Hold the Civet Cat to Command the Lords

Completed. Also known as Sparrow in the Reeds. Thank you for supporting the original. Bonus chapters are being updated.

[Resilient Disguised Empress x Wolfish Powerful Minister] [Cousins] [Rekindled Romance]

[Take a look at the upcoming story at the end, The Third Year After the Rebellion Was Exposed 💞]

Before the third year of Jianning, Xu Yang was nothing more than a blacksmith's daughter.

Even after her cousin became crown prince and her father was given an official post, she was still free and carefree, like a little chirping sparrow.

That is, until the seventh year of Jianning.

The rebel Zhu Jin marched into the capital and seized control of the government. Her beloved father held her as he was about to leave and murmured:

"A Que, you look so much like His Highness the Crown Prince..."

Her father fled south with the crown prince, while she was sent into the palace and fell into Zhu Jin's hands.

Luckily, she wasn't made to take the crown prince's place in death. Instead, Zhu Jin soon pushed her onto the throne.

For ten years, she became the perfect puppet emperor.

Pale-faced, short of breath, frail, and restrained, she spent every day in fear, terrified Zhu Jin would see through her disguise and discover she was a woman.

Until Wei Chong led his troops back.

But Wei Chong was no longer the crown prince cousin she had known.

Wei Chong used to be mischievous and naughty, but he still couldn't beat her. When his aunt scolded him, he would even burst into tears.

Now, though, he was little more than a rough soldier. Some soldier had scarred his face. He wore no beard, and when he helped her onto her horse, he stared impassively at the ground. The calluses on his fingers were so thick they nearly left marks on her hand.

"Your servant came too late to save Your Majesty."

He knelt before her, seemingly respectful.

But she thought that this Wei Chong might be no different from Zhu Jin. He had probably come to devour her, too.

On the day of the palace coup, Crown Prince Wei Chong fled the capital in panic, while his cousin Xu Yang took his place and disappeared, her fate unknown.

He had always loved tormenting that wild girl.

Ten long years passed.

When they met again, snow blanketed the capital, and Xu Yang sat on the throne in the great hall. Having changed his name and identity, he could only call her by her childhood nickname, "A Que," in a hushed voice behind the gauzy curtains, beside the imperial bed, while she slept.

At least he wasn't completely useless. After all, she still needed a sword:

A sharp sword to help her win the realm.

(Mild spoilers)

1. A resilient woman disguised as a false emperor x a ruthless former crown prince who wields power to protect her. The heroine is gentle and frail, but cares for the realm. The hero is formidable and utterly lovesick. She remains emperor throughout and never gives up her power.

2. Childhood sweethearts become a chance reunion, followed by rekindled romance. Their relationship is melodramatic and bittersweet, with about equal parts angst and sweetness, and the hero uses emotional manipulation. The plot of reclaiming the realm is satisfying. The romance is one-on-one, though the heroine inevitably has entanglements with her harem and other friends and family.

3. The characters are not based on real people. Other details are inspired by the late Eastern Han dynasty. The author has tried to research the period, but may have made mistakes. Any plot holes mean this is an alternate universe!

4. The main story is complete. Bonus chapters are being updated daily, hopefully!

Upcoming: The Third Year After the Rebellion Was Exposed

[Good Emperor x Bad Princess] [Adopted Siblings] [Love and Hate] [Melodramatic Angst]

He was the one who said:

"Yongjia, if there's any man in the realm you fancy, just tell your imperial brother."

He was also the one who said:

"Princess Royal Yongjia, wanton and unruly, has defied the imperial clan and committed treason. Remove her from the clan register, confiscate her fief, and demote her to a commoner."

And he was still the one who said:

"...Bear my child, and I'll spare you the death penalty for treason."

(Full synopsis)

Xiao Mojun later learned that on the day she was imprisoned for treason, Xiao Jun sat alone in his study all night without closing his eyes.

Her imperial brother, who had been steady and composed for as long as she could remember, had actually spent a whole night sleepless.

The dark circles under his eyes when he saw her the next day were from that night.

How laughable that she still thought she was the pampered and powerful Princess Royal Yongjia, unchanged in her arrogance. She demanded to know why he had waited a whole night to see her.

Xiao Jun did not answer.

A moment later, when a eunuch beside them read out her crimes, she woke as if from a dream. Sibling affection, relying on one another, all of it was no more than the thinnest sheet of paper in the imperial family.

Her brother, who had raised her with his own hands and watched her get married, was going to punish her... to kill her!

She panicked.

Later, she tried every solution she could think of. Her subordinates were doomed, and the men who had once been at her beck and call now shunned her, no longer fawning over her as they had before.

With nowhere else to turn, she could only follow the terrible advice of the one blind old woman beside her and go back to ingratiate herself with Xiao Jun.

When she saw Xiao Jun again, she spoke at length about their past, admitted to countless mistakes, and looked at him through tearful eyes.

But Xiao Jun was completely unmoved.

He only looked down at her, half his face shrouded in shadow, his voice indifferent:

"Haven't I taught you how to beg?"

She committed treason when he loved her most, then climbed into his bed when he hated her most.

Added to the upcoming list and screenshotted on 2023.10.25

Theme: Wild grass may be delicate, yet it can pry apart a boulder.