A Splendid Consort's Schemes

The legitimate daughter of the Ruan family and the Chancellor’s cherished young lady, she was adored by her parents and renowned for her beauty. Betrothed to a prince, she was hailed as “the fairest woman in the capital,” with a life that seemed nearly perfect. In a single night, her beauty was stolen, her identity usurped, and her betrothed taken from her. In the end, her face was flayed from her while she was still alive, and she was burned in a raging fire, dying in a dungeon. Reborn by a twist of fate, she awoke as the star courtesan of the Zui Meng Brothel, fallen overnight from a skylark in the heavens to the mud beneath her feet. Since Heaven had given her another chance, she would not waste it! This time, she would put away her naivety and never back down. Anyone who dared trample her again would be sent on their way to the underworld... The road to revenge may be on Hard mode, but so what? To those who harmed me, now that I have returned from hell, let’s see who has the last laugh! (This is a long story, so let me tell it to you in detail. The heroine isn’t sugary sweet or silly and naive; she’s clever and calculating. If you like the sound of it, why not give it a read?)