The Founding Emperor Is My Guardian Spirit

-- Third-person narration --

In the winter of Chengping Year Three, my father was framed and imprisoned.

Before the men in the family were beheaded and the women and children exiled a thousand miles away, the Marquis of Jin'an's household came to break off my engagement.

The heir said coldly, "Xiao Nianzhu, hand over the marriage contract. I can at least let you die with some dignity."

His new love covered her lips. "That's right. With a face as lovely as yours, who knows what might happen on the way to exile, Sister?"

I burst out laughing and flatly refused, setting out on the road of exile where a woman was doomed to suffer humiliation and disgrace.

As I dragged a government officer with me off a cliff to die together, I crashed into a lonely grave.

When I woke, I saw a ghost.

The man stood tall and straight, refined and handsome.

I had seen countless gifted young men, but none had his bearing or looks. He was the very image of elegance and grace, peerless in his splendor.

Clad in a snow-white cloak, he lowered his eyes amid the swirling snow, looking at my blood-covered hands.

After a long silence, his voice was as cool as a mountain stream in winter:

"Do you want to kill them?"

I pointed at the dead officers. "I already killed them."

"I mean the people in the capital, the ones who treat human lives as worthless."

I thought of my father and brothers, who had died so horribly. Dazed, I nodded and asked his name.

The ghost traveled with me through the ravaged lands of Great Zhou. After a moment's thought, he gave me a name.

Zhou Yu.

He truly was remarkable. He taught me strategy and warfare, taught me how to overthrow the crumbling old dynasty and ascend the throne.

On the day I killed every last one of my enemies, I had some free time and leafed through a history of the previous Zhou dynasty.

One page read:

The founding emperor of Zhou, Chu Hui, courtesy name Ziyu, was born into a family of merit and nobility. Handsome and renowned throughout the capital, he traveled the realm in his youth under the assumed name Zhou Yu, making friends far and wide--

The book fell to the floor.

In disbelief, I turned to look at the man standing silent beneath the vermilion-and-green-painted covered walkway, gazing into the distance.

Layer upon layer of palace eaves stretched beyond him, framing the mountains and rivers.

They made his features look like a painting, his bearing elegant and noble.

For twelve years, he had taught me everything he knew, yet he had never told me this.

He had helped me overthrow, with my own hands, the dynasty he himself had built.

[The refined and gentle young master of a noble family, founding emperor x the ruthless, bloodthirsty new empress who repays every slight

[Zhou Yu (Chu Hui) x Xiao Nianzhu (Xiao Nianzhu)

[One-on-one, both virgins. The male lead dies very early, unmarried and without romantic entanglements. He passes the throne to his nephew.

[The male lead will have a physical body!! They can get it on!!

[The female lead has a side like a young tyrant, but she rules wisely for the people.

Also known as: Return to the Heavenly Palace / The adventures of a lonely orphan girl and her summoned beast (not really) / The Growth of the Great Sheng Empress

Theme: I decide my own fate, not Heaven