynasty fell, her closest family died at the hands of treacherous officials, and the person she loved cast her aside like an old shoe. In the space of a day, her country and family were destroyed, her faith shattered, and she lost everything, including herself.

Fate tossed her from place to place. Heaven had never favored her, and she was no longer the cherished daughter of a noble family.

In Li City, she saw all the vicissitudes of human life and endured unimaginable suffering and torment. Four years later, when she returned to Wei's capital, she had become adept at reading people's minds, wielding the influence of powerful backers, and manipulating the powerful. From outside the court, she pulled the strings and stirred events into motion.

Loyalty? Righteousness? Rules?

She had never observed any taboos. If she was going to be a villain, she would see it through to the end.

*

Before meeting Du Zhou, she lived for pleasure and never showed mercy when doing wrong.

After meeting Du Zhou, her heart began to soften. Her quiet, unassuming concern for him grew deeper with every day they spent together. Before she knew it, she had gained a weakness.

In the fourth year of Yuanqi, Xiao Shu bought Du Zhou in Jianping Ward. From their first meeting, there was an unbridgeable gulf between them.

One was a courtesan, radiant before others but lowly and humble behind closed doors. The other was a scholar of respectable birth, steeped in the elegance of a literary family.

Du Zhou was exceptionally bright, quick to learn, and easy to teach. Xiao Shu sincerely wished him a brilliant future, and carefully found him a good teacher to help with his studies.

She hoped that one day Du Zhou would pass the highest imperial examination, escape the constraints of life as a commoner, and leave her and the calamities she brought with her behind, becoming a golden phoenix soaring through the clouds.

Du Zhou lived up to her hopes. He placed first in the imperial examinations, made a name for himself at a young age, and had a bright future in government.

But while she had predicted what came first, she hadn't guessed what came next.

Du Zhou had grown strong wings. He shed his meek and obedient facade, deliberately did the very things she disliked most, and became increasingly difficult to control.

It wasn't until Du Zhou was bound and brought to the Cloud Cavern, where he threatened and enticed her master and demanded by name that he be allowed to marry her, that she realized the boy had far more schemes than she could count.

*

Du Zhou had a scholar's characteristic stubbornness. At first he was captivated by Lady Wan's appearance and grateful for her kindness. Then, without meaning to, he fell for her looks.

When Lady Wan rescued him for the first time, he felt a confused, hazy affection. His gratitude outweighed his joy.

When she rescued him a second time, he sank into her embrace, became addicted to her scent, and fell ever deeper, unable to pull himself free.

Day after day, they stayed by each other's side, and their feelings deepened. He understood himself completely, and he understood Lady Wan, too.

They were meant to love each other. They deserved a happy ending.

Du Zhou's resolve was unshakable. He thought, if Lady Wan wanted to be a chancellor's wife, then he would become a chancellor. Even if she wanted to be empress, he could raise an army and rebel.

PS1: Du Zhou is a hopeless romantic with a narrow outlook. Xiao Shu seems wicked on the surface but is soft-hearted and far-sighted. Nobody is perfect, and the two of them complement each other's strengths.

Theme: Building a nation and reshaping one's beliefs.