The Empress Enjoys the Emperor's Favor

[Complete. Coming soon: The Noble Consort Rules the Harem, another palace intrigue novel. Please add it to your reading list.] Chu Qingwan was born into a distinguished family. Beautiful and radiant, she had a childhood sweetheart she’d grown up alongside. The two families had long tacitly agreed to a marriage between them. But before the Xie family could send a matchmaker, news came from the palace: The Empress Dowager intended to select consorts for His Majesty, and every unmarried woman of good family had to enter the palace for the selection. In an instant, Chu Qingwan found herself facing two choices: Continue with her betrothal to the Xie family Or enter the palace and compete to be selected That day, Chu Qingwan’s father summoned her to his study, where she stayed all day. On the day she entered the palace by imperial decree, Chu Qingwan thought she glimpsed someone from her past standing at a distance. She calmly looked away. She thought to herself that she truly was a woman who loved wealth and status. The day her father summoned her to his study, he had said only one thing: the throne’s position of Empress was vacant. That was enough to make her choose at once. The first time Xu Yanheng met Chu Qingwan, he knew she was clever. But he had never thought much of cleverness. After all, Chu Qingwan was merely one of his consorts, hardly worth his time and attention. Until he learned about the marriage that had almost come to pass. Suddenly, one question began to trouble him: When Chu Qingwan entered the palace by imperial decree, how much had she truly wanted to come, and how much had she simply been unable to refuse the emperor’s command? *Love may be indispensable, but a woman as calculating as her will always want to see a return before she’s willing to give anything up. P.S. Palace intrigue. The male lead is not a virgin. [Readers previously asked for a palace intrigue story where the heroine has a childhood sweetheart. I’ve taken that suggestion, but this is my personal preference: I like writing palace intrigue heroines with clear goals.] [Blurb saved in a screenshot] [My next novel will be this one: After the Broken Engagement, the Male Lead Regrets Everything. Please add it to your reading list!] Synopsis: Gu Yushi became famous at a young age, passing all three levels of the imperial examinations with top honors. The youngest top scorer of the dynasty, he earned the emperor’s favor and held immense power at court. Everyone envied Feng Wenyu. Gu Yushi had been married to her for twelve years and had never taken a concubine. She was the only woman in his household. But no one knew that over those twelve years, Feng Wenyu and Gu Yushi had gradually run out of things to say to each other, becoming like strangers under the same roof. She wanted Gu Yushi to spend time with her, but he never had any. When she got angry, he would only glance at her coolly and say: “Stop making a fuss.” Feng Wenyu was nearly driven mad. The day Gu Yushi learned Feng Wenyu was involved with an actor, he suddenly returned to twelve years earlier. Back then, he and Feng Wenyu were not yet married. Gu Yushi had always been proud and arrogant. He couldn’t understand why Feng Wenyu would get involved with someone else, especially someone as lowly as an actor. After being reborn, Gu Yushi wants nothing more to do with Feng Wenyu. He takes their betrothal token to the Feng household to break off the engagement. He has imagined all sorts of reactions from Feng Wenyu, but he never expects her to agree outright. Gu Yushi: She agreed?! Feng Wenyu thinks there’s something wrong with her fiancé, as if he’s become a different person. When they meet at a banquet, he ignores her indifferently. He’s no longer tender or considerate, either. When she learns Gu Yushi has sent someone to break off their engagement, Feng Wenyu is indignant, but also quietly relieved. So be it. She doesn’t want to spend her life with someone she can’t even talk to. P.S. The male lead is reborn, and the female lead gradually recovers memories of her previous life. The female lead did not cheat on her husband in her previous life. The male lead will have to win his wife back after losing her. After the engagement is broken off, the female lead will consider other potential matches. [Blurb saved in a screenshot] Theme: Loving someone starts with loving yourself