Long Live the Noble Consort

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Also known as Scheming for Love

1.

Wen Changning transmigrated into a book, becoming the legitimate daughter of the Left Chancellor's household.

The good news: The Left Chancellor wields immense power, and the Empress Dowager is her aunt.

The bad news: In three years, the Left Chancellor's household will be confiscated, and the whole family exiled.

Three months after transmigrating, Wen Changning was chosen in the imperial selection and made a Noble Consort.

With the empress's seat vacant, she stood above the rest.

She seemed to be showered with favor, but Wen Changning had read the original novel. Pei Junze had no interest in women; all his consorts were pieces on his chessboard.

Though she appeared to be basking in glory, she was merely Pei Junze's target in the harem.

But so what?

She would enter the game herself, as both fish and bait.

She refused to be a chess piece. She would be the one moving them.

2.

Pei Junze ascended the throne at twelve. Over the next nine years, he forced the Empress Dowager to relinquish power and eliminated the eunuch faction that had meddled in government.

His next step was to execute the corrupt chancellor who built factions and put the state in jeopardy.

Though he was the late emperor's legitimate son, Pei Junze had grown up in the Cold Palace.

He knew all too well that what people called love was only tender affection while passion lasted, followed by cold indifference once it faded.

For that reason, he would never involve himself in romance.

He made Wen Changning a Noble Consort because he wanted to see the Wen family rise high and then fall hard.

On the day of her investiture, Pei Junze went to Wen Changning's Zhaoyang Palace.

He had barely entered when Wen Changning met his gaze, eyes shining. “Your Majesty, from now on, could you visit only my palace when you come to the harem?”

Pei Junze laughed. How overbearing. Of course, she was the daughter of the Left Chancellor's household.

Still, it suited him just fine.

Pei Junze agreed.

Wen Changning stepped forward to undo the jade belt at Pei Junze's waist. “Your Majesty must keep your word.”

A faint, alluring fragrance rushed into Pei Junze's nose as Wen Changning drew near. His body stiffened, and he dodged her hands.

“I can do it myself.”

But when Pei Junze turned away, he didn't see the fiercely possessive look in Wen Changning's eyes as she watched his back.

P.S.:

1. Both leads are virgins. This is not a traditional strong-female-lead story (emphasis), but both leads are powerful (emphasis) and devoted to each other (emphasis).

2. The heroine is gentle on the outside but strong inside, cool and detached (so don't impose moral standards on her, because she has none). She's secretly a little unhinged, and only the male lead can bring that side out.

3. The male lead is tough on the outside but gentle within, and emotionally steady.

4. The early chapters focus on the plot, with no progress on the romance, but both leads are head over heels for each other from beginning to end.

5. Alternate history. Some background is inspired by the Tang dynasty, but many details are original, so please don't nitpick historical accuracy.

Coming soon in my author profile: After Being Reborn, I Realized I'd Cheated on My Ex-Husband. Blurb below. If you're interested, please add it to your collection.

Blurb:

In her previous life, Sikong Luo married Qin Xiao, and they were a loving couple, perfectly in tune with each other.

On winter days, Qin Xiao would tuck freshly made sugar-roasted chestnuts against his body to keep them warm, just so she could eat them hot.

But Qin Xiao was also the one who said, when their children became hostages in enemy hands, “We're still young. We can have more.”

Reborn at seventeen, in the year she had just married Qin Xiao,

she resolutely entered the palace and asked her father, the emperor, to grant her a divorce from Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao's love was poison coated in honey.

She didn't want it in this life.

At her father's arrangement, Sikong Luo found herself a new consort just three days after her divorce.

Her new husband was Xuan Jing, a vicious prince so fearsome he could stop children crying at night.

He was more handsome than her ex, held higher status, and was better in bed.

He might be a little cold, but Sikong Luo had no intention of falling in love with him. As long as he could satisfy her, that was enough.

But could someone explain why the two little ones she gave birth to were looking more and more like the children she had in her previous life?

Could it be that she was the one who had cheated on Qin Xiao in her last life?

*

Qin Xiao thought Sikong Luo had divorced him out of spite.

She was gentle and kind, and loved him dearly. How could she really leave him?

Even after she married Xuan Jing, Qin Xiao didn't take it seriously.

Xuan Jing was cold and knew nothing of romance. Sikong Luo would never fall for him.

Sooner or later, Qin Xiao would win her back.

That was until the princess's residence held a baby's one-month celebration. Qin Xiao watched Sikong Luo and Xuan Jing each holding a swaddled baby, bending down to tease the children in their arms and smiling warmly at each other. The sight made his eyes bloodshot.

*

Xuan Jing was the only prince of a different surname in the Sikong Empire, commanding an army of three hundred thousand.

Military officers who grew too powerful were always at risk of offending the emperor. The more glorious their victories, the harder it was to meet a good end.

When Emperor Chengyuan entrusted Princess Zhaoyang to him and asked him to protect her for life, he couldn't refuse.

He married Sikong Luo out of gratitude for Emperor Chengyuan's trust and to guard against the fickleness of people's hearts in the future.

He didn't ask for a marriage of perfect harmony. He only hoped she wouldn't cause too much trouble and that they could treat each other with respect.

But later, after hearing Sikong Luo call her ex-husband's name in her sleep, Xuan Jing tossed and turned for half the night. In the end, he couldn't help shaking her awake and gripping her shoulders as he warned her, “You're my wife now. You mustn't keep thinking about another man.”

Theme: Walk together, and cross mountains and seas side by side