Chapter 1 First Encounter, Reunion The Adorable Male Lead Waits for His Master…
In the third year of Zhengde reign of the Great Qi Dynasty, on the seventeenth day of the third month, the imperial examination results were announced.
First rank, first place: Qin Shu
Second place: Jiang Si
Third place: Qiu Shuzhi
The entire capital was in an uproar!
Qin Shu, the legitimate daughter of the all-powerful Qin clan, known as a frivolous good-for-nothing, actually achieved the top score.
Jiang Si, daughter of the King of Dian, with mediocre literary talent, also managed to secure the second place.
Yet Qiu Shuzhi, highly renowned among the common people and known as the ‘Great Qi’s First Talented Lady’, was relegated to a position behind these two.
It was simply laughable!
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After the golden list was published, the Emperor held the Qionglin Banquet in the Royal Apricot Garden to feast the successful candidates.
The officials accompanied the elated Qin Shu and Jiang Si in conversation, but their gazes kept wandering towards the garden entrance.
They were all waiting for one person—the third-place winner, Qiu Shuzhi.
This year’s imperial examination scandal was heavily criticized among the common people, and the examiners were well aware of it.
Among the top three candidates, only Qiu Shuzhi had true talent and learning, but unfortunately, she came from a humble background and couldn’t compare to those of royal and noble descent.
If it weren’t for Her Majesty’s appreciation of talent and protection, the third place would probably have gone to another high official’s daughter.
But in the examiners’ hearts, she was truly worthy of the top score.
“Qiu Shuzhi arrives—” the attendant announced her name loudly.
Everyone turned to look outside the garden, intending to catch a glimpse of this ‘Third-Place Lady’.
It was the time when apricot blossoms had just begun to bloom, red calyxes and pale pistils fragrant in clusters, the apricot grove like clouds and mist, pure white flowers weighing down slanting branches.
A lady in light clothing approached slowly, her light dress pleated like thin mist piled on snow, her three thousand ebony hairs loosely bound with a hairband, revealing the beautifully curved, fair neckline, her plain clothes unable to conceal her icy flesh and jade-like bones, elegant and extraordinarily beautiful.
Her outstanding appearance attracted everyone’s gaze as soon as she entered, even eliciting faint gasps of amazement.
Qin Shu, whose limelight had been stolen, showed displeasure on her face. Despite her noble birth, she still couldn’t compare to this plain-clothed lady from a humble background.
She glanced sideways at Qiu Shuzhi and sneered: “Pretty boy!”
Jiang Si beside her slowly withdrew her amazed gaze: “Qiu Shuzhi has the reputation of ‘Great Qi’s First Talented Lady’, her future prospects are limitless, we should befriend her.” Qin Shu snorted disdainfully: “A lowly commoner, yet dares to aspire to associate with me? So what if she got third place, without the support of a noble family, she’ll be nothing but a petty official all her life!” Jiang Si smiled slightly, saying no more, but her gaze kept lingering on Qiu Shuzhi.
After the previous Emperor’s death, the Great Qi Dynasty had experienced a brutal struggle for succession, throwing the country into chaos, leaving people destitute, and even causing some royal princes to be displaced among commoners and suffer hardships.
The young Emperor, only ten years old, ascended the throne with the support of her maternal relatives. Power fell to outsiders, the royal family declined, the Emperor became a mere puppet, and young officials could only advance in court by attaching themselves to powerful clans.
“But if she’s willing to serve with her looks, she could indeed have a successful career,” Qin Shu suddenly changed her tone.
After the succession struggle, etiquette collapsed, and the trend of keeping male favorites flourished in the capital.
Jiang Si was about to speak when a loud voice came from outside the garden: “Her Majesty arrives—” Everyone knelt down in unison, shouting “Long live the Emperor,” as the imperial procession entered, extremely luxurious.
“Rise!” A youthful voice came from the high seat.
Qiu Shuzhi slowly stood up.
Seated on the high throne was a girl of fourteen or fifteen, draped in layers of bright red imperial robes, her delicately carved face still bearing a hint of baby fat, her lips tightly pressed into a line, her brows slightly furrowed, presenting a prematurely mature appearance.
This was the current Zhengde Emperor—Yue Shen.
According to custom, the Emperor was to bestow flowers on the new successful candidates at the Qionglin Banquet.
The top three approached in order.
Qin Shu was granted the king of flowers, the peony, while Jiang Si received the prime minister of flowers, the peony.
‘Peony, peony, and rose blossoms, all bloom on the hats of a thousand officials’ Following tradition, Qiu Shuzhi should be granted a rose.
Sure enough, the young Emperor held a rose, surveying her, her eyes as deep as a lake.
Is this the scholar she had fought to protect? Her appearance is indeed as beautiful as the rumors say.
“Your essay was very good,” the young Emperor’s soft voice sounded above her head.
“Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. This humble subject is overwhelmed,” Qiu Shuzhi bowed even lower, her long hair falling like a waterfall from her shoulders.
Yue Shen stared at her straight back, though of low rank, she had a proud bone, instantly generating goodwill.
“No need to be overwhelmed, this is what you deserve.”
The phrase ‘what you deserve’ was unclear whether it was meant for Qin Shu and Jiang Si to hear, or for the officials below.
“Come forward, I will pin the flower for you,” Yue Shen’s soft, tender voice said.
