Synopsis
Jinzhi was born into a distinguished family. Beautiful and talented beyond compare, she should have had a happy marriage with her childhood sweetheart, but the Empress Dowager took a liking to her at first glance and brought her into the palace to attend the emperor.
That day, the wind and snow swirled. The young emperor stood at the steps. At first sight of her, all he remembered was her clear eyes, slender waist, and foolish innocence.
"Of all the women I've seen, your looks are nothing special."
That night, she received no imperial favor and was taken to the imperial kitchen.
Jinzhi was no pushover by nature.
She decided to work hard at stoking the kitchen stoves, save some money, and escape the palace.
On New Year's Eve, the moonlight stretched across the night, with a scattering of stars overhead.
The emperor dismissed everyone, walked alone through the snowy streets, and knocked on the imperial kitchen's door.
The sudden arrival of His Majesty startled Jinzhi into a panic. Though deeply reluctant, she brought out the plum wine she'd kept hidden for a long time.
They drank together beneath the moon.
Jinzhi held her bowl in both hands and drank obediently, one sip at a time. When she happened to look up, she suddenly fell into a pair of eyes like icy stars, full of affection yet restrained, with a beauty mark at the corner that was impossibly alluring.
She asked in confusion, "Is there something you need?"
The emperor noticed her trembling. Smiling, he reached out and clasped her slender waist. Rather than answering, he asked, "Would you be willing to spend the night with me?"
Jinzhi curled up into a ball and said timidly, "I don't want to."
The next day, Jinzhi was punished by being assigned to serve as a bedchamber maid in the emperor's quarters. The emperor said she didn't know how to appreciate a good thing and was only fit to serve his bed.
[Little Scene One]
Jinzhi was bullied by the consorts and crouched in a corner, wiping away her tears.
The emperor watched coldly, looking impatient. "Why are you crying? Can't you hit her back?"
Jinzhi cried even harder. "She's an Imperial Consort! Do you want me to get myself killed?"
The emperor's face hardened. He pulled her into his arms and shoved the edict appointing her empress into her hands.
[Little Scene Two]
After failing to seduce Jinzhi for the eighteenth time, the emperor fell into deep thought.
What a stubborn woman! How could she be unmoved by his beauty?
He turned it over and over in his mind. He had to come up with a way to make her see how wonderful he was.
Late that night, Jinzhi returned to her room exhausted after a long day and found someone lying on her narrow bed.
She scratched her head. "Your Majesty, what are you doing?"
The emperor blushed. "Offering myself to your bed."
Reading Guide:
1. The leads interact like childish schoolkids, and the author can't write anything profound. Marriage isn't a game, but isn't love just spending a lifetime playing house with someone?
2. The emperor is highly virtuous, with a six-year age gap. The consorts all help the romance along, and this is explained in the story.
3. The story takes place in the Forbidden City. The official system is based mainly on the mid-Qing era; everything else is fictional. There are no rules about legitimate heirs, and the emperor won't sacrifice himself for the country.
Blurb written on April 27, 2024
*See the author's profile for more completed stories.
My Cat's Long Life: A fantastical sweet story about two cats falling in love.
Theme: Food, love, and the warmth of everyday life.
