(Not opening for now. I'm opening Three Marriages instead!)
I was never meant to sit on the imperial throne. All I had to do was live cautiously for the rest of my life.
Unfortunately, the powerful minister staged three coups in the manner of Yi and Huo. The third time, he put me on the throne while I trembled and wept.
I wanted to cry, but the minister wouldn't let me.
So I had no choice but to do as he said.
He said to live frugally, so I dismissed my three thousand consorts.
He said to keep my distance from petty men, so I tearfully sent my favorite actors away to a distant land.
He said to provide disaster relief, so I opened my private treasury with a heavy heart and led the donations myself.
I listened to him in everything, even managing to excel at the task of sharing a bed.
The minister was pleased, and his gaze gradually grew gentler.
--Until he submitted a solemn petition saying that I should produce heirs.
Only then did I realize something was a little off.
In his previous life, Zheng Shuofeng wielded power over all. He deposed and enthroned rulers twice, but one was an inept fool who couldn't be helped, while the other was a brutal tyrant. In the end, Zheng Shuofeng worked himself to death over mountains of paperwork and died coughing up blood.
This time, he decided not to repeat his mistakes. He set his sights on Prince An, who had a fine reputation for benevolence.
A promising prospect, though a little too easily swayed, a little too frail, and a little too thin-skinned. That was his verdict on the new ruler.
Still, no matter. He would help the new emperor become a wise sovereign.
The reborn Zheng Shuofeng, a man of deep cunning who had lived two lifetimes, was brimming with confidence.
--Until the new emperor sent him a confidential memorial, saying that he could produce heirs, as long as the minister helped send a dashing new top scorer in the imperial exams to the imperial bed, and "lent a hand."
Only then did Zheng Shuofeng realize that events were taking a rather unexpected turn.
Reader's Guide:
1. Third-person narration, not first person.
2. The female lead transmigrates into another world and disguises herself as a man. The male lead is reborn. They had little to do with each other in their previous lives.
3. The blurb and title are provisional, and details may change later.
4. More will be added if I think of anything.
Theme: I am willing to be your minister, your blade, and your forbidden lover.
