The Empress Wants to Rise to the Top

◆ A decisive, clever, ambitious former noblewoman X a young emperor who is naturally suspicious, gentle, and a smiling tiger ◆

Su Fuying was once the most distinguished young noblewoman in Jinbei, destined to become empress.

But when the new emperor ascended the throne, the Duke of Zhenguo's estate was confiscated. In a single night, all the power and prestige they had once enjoyed vanished without a trace.

Her father was beheaded, her mother hanged herself, and her elder brother was exiled. Concubine Zhao was sent to the imperial entertainers' bureau, while her elder sister became a eunuch's bedfellow.

By imperial decree, she was sent to the Bureau of Servants, where she became a lowly maid for anyone to trample on.

The palace servants humiliated and beat her; the world laughed at and mocked her.

After enduring it all for two years, she finally seized her chance and rose to become the emperor's Attendant Zhou.

From then on, the noblewoman Su Fuying of Jinbei ceased to exist. She was now Zhou Youtan, the daughter of commoners from the outskirts of Feng Tian City.

The Empress Dowager treated her as a blade to wield against the emperor. The empress wanted to kill the mother and keep the child, but Zhou Youtan began playing both sides, turning around and pledging her "loyalty" to the emperor.

But beneath that "loyalty" lay the careful schemes she devised to survive and clear the Duke of Zhenguo's name.

Gradually, this Attendant Zhou of common birth, a low-ranking concubine whom even the palace servants once looked down on, maneuvered through the emperor's charades, the Empress Dowager's relentless pressure, and the consorts' resentment and jealousy. Step by step, she rose from Attendant to Talented Lady, then Concubine... and finally took the empress's throne.

The emperor, who at first had treated her as nothing more than a pawn, also fell for her within the very game she had set in motion.

Wen Qilian pitied her, protected her, and even gave her his heart. But in the end, all he received in return was this one sentence:

"To survive in the imperial harem, the emperor's true feelings are the last thing you can trust."

The emperor ascended the throne at a young age. The court watched him like predators, and the harem was a nest of intrigue. Yet in just two years, he secured the empire above and subdued the harem below, firmly taking his seat on the stolen dragon throne.

Everyone said the emperor looked like a handsome young lord in a golden crown, with a face as flawless as jade. But he was terrifyingly suspicious. No one could guess what he intended, let alone see through what he was planning. He was a smiling tiger through and through.

The people revered him, the ministers feared him, and the consorts dreaded him.

Yet Zhou Youtan was not afraid of him. She even openly revealed her identity and offered to serve him.

As it happened, he needed a blade, too.

They feigned affection and played their parts. Step by step, he raised her to a position of power, and used her to purge corrupt officials, secure his authority, and bring peace to the realm.

Later, people said she was the emperor's most beloved consort.

But Zhou Youtan had never wanted any of that. Since entering the game, she had sought to clear the Duke of Zhenguo's name and claim a place beside the emperor.

A seat on the dragon throne, from which they could rule the realm together.

[Reader's Guide

1. This is a pure palace-intrigue novel! Pure palace intrigue! Pure palace intrigue!

2. It includes political scheming. The male and female leads test and challenge each other, but neither will lose their reason for the sake of love.

3. This is a career-focused harem story from the heroine's perspective, with plenty of plots and counterplots. The heroine will not become an empress regnant.

4. You may want to read carefully, since many events connect across the story, and there are lots of twists.

5. If you don't like it, feel free to drop it. There are countless great stories on Jinjiang, so please don't curse me. I'm rather fragile.

6. Updates at nine every night, though I may post earlier if it gets too late. Usually daily, occasionally twice a day.]

[Reason for entering the contest]: The heroine, Su Fuying, was once a noblewoman in Jingzhou City. After her family suffered a catastrophe, she became a palace maid in the Bureau of Servants, bullied by everyone. After years of endurance, she finally found the chance to change her name and identity, enter the palace, and become the lowest-ranking Attendant. Though her status was humble, she rose step by step amid deception and intrigue, eventually becoming empress and ruling the realm alongside the emperor. All the while, she sought evidence to clear the Duke of Zhenguo's name. Her journey was filled with hardship and suffering. Together with the emperor, she eliminated treacherous ministers and rebels, and ultimately cleared the Duke of Zhenguo's name. Through it all, the heroine constantly honed and developed herself. Amid the struggles in the court and harem, she steadfastly held to her principles, carried out her duties responsibly, and faced danger with courage, ultimately realizing her own worth.

