Chapter 66 The Empress Dowager, A Chess Piece
Qiu Shuzhi laughed indifferently, “This subordinate is indeed a sinister petty person. If the lady thinks that even with the military tally in my hands, the Yulin Army will not listen to my commands, then let’s try it out.”
“You—” Li Mian was furious. She drew her sword and pointed it at Qiu Shuzhi’s heart.
Suddenly, the sound of shattering porcelain came from behind her. Qiu Qiushuang had wanted to bring some tea for Qiu Shuzhi, but unexpectedly saw the scene of Qiu Shuzhi being threatened with a sword pointed at her heart. He was shocked, thinking she was going to make a move on Qiu Shuzhi. His hands loosened and he rushed in front of her without regard for anything, using his weak male body to block the sword for her.
Qiu Shuzhi looked at the person blocking in front of her and silently protected him behind her back. Ordinary men were all kept in the inner chambers and not allowed to see other outsiders. She also didn’t want her male cousin to be seen by a woman like Li Mian, whose heart was filled with lust.
The tea was spilled all over the ground, the tea fragrance slowly evaporating and permeating the air. Li Mian looked at the man who suddenly appeared before her eyes.
Wearing light blue clothes, he had a tall and slender figure like a precious orchid or jade tree. His face was as beautiful as jade, his thin lips seemed to be painted with rouge, and the ribbon tying his hair hung in front of his body. The young gentleman was gentle and elegant, floating like an immortal.
Li Mian’s eyes were full of greed. Such a beauty, how could he be compared to the brothel-born male courtesans in her residence?
Unfortunately, such a beauty was hidden in the residence of a sinister petty person like Qiu Shuzhi. If she could get her hands on him, she would definitely dote on him properly.
Qiu Qiushuang hid behind Qiu Shuzhi, not daring to look at Li Mian. It wasn’t that he was afraid of her, but her gaze was truly disgusting, lewd like a brothel eyeing customers. He had never seen a woman with such blatant and vulgar eyes. The disgusting gaze falling on his body made him feel as if he was stained with something dirty, both angry and nauseated.
Qiu Shuzhi sensed his unease and gently patted his hand to comfort him. Then she took a step forward, disarming the sword from Li Mian’s hand.
“It seems the lady has not used weapons for a long time. Your wrist is weak and powerless like a three-year-old child.” Her tone was playful and mocking.
Only then did Li Mian sober up from Qiu Qiushuang’s beauty. She wished she could tear Qiu Shuzhi’s smug face apart. She gritted her teeth and said, “Qiu Shuzhi, you just wait. Sooner or later, I will ruin you.”
Li Mian left the Qiu residence in a sorry state and got into the carriage to return.
“Aunt, how was it? Did you get the military tally back?” As soon as she got into the carriage, Li Liang, who was waiting inside, asked anxiously.
“Don’t even mention it.” Li Mian was furious. She had come with full prestige to demand the military tally, but not only did she fail to get it back, she was also humiliated by that thief Qiu Shuzhi.
“It seems this Qiu Shuzhi is determined to seize your authority. She’s just a lowly Chief Rider, yet she dares to step on your head. Aunt, you mustn’t forgive her.” Li Liang added fuel to the fire beside her. She was Li Mian’s niece and had been oppressing women and dominating men in the Yulin Army, relying on her relationship with Li Mian. If Qiu Shuzhi really seized power, she would no longer have it easy in the future.
Li Mian’s face grew darker and darker, her brows knitted tighter and tighter. Suddenly, she lifted the curtain of the carriage and shouted at the coachman, “Change course to the Ministry of War!”
In the evening, Qiu Shuzhi estimated that Li Mian’s accusatory memorial should have reached the Empress Dowager by now, so she got up and entered the palace.
As soon as she stepped through the door of Qingning Palace, she saw the Empress Dowager Qin Qing sitting lazily on the stone bench in the courtyard. On the stone table were pairs of memorials, with red annotations scattered in a mess.
In the courtyard grew a Yurui tree, a famous species from the Tang Dynasty. The Yurui flowers it bore resembled Albizia flowers, white with a hint of pink, but more languid than Albizia, just like a beauty’s lotus face. Yurui flowers were extremely rare, but only something so precious and rare could match the noble status of the Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
The midsummer evening breeze came gently, the fragrance of Yurui flowers permeating for miles, blowing away the stuffiness of the courtyard. The delicate and boneless flowers swayed in the wind, silently falling in the air, looking just like peach blossom jellyfish floating in the sky.
Qin Qing lazily rested his chin on his hand, languidly opening a fan and waving away the offending memorials with the fan, using it to catch the falling Yurui flowers.
A Yurui flower was fortunate enough to land on his fan, the delicate flower stamens mingling with the falling apricot blossoms on the fan, creating an interesting sight. He stared at this scene, seeming to think of something, and smiled softly. The other ill-fated flowers fell silently into the small pond in the courtyard, creating gentle ripples.
“This subordinate pays respects to the Empress Dowager.” Qiu Shuzhi knelt on one knee, with piles of memorials swept away like garbage under her knee.
Since Qin Qing returned to the capital, his weakened body had mostly recovered. It seemed he was indeed a young master from a noble family, raised on gold and silver, just like the purebred cats from her previous life. If the cat food was slightly inferior or the drinking water was slightly worse, they would make a big fuss. They had to be carefully held in the palm of the hand and well cared for.
Yue Guanyi was better, growing wildly like a weed, like a little puppy. Apart from being a bit self-conscious and always whimpering and wagging his tail for favor, he was good in every other way.
Just as she was thinking this, a soft laugh suddenly came from above her head.
Qin Qing used the end of his fan to lift her chin and picked up the Yurui flower he had just caught with his fan, gradually getting closer.
Qiu Shuzhi only felt a warmth on the tip of her ear, her long hair being played with by his fingers, the fragrance of the Yurui flower lingering around her.
When he withdrew his hand, the Yurui flower in his hand was gone. Instead, he rested his head on his hand, his gentle eyes smiling even more softly, “Lady Qiu looks as handsome as a young gentleman with the Yurui flower in her hair.”
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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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