(Full draft in progress) Marriage first, love later + domineering pursuit + two powerful leads
[Powerful, evil female official vs. the sickly bird in her cage (he's pretending)]
Shen Peizhu is the female chancellor, backed by the princess royal and wielding immense power. Against all expectations, she marries a frail, sickly son of a concubine who serves as a civil official.
In other words, she should be the one taking a husband.
On their wedding night, in the bridal chamber, Shen Peizhu unties the sash at his waist, rolls it up, and lightly slaps him in the face with it. "In public, you're my husband. In private, you're just my dog."
"If you're going to be a dog, you need to know your place. Do you understand?"
Lu Weiming is slightly taken aback, then lowers his head and leans closer. Cautious and ingratiating, yet somehow seductive, he rubs his face against Shen Peizhu's palm.
"As you command, my lady."
A slap lands across his face at once. Shen Peizhu sneers with contempt.
"Call me Your Excellency, or... Master."
Shen Peizhu has always kept Lu Weiming well trained, watching him grovel and please her, giving her whatever she wants.
But she forgot that even a dog will jump over a wall when cornered.
So she waves her hand and has Lu Weiming, whose intentions have turned treacherous, thrown into the dungeon. She doesn't torture him or bring charges, only humiliates him.
Until the usually meek and mild-mannered Lu Weiming finally grits his teeth and spits out, "Shen Peizhu, you won't die well!"
Shen Peizhu suddenly laughs.
She grabs Lu Weiming by his topknot and forces him to meet her eyes.
"Hate has to be a fair fight, Lu Weiming. You don't even have the right to hate me."
Shen Peizhu thinks that even with sharper claws, Lu Weiming, her flamboyant sickly bird, will never escape her grasp.
Until after a palace coup, when Lu Weiming intercepts Shen Peizhu as she hurriedly escorts the princess royal out of the city, and forcibly takes her back to his residence.
The dungeon of the past, the residence of today: the positions of master and servant have long since been reversed.
As candlelight flickers, Lu Weiming binds Shen Peizhu's hands tightly, shoves her down onto the table, then presses himself against her and whispers in her ear:
"Chancellor Shen, do I finally have the right to... talk about hate with you?"
P.S. This novel focuses heavily on the romance!
The heroine really is in a position of power, and the hero is a pretender (not really).
Theme: Live well
