Content warnings and guide: Not gender-bending. The female emperor saves a fallen beauty. The female lead holds the upper hand in both status and romance. The beautiful male lead was once a plaything of the powerful, but is actually an unyielding, absolutely straight man.
Respect all orientations and put none of them down. The author opposes the objectification of bodies under any power structure and considers this an anti-patriarchal, anti-feudal wish-fulfillment story.
An idea that may never become a full story.
Blurb:
When she was thirteen, Xiao Wan met a young gentleman in the Eastern Palace who was only two years older than her.
At the time, Xiao Wan didn't think he was as refined and captivating as her imperial brother claimed. Everyone else praised him as one in a million, and Xiao Wan didn't understand why her brother kept pouring wine down his throat. Somehow, it stirred up her competitive streak.
"Liu Yan, my brother is only playing with you!"
The young gentleman dodged her with his body, but met her gaze without flinching. "If the princess agrees that she's only playing with me too, then I'll be reassured."
At seventeen, Xiao Wan became a Grand Princess and was betrothed to Xiang Yi, heir to the Marquis of Beiding. The princess's marriage was said to be a match between equals. That same year, the third-place winner in the spring imperial examination mysteriously disappeared. Several temples sent people out to search the entire city, but no one could find him. In the end, the case was closed on the assumption that not even his bones remained.
In the princess's residence, Xiang Yi held her in his arms and guided her hand as she wrote. She finished signing her name, stroke by stroke, and was immediately shoved to the ground.
The door opened. Xiang Yi smiled and unfurled a military strategy manual. "Yanlang, you're here? Once I've avenged the old grudge you hold against that damned emperor, you and I can..."
Before he could finish, soldiers shouting, "The princess shall take the throne!" burst through the door, and everyone in the room was slaughtered.
Liu Yan said nothing. He rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm to Xiao Wan. "The cinnabar mark is still there. Will Your Majesty honor the promise you made all those years ago?"
Blurb screenshot dated 2025.06.26
Theme: Anti-patriarchy!