A quick mention of my next novel, The Prince Consort Keeps Competing for Her Affection

It will start as soon as this one is finished.

[The gentle, resilient, adored-by-all princess who was born deaf X the dashing, carefree heir who is a master of sweet talk]

Miao An's hearing will be cured later!!! Read with confidence!!!

The heir of the Helian family had thought that his trip down the mountain would only involve curing the emperor's younger sister, the immensely honored Princess Changning, of her hearing loss and repaying a debt of gratitude. Then he could return to the mountain and resume his leisurely life as a carefree heir.

But Miao An was nothing like the rumors... Who said she could only not hear? It seemed there was something wrong with her voice, too.

Helian Rongchen went to great lengths to cure her, gathering rare and precious ingredients from across the land.

But what good was a physician's dedication if she wouldn't cooperate with the treatment?

Whenever Princess Changning saw him, she dodged him like a mouse fleeing a cat. She wouldn't take even a sip of the medicine he had painstakingly prepared, and even ordered her maid to secretly pour it away.

At last, one day, he caught her in the act while hiding on the wall of the princess's estate. He took a bamboo pole and wrote on the ground:

"Why won't Your Highness drink my medicine?"

To his surprise, the princess, who never spoke, answered him.

"I saw you swindling people in the city that day. I won't take medicine from a fraud."

Helian Rongchen: "????"

As the saying goes, "A mute eats coptis and has no way to voice his bitterness."

Helian Rongchen could only scour ancient medical texts to treat Princess Changning while trying every way he could to clear his name.

But the old man from that day had long since disappeared. The Empress Dowager, who had summoned him to the palace, was still traveling the world, and the emperor had always been wary of him.

Still, Helian Rongchen wanted to cure Princess Changning's hearing and return to the mountains as soon as possible, to live freely as a wandering cloud and idle crane.

With no other choice, he served at the princess's side every day and made her a promise worth a thousand gold pieces.

"Your Highness may make a hundred wishes of me. Whatever Your Highness wishes for, I will do everything in my power to fulfill it."

But after making that promise, Helian Rongchen gradually fell in love and could no longer leave. For the rest of his life, he was content to remain by Changning's side.

Only... he was willing to stay, but nobody had warned him that he would have so many rivals in love…?

Though Miao An was born deaf, she was adored by everyone.

Her mother, the empress, had cherished her since childhood; her late father, the emperor, had doted on her; her grandmother always kept her in her thoughts; and her elder sisters and younger brothers had protected her from the time she was little.

She had little to worry about... except that Dr. Helian, who came to treat her when she was eighteen, was terribly annoying.

It was bad enough that he had swindled people outside the city. How had he now managed to move brazenly into the princess's estate to treat her?

Was medicine from a fraud safe to take?

As soon as Helian Rongchen brought her medicine, she had her maid pour it away. Unfortunately, he was also fond of climbing walls, and he caught her in the act.

Even after catching her, he wasn't angry. He even promised her a hundred wishes. In that case... Miao An's first wish was:

"I want Father to come back to life."

Helian Rongchen then did everything he could to learn shadow puppetry and perform it for her... Fine, he'd managed to fulfill it in his own way.

Miao An began toying with him. One day, she wanted the stars in the sky for company; the next, a swift horse that could travel a thousand li in a single night. He managed to fulfill those wishes, too, and even moved into her heart and became her prince consort.

Fine... a prince consort it was. But...

"My hundredth wish is... could you please stay home and eat properly today? What's wrong with the painting your cousin made? Why did you have to pay such a fortune to buy it?"

"My dear, you don't know this, but the person in Young Master Su's painting is you. Just looking at it gives me a terrible headache. Ah, my old head ailment is acting up."

Helian Rongchen really was rather petty.

[Reader's Guide

1. Both leads are each other's only partner. One-on-one romance, adored heroine, sweet romance. The heroine has a bit of a universal-admirer quality, and the plot gets a little dramatic at times.

2. The heroine's hearing will be cured, so don't worry.

3. No women competing against women. It's all men competing against men, so read in peace.

4. If you like it, please add it to your favorites. I'll update daily once it starts, and I never abandon my stories. Please, please add it to your favorites!]

Theme: Even in adversity, one must stay strong and cherish oneself