Chronicles of Sancheng Palace

[Possessive Pursuit / BE]

Yan Chu x Huan Jun

Genius female artisan x scheming, ambitious man

"Let a good bond remain unformed, but sever a wicked one."

The History of Jing records that day in the briefest terms:

"Emperor Lin knew there was no way to turn the tide. After a long silence, he lit a fire and burned himself and the entire palace to death."

The third day of the eighth month in the fourth year of Guang'an, also the first year of Yanning, marked the change of heaven and earth.

Prince Zhao, Huan Jun, raised an army in his fiefdom of Handan and rebelled. Emperor Huan Lin, in the palace in Luoyang, burned himself to death to preserve his dignity.

That day marked a turning point in Yan Chu's life.

She had been the daughter of an official, living a carefree life of luxury and comfort.

When the new emperor took the throne, the former emperor's old ministers either killed themselves, surrendered, or fled. Yan Chu's father was among them.

He upheld his principles with a strip of white silk, leaving behind the women and children of his household to face a life of hardship and wandering.

Under the old laws, the sons of convicted officials became slaves, and their daughters became prostitutes.

Perhaps Huan Jun wanted to accrue some merit, because he showed them mercy: the men were sentenced to labor, while the women were made commoners.

Yan Chu, who had only just come of age, was the eldest daughter of the Yan family and had to provide for the household.

Painting and needlework paid too little, so Yan Chu became an apprentice to Qin Cang, a renowned artisan of Luoyang, and learned the art of lacquerware.

With the new dynasty established, Emperor Huan Jun announced that the capital would be moved to Jinling.

Yan Chu accompanied her master, Qin Cang, to the Imperial Works Office in response to an order, and went to Jinling to build the palace.

Ten years later, at the Three-Ride Palace in Jinling,

Yan Chu met Huan Jun, the man who had changed her life, seated high upon the imperial throne.

Reader's Guide:

1. The male lead is seven years older than the female lead. He is not a virgin; as an emperor, it would be unrealistic for him to be one.

2. The male lead is domineering at first, then becomes a devoted simp.

3. Only the system of government is modeled on the Ming dynasty; everything else is made up.

4. The blurb describes the story's origins, not its main plot.

5. Feel free to criticize the author, but don't criticize the characters. They each make their own choices and pay their own price.

Theme: Though fate may be harsh, keep striving to stand on your own.