The Art of Concubinage

The story is complete.

The upcoming novel "After Winning Back His Favor, the Scheming Concubine" is open for collection. Welcome to add it to your reading list!

Blurb:

Before she turned sixteen, Zhuang Qingrao's wish was to marry the cultured young shopkeeper and escape the fate of serving as a slave for generations.

After she turned sixteen, her masters graciously allowed the young shopkeeper to marry another senior maid. Fourth Miss Chen, whom Qingrao had served loyally, looked at her with gentle concern and comforted her: "Men can't be trusted. Qingrao, you have to make something of yourself and secure a bright future."

So later, Qingrao was sent in a small sedan chair to the chambers of the Chen family's eldest son-in-law, the Duke of Ying, a descendant of the late emperor. There, she became one of his inconspicuous bedchamber attendants.

By chance, Qingrao discovered that the reason her engagement had fallen through was that Fourth Miss had deliberately schemed to take the place of her critically ill elder sister and marry the Duke of Ying as his second wife. Gazing at the beauty in the bronze mirror, her lips red as a dab of cinnabar, Qingrao decided not to let her mistress down. She would make even more of herself.

Only, she seems to have gone a little too far in making something of herself.

Amid a blizzard, Chen Yuewei waited outside the Imperial Study for a whole hour, begging her husband to spare the Chen family.

The door creaked open. The favored consort, Zhuang, emerged in a jade-colored cloak embroidered with gold, its opulence beyond compare. There was not a trace of her former deference or caution in her familiar eyes. She looked down at Chen Yuewei, a provocative smile blossoming on her exquisite face.

"Miss, how is it that you no longer understand the lesson you taught me?"

Men can't be trusted. Especially a man whose heart belongs entirely to another woman.

Reader's guide:

1. Major content warnings: The male lead is not a virgin. The female lead will not fall in love with him. The male lead belongs to the main branch of the imperial clan and is a typical feudal aristocrat, with a wife and concubines. Later, he will love only the female lead, and the story includes a doting-concubine-neglecting-wife plotline.

2. Contains extensive household and palace intrigue.

3. The female lead will be elevated to the principal wife. The leads have an age gap of 10 years.

Upcoming novel 1, "After Winning Back His Favor, the Scheming Concubine":

Scheming heroine + palace and household intrigue + satisfying revenge + ensemble cast

After recovering from an illness, Xue Li, a kept woman, discovered that she had fallen out of favor.

To win back his affection, she went to great lengths to act weak and pitiful, with a heart full of devotion. At last, she managed to get her lover to visit her again.

Only, it seemed she had taken her act too far. Worried she wouldn't be able to go on living after he left, her lover hesitantly asked, "Would you like to return to my hometown with me?"

Xue Li didn't take long to nod. She thought that even if the principal wife was harsh, surely it couldn't be as bad as living in this separate residence, always fearing she'd lose his favor and be left without food.

Only after seeing the glittering golden tiles, the dazzling splendor, and the fine clothes and elegant hair ornaments throughout the residence did Xue Li realize that the man who had shared her bed for the past three months was actually the second son of the Prince of Yan and the emperor's own grandson.

Note: The male lead is not a virgin. The story mainly focuses on wife-and-concubine rivalry. Do not read if this bothers you.

Upcoming novel 2, "Heir's Marriage":

A devoted, calculating young heir * a cute, mischievous little wife

A sweet story of love after marriage, a one-on-one tale of everyday life in an aristocratic household

Jiang Pei was born into a secondary branch of the Jiang family. From childhood, she knew she would most likely marry a scholar from a family of similar standing.

Who could have known that just before the wedding, her betrothed would die unexpectedly? Her mother took her back to the capital to ask her paternal grandmother, the family's principal wife, to arrange another marriage for her. As it happened, her legitimate cousin had made a mistake in the palace and was betrothed to someone else as punishment.

The family had no choice but to hurriedly marry her off in the match originally intended for her cousin. Her groom was the heir to a duke's estate. His father was a renowned general, and his paternal aunt was the current empress.

Afraid that such an extraordinary match would be more than she could handle, she walked on eggshells after the wedding, trying to find her place in the household. Fortunately, she could rely on her status as a distant cousin. Though her family was humble, her mother-in-law treated her kindly, and her husband was at least courteous to her.

Later, she decided she needed a child to secure her position, so she served her husband diligently every day. At last, she warmed his heart and persuaded him to stop mentioning bedchamber attendants and concubines altogether, keeping him in her main courtyard alone.

Jiang Pei was quite pleased with herself. She really was a natural at surviving in an aristocratic household!

Until one day, when she went to bring her husband some soup like the virtuous wife she was, she heard him tell a friend, "The first day she returned to the capital, I knew I wanted to marry her."

Jiang Pei: ... You really are good at acting.

She turned on her heel. She was done serving him. She'd just wait for him to come and coax her.

P.S. The male lead is an old hand at this. A flirtatious man pretending to be the prey.

Theme: If you refuse to be a pawn, flip the whole chessboard.