[Dream of the Red Chamber] My Years as a Bao-Dai Fangirl

Dear readers, because of work, updates will have to be whenever I can manage. (Drops to my knees and prostrates in every direction.)

[Historical romance pre-release: Yu Que. Blurb below. If you're interested, visit my author page and follow!]

Xue Yan, the Alliance's most diabolical finance minister, has finally been killed.

Good news: She died, but not completely. Xue Yan has transmigrated into the body of a young girl in another world.

Bad news: This is a primitive world where people eat people. As a slave with no rights, Xue Yan is so lowly even dogs would shake their heads at her.

Good news: Xue Yan has been chosen as the young lady's personal maid, so at least she'll have food and shelter.

Bad news: The young lady is named Daiyu, one of the most famous tragic heroines in the literary works of ancient Blue Star.

Before meeting Daiyu, Xue Yan: Quickly drafts [Plan to Keep the Spoiled Young Lady in Check], steps one, two, and three.

After meeting Daiyu, Xue Yan: Ahhh, what an otherworldly little angel my young lady is! Forget just one Baoyu, she can have him! She can have everything! I'll protect my young lady's love!

Xue Yan's brush flies, sparks flying everywhere. She crosses out [Plan to Keep the Spoiled Young Lady in Check] and drafts [Comprehensive Plan to Defend Daiyu and Baoyu's Love].

She takes on the Gold-and-Jade Match, kicks Wang Shi and Yuanchun aside, and years later, Xue Yan examines her checklist with satisfaction:

The economic lifelines of the Lin and Jia households: Under control

The Jia family's head of affairs: Position secured

Jia Baoyu's chastity: Under protection

These days, the noble families of the capital are all saying the Rong Mansion has become a disgrace. Such a vast estate is being managed by an outsider who used to be a maid. The Jia family is finished.

Those in the know quietly put some distance between themselves and the fools gossiping. Do you have a death wish? Even the imperial family shows her respect. Just look at how the Jia family's assets have tripled, and how the state treasury is overflowing with wealth. Is that little maid? That's the founding matriarch!

Pre-release: Yu Que

Blurb 1:

When Yu Que was fifteen, she learned how frightening power could be.

Jealousy combined with power, and her promising older brother was framed, his legs crippled, leaving no way for him to use his talents again.

Greed combined with power, and the authorities refused to treat the Yu family's case fairly. Her parents ran everywhere seeking help, but found no one willing to hear them.

Fear of power led her fiance's family, who had once treated her so warmly, to break off the engagement overnight.

Flattery of power made the neighbors who had once courted her father and brother turn against them and kick them while they were down.

The Yu family was driven out to the countryside, and they were about to lose the last place they had to call home. Her aunt offered to arrange a marriage for her, supposedly out of kindness. "The powerful and influential Master Li is the most important man in all of Taoli Town. Become his concubine, and your parents and brothers will have food and clothing for the rest of their lives."

Power, power, power. Even a small town couldn't escape the crushing weight of power.

Then she would go to the place where all the power in the world gathered and claim a share of it.

Just then, the emperor announced a search for matchmakers. Yu Que pawned her last jade hairpin, took the silver, and knocked on the door recruiting palace eunuchs.

When Yu Que was twenty-eight, she tasted the joys of power.

By then, she was Empress Dowager Yu, above all others, ruling from court and living in splendor.

With power, Yu Que eliminated every person who had framed her family.

With power, she overcame all opposition and founded an engineering academy, creating a path to advancement through craftsmanship for her brother, who could not take the imperial examinations.

With power, she deposed her weak and incompetent eldest son and supported her second daughter as the next emperor. No one dared object.

In life, one either becomes an offering to power or its master. Yu Que was never a lamb laid on the altar. She was a phoenix who turned heaven and earth upside down.

Blurb 2:

[Empress Dowager Yu of Qingzhou had two sons and one daughter. She began as a Talented Lady and was later named Consort Zhuang. In the fifth year of Yongxing, the emperor's melancholy grew frequent, and he neglected state affairs. Consort Zhuang began to take part in government. In the tenth year, she was made empress. No matter how great or small, all political affairs were decided by the empress, and all power under heaven belonged to the inner palace.* In the eleventh year, her eldest son was made crown prince. Three years later, the emperor died, and the crown prince ascended the throne. The emperor was young. Whenever he held court, the empress dowager listened from behind the curtain, and later took her place on the throne to make decisions in court. The emperor could only stand by with his hands folded.*, History of Jin]

[Empress Yu acted on a whim, her likes and dislikes unpredictable. She held power for decades, favored corrupt eunuchs, and indulged in absurdities. She established an engineering academy, throwing the court into chaos, and made a woman emperor, endangering the state. She was a sinner of Jin., Notes on the History of Jin]

[Empress Yu was resolute and exceptionally intelligent. ... She established an engineering academy for her brother, causing everyone under heaven to chase clever schemes. This was her failing. But the academy selected talented people, benefited the country and its people, and produced many capable figures. This was her achievement. She deposed her eldest son and made her second daughter heir, setting the precedent of a daughter inheriting the throne. This was her failing. But during the reign of the empress, the empire was mighty and far-reaching, its people safe and united. This was her achievement. ... During Empress Yu's rule, the government was effective, the people lived in harmony, and the realm enjoyed peace. She was a great ruler among women., New History of Jin]

[[Gossip Girl] The three men behind Empress Dowager Yu: the gentle first love, Lord Wei; Emperor Huai of Jin, who shared power with her; and the loyal lapdog, Eunuch Min. Which one is your favorite?]

That's right, this Jiang is going to write a story where Daiyu and Baoyu become husband and wife. It's a product of my imagination, so don't read it if you don't like it.

Reader's guide:

1. An alternate world with lots of original settings.

2. The Jia and Xue families are villainized.

Theme: Dare to dream and act, and get things done quickly.