Qiu Shuzhi lifted her skirt and ascended the steps, her pure white dress hem slowly spreading out. She knelt before Yue Shen, the natural cold fragrance of her body wafting to Yue Shen’s nose with the spring breeze.
Unlike any heavy fragrance of perfume, the vague yet faint aroma made her unable to resist staring at Qiu Shuzhi’s loosely bound hair bun and sniffing a few more times.
Long hair like spilled ink, what a dazzling sight it would be if adorned with a brilliant rose? Yue Shen thought.
She pinched the flower, preparing to pin it in her hair, when suddenly a shrill voice pierced the sky.
“The Empress Dowager arrives—”
The officials knelt in a sea of black, even Qin Shu, who had been casual when kneeling to the Emperor, became solemn. Only the young Emperor Yue Shen’s eyes flashed with a hint of disgust.
The current Empress Dowager Qin Qing, the legitimate son of the Qin family, was the late Emperor’s successor consort. The late Emperor had passed away not long after marrying him, so this Empress Dowager was still not yet thirty years old.
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If you’re like me…
Too tired of reading stories where the female lead is often foolish, weak, feeble both physically and mentally, usually in a subservient and oppressed role in society such as a maid, secretary, concubine… or to put it bluntly, typically the one who has to serve and please the male lead, always needing protection and rescue from male leads, while the male lead is often described as talented, strikingly handsome, powerful,…
Then please continue reading.
Hi there, girls!
I’m Yuushi L.
Every day, movies and comics continuously reinforce the notion that women are weak, that they can only handle trivial matters in the background, that women are petty-minded and constantly jealous, mocking, and laughing at other women, while men are strong, wealthy, and solely focused on conquering the world, with countless mindless women ready to fall into their arms.
Believe me, once you read Female-dominant (FEDO) novels, your mindset will change significantly.
I am deeply inspired by strong, independent, and rational women who have the power to take control of their lives, and I am fascinated by the way society’s gender roles are reversed in this genre compared to real life.
So I have created this web with the noble purpose of promoting the “Female-dominant (FEDO)” genre of novels.
In my country, there was a rare renowned female poet in ancient times who wrote the following about the fate of women in that era:
“Damn this life of sharing a husband,
One wrapped in warmth, the other left cold.
I’d rather have stayed single from the start,
Than to endure a life so torn apart.”
Perhaps my penchant for reading female-dominant stories is partly a way of rebelling against the realities of life.
On my site, there will be stories that are not only female-dominant novels, as long as they align with my taste, featuring strong female protagonists and fresh, captivating storylines. Usually, they will be modern or fantasy novels.
I rarely read ancient novels that aren’t female-dominant because they often contain details that easily trigger me. These include the portrayal of men having multiple wives and concubines, which was considered utterly normal in ancient society, and the frequent disdain towards women.
I cannot change the world, as the societal structure that discriminates against women and elevates men has existed for thousands of years. Changing it to truly give women an equal role in society is not something that can happen overnight. If you want gender equality now, it’s laughable. It will never happen when over 90% of national and business leaders are men.
But I can start by changing the mindset of women, sisters, and young girls. Don’t just read dull slogans urging women to be strong and independent; it’s hard to imagine. Read Female-dominant (FEDO) novels to see clearly what true female empowerment looks like.
I believe there will be more and more independent and strong women who prioritize their careers and personal stability over seeking a man to rely on.
In the future, there will be more successful female entrepreneurs, politicians, and thought leaders.
As for me, I will start by making this website grow stronger day by day.
I especially like the concept of “the male lead falls in love first, the female lead is the cold-hearted and rational one, and the male lead suffers because the female lead doesn’t reciprocate his feelings.”
Therefore, you’ll see that most of the novels on my website will belong to this trope. Of course, there will be exceptions.
In the future, I also plan to write my own novels following this concept, where the female lead in my stories will never be the weaker party. I hope I can do it soon.
The novels I highly recommend will be listed under the category:
There will be exceptionally brilliant stories, but there will also be mediocre ones. As the Female-dominant (FEDO) genre has fewer authors and readers, the number of high-quality novels is limited.
Therefore, I want to promote this genre to reach a wider audience, which will encourage more talented authors to choose to write in this style, leading to the birth of more outstanding Female-dominant (FEDO) novels.
The Chinese versions of the novels I use for translation are all sourced from various websites on the internet. You know, I don’t have much budget to purchase so many novels.
Therefore, if your financial situation allows, please support the authors by purchasing the original works. You can find the original works using the Chinese titles of the novels.
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WARNING:
In some novels, there are certain unhealthy ideologies and illegal actions held by the main characters (for example, treating human lives as worthless, or casually deciding to kill someone, forcing others to do things they don’t want to do, arbitrarily imprisoning others, plotting to harm others, using violence to retaliate against violence,…).
This may be because the authors are still young and inexperienced, unaware that what they’re writing goes beyond moral standards and can negatively influence young readers.
It’s important that readers under 18 years old need to recognize these are illegal actions, not permitted to be carried out in real life, always keep a clear head while reading, treat these works only as entertainment, and don’t let yourself be influenced by those plot points.
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If you want to join me, support me, recommend novels, or simply want to connect with me privately, please contact me via email: yuushi.l.me@gmail.com
Or join my Discord to connect with others who share the same taste for novels:
With love and appreciation,
YUUSHI L
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*Spotlight on Finished Novel Translations*
The Male Lead’s Obsessive (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Synopsis:
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Summary:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
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Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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