The Delicate Little Noble Consort

Synopsis: Ming Hua was born with skin like ice and bones like jade, graceful and willowy — the most beloved youngest daughter of the powerful Duke Who Assists the State. From childhood, she was doted on endlessly, dressed in silk and fed delicacies, spoiled without restraint, with a temperament that was pampered and willful. After the new emperor ascended the throne, in order to balance the court, an imperial edict was issued, conferring upon her the title of Noble Consort. The new emperor, Xie Chongyuan, had originally been merely a commandery prince of a destitute fiefdom. Rumor had it that he had spent years among the ranks of soldiers, acting with brutality and ruthlessness, built like a bear with a tiger’s back, with a volatile temperament, and a full ten years older than Ming Hua. When Ming Hua learned she was to become a concubine to such an old man, she soaked her embroidered handkerchief with tears and entered the palace with grievance. After all, she had her family standing as support — even without the emperor’s favor, she could still live in luxury and comfort within the palace. As for that old man she didn’t like, she would simply keep her distance from him in the future. But upon entering the palace, when she looked up and saw Xie Chongyuan — handsome and refined, imposing and dignified, tall and mighty — Ming Hua swallowed hard, her cheeks quietly flushing pink. She hadn’t expected that this old man would turn out to be so dashing and debonair, so handsome and tall. Looking at his deep, striking features and his powerful, well-built waist… Ming Hua suddenly felt that she wasn’t the least bit wronged!! _____ When the late emperor died suddenly without an heir, the capital fell into chaos. Xie Chongyuan, the Prince of Qianxi, was meticulous in his thinking and fierce in battle. He led three hundred thousand troops north to quell the unrest, and ultimately ascended the throne as emperor. Having grown up in barren lands, he had always despised extravagance and ostentation. He had long heard of that pampered, spoiled young lady of the Ming family. He thought to himself that once she entered the palace, he would certainly temper that spoiled noble girl’s disposition. But when he finally saw her — that young lady with skin like congealed cream, a willow-waisted, flower-faced beauty, so soft and delicate — He suddenly felt that such a delicate flower ought to be raised in the lap of luxury. When the four seas and all nations sent tribute of silks and satins, gold and silver, and precious jewels, he laid them all before his delicate little noble consort, seeking only to win a smile from the beauty. In the quiet of the night, he would deliberately leave his night robe half-open, revealing his chiseled, sturdy chest and abdomen. “My beloved consort, do take a look at me…” The new emperor was devoted to state affairs and indifferent to women. More than half a year into his reign, he had neither established an empress nor taken any consorts. Everyone speculated that after Ming Hua entered the palace, the emperor would surely treat her like a vase — displayed in a corner. Thinking that the noble daughter of the ducal manor, who had always been the center of attention, would henceforth be no different from a discarded woman in the cold palace, some felt a pang of pity while others gloated. But who would have expected that at a later palace banquet, when the little noble consort merely couldn’t hold her liquor, the emperor — usually so aloof and stern — would personally carry her from the banquet with a face full of tenderness. The Ming clan held power that overshadowed the entire court — their merit now too great for the ruler’s comfort, and their prominence inviting trouble. Everyone speculated again that once the emperor firmly secured his throne, he would surely settle accounts with the Ming clan and cast aside Ming Hua. Yet when the emperor returned from pacifying the realm, they saw him present that priceless trophy of war — the Crimson Jade Pearl — before Ming Hua. “For Huahua, to be the center pearl on her empress’s phoenix crown.” — Description from novelcodex.orgFull novel: The Delicate Little Noble Consort — read the rest free on N​o⁠v​e⁠l​C⁠o​d⁠e​x⁠.​o⁠r​g⁠