The Villainous Young Lady Is Out Playing Hero Again

Reason for entering the contest:

When the heroine first appears, she is imprisoned and oppressed by powerful factions, her situation perilous. But she refuses to yield. She is knocked down again and again, yet keeps getting back up, ultimately climbing to the pinnacle of power, turning the tables from the brink of defeat, and becoming a great figure whose name will go down in history.

[The Wicked Young Lady Who Means Well x The Black-to-White Righteous Husband]

Hua Jianzhi, the fifth daughter of the Hua family and the emperor's personal demon hunter, fell in love at first sight with Duan Zhu, a genius demon catcher.

Demon hunters make their living by hunting and selling monsters, supplying demon cuisine to the powerful. They walk the wicked path. Demon catchers, on the other hand, kill monsters to root out evil, uphold justice, and resolve the people's troubles. They walk the righteous path.

The two are natural enemies.

A successful woman won't let a handsome face get in her way. Rather than have him marry into the Hua family, Hua Jianzhi wants to kill Duan Zhu even more.

Duan Zhu is a rare genius, and Hua Jianzhi can't easily make a move against him. So she settles for the next best thing: infiltrating his demon-catching team, intending to cut off his support and leave him with no way out. However...

She tries to poison Duan Zhu's junior sister, but the poison cures the young woman's serious illness and boosts her spiritual power.

She tries to frame Duan Zhu's old friend, but instead resolves the years-long rift between them and helps them reconcile.

She tries to destroy Duan Zhu's magical weapon, but instead breaks its seal and brings a divine artifact that has suppressed demons for years back into the light.

Unwilling to be the emperor's pawn, she secretly plots a rebellion, only for everyone to believe she is sacrificing herself for justice and speaking up for the people.

Hua Jianzhi: This isn't right! This isn't how I imagined the story going! I'm really not a good person!

At last, Duan Zhu, who had been on his guard against her at every turn, lets go of his suspicions and takes her hands, saying gently, "I once thought Miss Hua meant us harm. It seems I was judging a noble person by my own mean standards."

Duan Zhu's sincere, pure eyes are almost too dazzling to look at. Hua Jianzhi can't help smiling as she swallows the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth schemes she has been plotting. "Then are you willing to marry into my family and become my empress consort, helping me work tirelessly to govern the country and bring peace to the land?"

The process didn't go quite as planned, but the result worked out by a happy accident. That works too.

[From the Male Lead's Perspective]

Before Duan Zhu left the mountain, his master once told him that the magistrate of Jiang'an Commandery had a daughter named Hua Jianzhi. She appeared to be a demon catcher, but had already gone mad, offering monsters to the emperor to help him live longer and attain immortality.

"If you wish to slay evil monsters and bring peace to the world, one day you will have to fight Hua Jianzhi."

He met Hua Jianzhi with murderous intent. But after spending time with her, Duan Zhu discovered that she was nothing like the madwoman his master had described:

She helps her junior sister increase her spiritual power, resolves her friend's grievances, and crafts magical weapons for him. She can do anything, from slaying monsters and vanquishing evil to punishing the wicked. Her family loves her, the officials respect her, and the people adore her.

Even Duan Zhu himself is drawn to her, gradually falling under her spell.

A few months later, Duan Zhu receives a letter from his master asking whether he has killed Hua Jianzhi yet.

Clutching the letter, Duan Zhu looks toward the person practicing swordsmanship beneath the flowering trees and silently thinks: I'm sorry, Master. Your disciple... your disciple may have to make a decision that goes against our sect.

[For Those Who Bear Swords, Falling in Love Is the Greatest Taboo]

Hua Jianzhi x Duan Zhu, one-on-one romance, both leads are strong, and the heroine is stronger.

Female Emperor | Growth | Ensemble Cast | Happy Ending

The heroine isn't a good person by conventional standards. She has flaws at the beginning, but gradually grows and becomes a better person as the story progresses, completing her character arc.

Theme: No one helps me toward my lofty ambitions, so I will tread through the snow and climb to the mountaintop alone.