Lady Official at the Imperial Court

The neighboring novel, "The Princess and Her Shadow Guard," is now being serialized. Welcome, dear readers!

Please add my upcoming novel "Stealing Delight" to your reading list!

Zhao Changning entered the palace at eight. At twelve, she began serving the emperor in his presence. She has now done so for eight years.

Before her, the female attendants who served the emperor usually lasted only ten days or half a month. Some lasted only a single day. Everyone knew it was a terrible job, but she endured.

Since she began serving him, the old emperor, Yong'an, who was sickly, suspicious, increasingly paranoid, and ever more violent with age, never replaced his attendant again.

After fifty-two years on the throne, Emperor Yong'an trusted her more than almost anyone. He even entrusted her with one of the edicts naming his successor before he died.

But only she knows what it was really like.

Following the emperor's instructions, Zhao Changning read the succession edict aloud. She gazed calmly at the new emperor kneeling before her, though inside, her thoughts churned. Power really was a wonderful thing, even when all you had was a chicken feather to wave like a commander's baton.

She knew a new struggle for power was about to begin. What fate awaited her?

She preferred the things men liked to their affection: power, status, and money to enjoy herself with.

Zhao Changning was no good person. For those things, she would do anything.

If you don't look out for yourself, the heavens will strike you down.

Upcoming: "The Princess and Her Shadow Guard"

Feng Lai was the most beloved princess of the Great Liang dynasty. Just as she was about to marry, her kingdom fell.

Her brothers and sisters were brutally killed, and her fiance defected to the enemy. Sobbing, Feng Lai was led away by her shadow guard.

The shadow guard had no idea how to pamper her. He only knew how to polish his battered sword. He couldn't prepare her a flower bath, tasty meals, or pretty clothes. When it was time to sleep, she either had to lie on the ground or curl up on top of him.

Feng Lai felt as though the sky had fallen. She would have been better off dead.

She cried and cried, but then the shadow guard used that battered sword to take her back to Yujing and even won her a first-rank noblewoman's title.

Now she could once again enjoy flower baths, delicious meals, pretty clothes, and a soft couch to sleep on.

Still, Feng Lai wasn't satisfied. She figured that if she tried a little harder at the right moments, perhaps she could coax him into a good mood and take back the throne in one fell swoop.

The shadow guard's face turned red as he panted, but he still pulled her off his waist.

"With brains like ours, let's forget about staging a coup."

Day one: deep in the mountains, the princess said she wanted a flower bath.

Day three: still deep in the mountains, the princess said she wanted a lamb shank.

Day five: still in the mountains, the princess said she wanted to wear that beautiful outfit with the ridiculously long name.

Day seven: He finally snapped. "Either lie on top of me or sleep on the ground."

The little princess cried and cried, then eventually fell asleep sprawled across him, exhausted.

On the nth day, Yu Jiu finally got all those things ready. Looking at the little princess's rosy, radiant smile, he decided it had been worth it.

On the nth plus nth day, Yu Jiu finally secured a lifetime supply of flower baths, delicious meals, pretty clothes, and a couch as soft as a cloud for the little princess.

But she still wasn't satisfied, and kept clinging to him and making a fuss.

The duke was confused. The duke was troubled. The duke chose to silence her with a kiss.

Upcoming: "Stealing Delight"

Qiao Huan transmigrated to an unfamiliar dynasty.

At first, she thought she was the heroine. She would meet a handsome, charming, and brilliant man, and the two would come to know and love each other. She would willingly follow him home, convinced he was someone she could rely on.

But reality was cruel. He had a fiancee, his family was fabulously wealthy, and his status was far above hers. A woman of unknown origins like her could never be his match.

"Either break off your engagement or let me go." Later, Qiao Huan gripped a dagger and declared firmly, "I will never share a man with another woman."

Zhao Yu frowned. "A Huan, don't be ridiculous."

While traveling to broaden his horizons, Zhao Yu rescued a strange woman. She was clever, perceptive, and knowledgeable, with a vast array of unusual skills and an endless supply of ingenious schemes. Naturally, he came to know and love her, then brought her home.

Following his grandfather's wishes, he planned to make her a favored concubine after he married. But Qiao Huan refused without hesitation.

On the day the betrothal gifts were exchanged, Zhao Yu gave in to desire and lifted her chin. "I'll give you anything you want, except the position of mistress of the household."

Certain Qiao Huan couldn't leave him, Zhao Yu was slapped across the face.

On the eve of his wedding, he decided he'd neglected her for long enough. That night, he took her through a storm of passion until she was too exhausted to move, then murmured, "I'll come to your room tomorrow night, A Huan. No one can take your place. Don't make things difficult for me again."

But she still ran away.

Zhao Yu thought the thing he loved most in life was power. Only after losing Qiao Huan did he learn what it meant to wish he were dead.

Theme: Life is short, so cherish the present.