Pursuing the Light Hall

[Two Strong Leads] [Revenge] [Multiple Couples] [Scheming]

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A beautiful, calculating woman who takes revenge for every slight & a refined, affable minister who's a smiling tiger

*

For the first half of Xue Siwei's life, his career in government was seven parts smooth sailing and three parts setbacks, but overall it went well. Then he took in You Jinyue, whose family had been destroyed, and from then on it was as if the God of Misfortune had taken up residence in his life.

Every kind of bad luck seemed to be connected to him. His rank kept falling until he was sent out of the capital and tossed into the remote mountains to toughen up. Meanwhile, You Jinyue climbed over him to rise to power in two leaps, then kicked him aside.

Their positions had completely reversed. Only then did Xue Siwei realize he'd been played for a fool. This woman had treated him like a chess piece, discarding him once she'd used him.

*

After lying low for many years, Xue Siwei finally made a comeback. You Jinyue was still the same lofty You Jinyue, her every frown and smile unchanged. Xue Siwei hated that she had once trampled him underfoot. Even now, when they met again, she still looked entirely without remorse.

Xue Siwei could not accept it. Even when he tried to force an answer from her, he got nothing.

He understood that You Jinyue was the one with the heart of stone.

This is the story of two people who have set off down a road of no return and refuse to turn back.

[You will never understand. I am neither a loyal minister nor a worthy chancellor. I am simply myself.]

[In my youth, I knew only how to ride beneath the spring breeze after drinking. I did not know my country was still in peril.]

Content warnings:

1. Seven-year age gap.

2. Strong female lead.

3. The female lead has had other romantic partners besides the male lead.

3. The plot may get explosive or melodramatic. I can't help it, I like this sort of thing.

4. The story often mentions events from the previous dynasty. For details, see The Mandate of Heaven, on my profile.

5. The institutions in the story draw on the Sui, Tang, and Ming dynasties, while also making many other changes. I just want to bring the world in my mind to life. To me, it is precious.

6. I believe many readers have noticed the problem with the institutions in the book: the cabinet and the great aristocratic clans exist at the same time. The setting is that the social foundations of the Great Ying Dynasty have not kept pace with the changes in its governing institutions. In other words, the government developed too quickly and does not fit the actual conditions of the Great Ying Dynasty. The cabinet appeared too early in the Great Ying Dynasty and is a semi-malformed creation. The Red and Black Struggle nearly shifted the social foundation of the Great Ying Dynasty toward the common people, but Emperor Chengyin established the cabinet too early and did not carry out sweeping reforms to weaken the great aristocratic clans. Emperor Chengyin himself was the product of a union between the aristocracy and the imperial family. In a sense, the entire Great Ying Dynasty was built jointly by the aristocratic clans and the Ying clan. They were so closely intertwined that they could not be removed from within. So, in my setting, either everything must be torn down and the Great Ying Dynasty destroyed, or another Red and Black Struggle must be fought, using the absolute power of the humble-born to defeat and completely suppress the aristocracy.

7. Also, during the Red and Black Struggle, Emperor Chengyin's supporters included not only the humble-born but also a few great aristocratic families from the southwest. Therefore, the Red and Black Struggle could not fundamentally change the Great Ying Dynasty's underlying problem: the struggle between the humble-born and the aristocracy. Instead, it eased and improved the situation.

8. I really love the story of the Red and Black Struggle, and I'm doing my best to flesh it out.

9. Corrections, criticism, and suggestions are welcome. Please follow!

The Great Ying Trilogy

The founding history of the Great Ying Dynasty: The Mandate of Heaven

The Red and Black Struggle of the Great Ying Dynasty: Ode to the High Palace

The restoration of the Great Ying Dynasty: Pursuing the Bright Hall

Theme: Drumbeats shake the Dragon City; bones are left in Cangzhou.