I Have Failed Your Grace

[A king whose mouth is the most stubborn thing about him VS a scheming spy who can really act] [MAIN STORY COMPLETE] When Xiao Huai was still the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, he had a beautiful but affected concubine named Jiang Wan. Using cheap medicine and underhanded tactics, she got pregnant first and secured her position. Xiao Huai disliked her intensely, but for the child's sake he gave her a title and a life of luxury. After becoming emperor, he even made her a Noble Consort and favored her above all the women in the harem. The year Xiao Huai ascended the throne, remnants of the former dynasty stirred up trouble, and calamities followed one after another. As he hunted down rebels, he accidentally learned that a spy who had been lying low for years was close to him. The spy was said to be a descendant of the former imperial house, highly skilled in martial arts, deeply cunning, and a brilliant actor. Xiao Huai launched a thorough investigation. He suspected many people, but it never crossed his mind to suspect Jiang Wan. After all, she was poorly educated, gentle and delicate, alluring and obedient, extremely clingy, and fond of getting jealous over rivals. So when evidence pointed to Jiang Wan, Xiao Huai never believed it. Not until he saw with his own eyes Jiang Wan break into the imperial prison to silence someone, moving with practiced ease and looking utterly detached, as if she had become a different person... Under the laws of the court, Xiao Huai should have sentenced her to death. But they had been husband and wife for so many years and had children together. For the children's sake, Xiao Huai was willing to give her a chance to explain. Instead, Jiang Wan carefully planned her escape and left Xiao Huai a grand parting gift. The gift was a bowl of restorative soup that would render a man infertile. Xiao Huai had absolute faith in Jiang Wan's love and thought he was her whole world. He never imagined that he had been manipulated all along. That year, Noble Consort Jiang, the emperor's most beloved, died in a great fire. The wise and composed emperor launched a bloody purge, ordering an investigation into every rebel party hiding in the capital. Countless officials and palace servants died beneath the Imperial Guards' blades. The emperor's temperament changed completely. He became sinister and violent, and everyone in the capital lived in fear. Several years later, with the realm at peace, the emperor took several princes and princesses on a southern tour. At a local governor's residence, he saw a female swordswoman. The governor said he had recently been targeted by criminals and had spent a fortune hiring this swordswoman to protect him. She was highly skilled in martial arts, knowledgeable about medicine, and extremely capable. Their eyes met. After a long silence, the swordswoman slowly lowered her gaze and saluted without changing her expression, as if they were strangers. Xiao Huai's expression was unreadable. He gave a cold laugh. "She's quite capable, all right." When it comes to abandoning a husband and child, who could possibly beat her? (One-on-one romance, both leads have only been with each other. At first, she's a concubine and he's the Crown Prince. After he becomes emperor, she's a Noble Consort and he's the emperor.) # She seemed like a fox spirit destined to bring ruin to the kingdom, but turned out to be a man-eating flower in disguise: a highly skilled, cold-blooded assassin from the former dynasty. # A hapless emperor who fantasizes about taking brutal revenge, but whose plans to turn evil keep getting foiled by his mischievous children. His words say one thing, but his heart says another. Completed stories: Above Her Station: A treacherous minister disguised as a man and an emperor whose words don't match his heart In Your Debt: A female bandit and a dog of an emperor My Lord, This Is Your Child: A sweet, gentle maid and a cold, aloof god The new story, I Would Be Your Underling, will be opening soon. If you're interested, follow it from my page so you don't miss the launch! Multiple male leads | Rivals competing for her | A delicate flower who's hard to handle and a crowd of obsessive madmen who all want to make her theirs Blurb: After one reckless night, Jiang Rou unexpectedly became the secret mistress of Cui Jing, the current Grand Secretary. Cui Jing told her that once she had his child, he would give her a proper place. But on the day she gave birth, Jiang Rou didn't wait for Cui Jing to welcome her into his home. Instead, she received an imperial edict from the emperor, granting Cui Jing and the Grand Princess permission to marry. The Grand Princess sent her poisoned wine, telling her to die in peace. At the edge of despair, the Duke of Xie next door offered her a lifeline. Xie Chongzhou was the only child of the Empress Dowager's family and the youngest duke in the court. He and Cui Jing were both favorites before the throne, but they had been bitter rivals for years, always at each other's throats. The first time Xie Chongzhou visited the estate, his eyes fell on her with a teasing, brazen appraisal. He asked Cui Jing for his concubine. Cui Jing assumed Xie Chongzhou was deliberately provoking him. After all, who else would want such a difficult, bad-tempered flower besides him? Besides, Jiang Ling hated Xie Chongzhou and avoided him whenever she could. He never expected that Jiang Ling would later willingly leave with Xie Chongzhou, without even looking back at him. But in the end, Xie Chongzhou didn't manage to make the delicate flower his own either. He let her get away by accident. - Several years later, Prince Ning returned to the capital from his fief, bringing his concubine, Madam Jiang, and asking that she be granted the title of Princess Consort. Jiang Rou had finally found the riches and glory she had longed for. But at the palace banquet, Grand Secretary Cui and Duke Xie got into a huge fight. Prince Ning got dragged into it too, and all three ended up bruised and battered, kneeling before the emperor. The emperor scolded them all for being blind and letting a fox spirit bewitch them. And given Jiang Ling's brains, calling her a fox spirit was already a compliment. He absolutely would not allow his most capable officials to become estranged over a woman. Jiang Rou was then sent away to a temple for quiet cultivation. During her retreat, Cui Jing, Xie Chongzhou, and Prince Ning took turns visiting Jiang Ling, but she refused to see any of them. But no one knew that in the solemn main hall, a corner of bright yellow robes pressed down on a plain white Taoist robe. The emperor had to admit that this woman really was a fox spirit. Theme: Sincerity is the key to lasting love