Beneath the Imperial Crown

[Two equally powerful leads / Female lead disguised as a man]

On the day of the palace ceremony honoring the successful candidates, Shen Yunlan was already prepared to be sent out to serve as an official in the provinces.

The top candidate was the son of the Duke of Jin, a man of incomparable status. The second-place candidate's father might not be as illustrious as the duke, but he still had powerful connections. And then there was her, the third-place candidate, a nobody from a poor family.

According to the Sheng Dynasty's old custom, one of the top three candidates had to be sent out to serve as an official. Surely that person would be her.

That suited her just fine. She was disguised as a man, after all, and being far from the emperor's reach would be a blessing.

But in the end, she became one of the emperor's closest aides.

After the Qionglin Banquet, she was led to a secluded courtyard.

The owner of the courtyard was pruning some branches. He was tall and slender, straight as a pine, with his long, dark hair tied back with nothing but a moon-white silk ribbon.

Shen Yunlan's heart gave a slight jolt. She bowed respectfully.

The owner raised a hand to help her up. His voice was gentle, yet it seemed to carry all the authority of the Xuanzheng Hall.

"With your talent, it would be a shame to send you away to serve in the provinces. I believe you know what you ought to do."

[Reading Guide]

1. The male and female leads are each other's first and only, one-on-one romance, happy ending.

2. The romance and plot are split evenly. The tone is serious, with plenty of sweetness and satisfying moments.

3. This is a fictional setting with many original liberties. Please don't nitpick historical accuracy.

4. At its heart, this is a story about becoming your superior's trusted aide, then becoming his wife. The male lead is exceptionally sickly, beautiful, strong, and tragic. He suffers.

5. The story will begin once it reaches 500 collections.

Theme: Good is rewarded, and evil is punished.