The General's Pendant Leaves Mingguang Palace

[Irregular updates]

* A woman in the imperial court: from military marquis to crown prince.

* Please read the guide before starting. The first three sample chapters will give you a good idea of the writing style.

Blurb:

Mingguang joined Princess Jingyang in launching an uprising in Jiangnan. She followed her north, fought bloody battles all along the way, destroyed three princes, killed the false emperor, and captured Luojing.

At just twenty-nine, she was granted the title of Marquis Wang for helping the new ruler ascend the throne.

The new dynasty had just been founded, and there was much to be done.

Old nobles in the capital formed factions, the imperial seal of the previous dynasty was missing, and the great families of the north professed loyalty while harboring other intentions. Emperor Jing wielded both favor and authority, purged the opposition, and then issued an edict encouraging intermarriage.

By imperial command, Mingguang chose a husband and exchanged her armor for wedding robes.

At court, someone could not help asking, "Why did the general choose a son of a concubine?"

Mingguang did not answer. Emperor Jing spoke first. "Guanzhao is so handsome that he could be called the finest young gentleman in Luojing. As for his other qualifications, no one could really be worthy of Mingguang."

Mingguang smiled brightly. "Your Majesty is wise."

The sovereign and her subject were of one mind. Whatever Emperor Jing said, Mingguang accepted.

The Hero's Point of View:

Even though everyone believed Marquis Wang had chosen Guanzhao for his looks, Guanzhao did not believe it.

Before the new dynasty was established, people said Mingguang could hit a target a hundred paces away, that a divine bow had descended from heaven, and that she was the most ruthless weapon at Princess Jingyang's side.

Now that she had laid down her armor, she was still the bow in the emperor's hands.

So when she came to the Guans' residence, it could not possibly have been for him.

But the world is full of surprises.

Guanzhao never imagined that one day he would fall deeply in love with the Marquis who had overturned the fate of the Guan family. From then on, all his joys and sorrows would depend on her.

He would go through fire and water for her, risking his life without hesitation.

The blessings of a golden age would reach all the people.

The light of heaven and earth would shine upon him.

Reading Guide:

1. Not a typical domestic-intrigue story: no fighting over men, no schemes against mothers-in-law or sisters-in-law.

2. Emperor Jing is a woman. There are some ensemble cast elements, with a little about sovereigns and ministers, teachers and students, and officials and commoners.

3. There is a romance, but no children. It should be a boy-girl romance, not a gender-reversal romance.

4. A light, satisfying story with relatively little political intrigue. I would classify it as a story about a woman in the imperial court.

5. Set in a fictional world, with many Tang-inspired elements, but the various settings are a hodgepodge and should not be scrutinized.

6. An important supporting character transmigrates.

Source of inspiration:

The emperor personally grants the marquis's seal in court; the general leaves the Mingguang Palace wearing it. From Youthful Wanderer, Poem 4, by Wang Wei of the Tang Dynasty.

My upcoming political-intrigue novel about a woman in court, The Emperor's Minister.

* The Emperor's Minister refers to the heroine.

"Before my teacher left, she asked me to look at the moon over Chang'an for her."

"I will sweep away the clouds that darken the sky, so everyone in the world can see the bright moon of Chang'an in her heart."

Dramatic Blurb:

People could not understand how Wei Jinxian, a poor scholar, dared to enter the deadly struggle for power in the grand capital of Chang'an alone.

They saw only a seemingly slight, slender figure standing firm beneath the layers of palace buildings, like a resilient bamboo in a raging wind, unbroken no matter how many times it bent.

Some were called good ministers or loyal ministers.

Some were condemned as corrupt or sycophantic ministers.

Only Wei Jinxian was called the Emperor's Minister.

What does it mean to be the Emperor's Minister?

People say Wei Jinxian holds all power in her hands, and only with her support can someone compete for the throne.

Romance Blurb:

Wei Shu stood in the snow as the mansion's gate slammed shut in her face. She lowered her eyes slightly and turned away without a change in expression.

Someone came strolling toward her with an umbrella, a smile playing on his face.

"Well, Lord Wei."

His voice was light and carefree.

"What happened? Did the one you love reject you?"

Wei Shu raised her eyes to look at him, her gaze as cold as snow.

Aloof, calculating minister x amorous young lord

Schemes within schemes x wholehearted devotion

* The heroine serves as an official; a female supporting character ascends the throne.

* The heroine is an ice queen, not a good person in the conventional sense, and not truly a poor scholar. A story about a woman in court: she does not disguise herself as a man, marry, or have children.

* Amorous means full of feeling and devoted, not promiscuous or unfaithful. The hero is not a background character, and there is no "hero rescues heroine" plot.

* Set in a fictional world. The details should not be scrutinized.

Theme: Everyone can pass on the light.