A Forbidden Happiness

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

All 18-year-old Jiayi wants is to keep her head down and serve her mistress, but the ever-changing tides of The Forbidden City continue to drag her under.

Faced with a lifetime chained to a lecherous eunuch, Jiayi cons her way out of slavedom and into the service of The Emperor’s newest concubine. However, dark secrets hide beneath the powdered faces and delicate silks. Jaiyi is thrust into a world where battles are fought with sharp lipstick, smiles, and whispers when her mistress draws the ire of the vengeful Imperial Noble Concubine. Even worse, Jiayi finds that getting her hands dirty becomes less horrifying as time goes on.

Will Jiayi be able to claw her way out of the sea of schemes and traps, or will she become one of the many ghosts of The Forbidden City, silent and forgotten?

Information

Status
Hiatus
Year
2023
Author
Bellthekat95

Tags

FEMALE LEADDRAMAHISTORICALMULTIPLE LOVERSROMANCE SUBPLOT

Royal Road Stats

Rating
4.9/ 5.0
Followers
27
Views
28,054

Chapters(62 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(2)

  • SammathnarRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    Very well researched historical fiction. I know this is not the usual favorites at RR, but everyone should read this if you have any interest in court intrigue or historical fiction.
    Besides the obvious great research work, the story is fun and engaging, but does not shy away from the dark parts of the time period. Life in the Back Palace wsas brutal for servants, and life is extremely short. But even then, the "villains" are often complex and those who are pure protagonists are not always that nice and are still realistisk characters. You may be a maid to a nice mistress, but you are still her slave not her friend in the end...
    Again, this is highly recommended.
  • illussoreneRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    This story blends what feels like serious, intrigue of a historical setting and also larger than life characters who do deranged things to get ahead.
    I appreciate the footnotes that the author leaves so that I can learn new words.
    There is also a slow-burn romance simmering that I cannot wait to see develop more. Normally I dislike almost all romances that can be described as "slow burn" but this one feels authentic and very well done.