The Jester

苏眠说Jiangsu Kuwei Culture Development Co., Ltd. · ChinaSep 2024

3.5

Word count: 85K words
Chapters: 27

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Summary

【Ruthless, brooding two-faced Empress Yunyuan vs. gentle, subtle two-faced scholar Du Weisheng】

【Ancient romance + premium fiction + love-hate + mutual redemption + court + empress + beautiful, strong, tragic + court intrigue + female-dominated society】

Empress Yunyuan seized power by killing her father, usurped the throne by harming her brother, appointed only her favorites, kept the palace in scandalous disorder, and maintained hundreds of male consorts.

Du Weisheng, courtesy name Zishuo, a native of Jiangyin, was a graduate of the new dynasty's first imperial examination. He entered the Hanlin Academy, was appointed scholar, and made attendant for drafting edicts and handling memorials. By day he accompanied the emperor in the Jixian Hall; by night he entered the Son of Heaven's bed. Contemporaries scorned him and called him a jester.

She had once seen the most brilliant fireworks in the world, and had once held the greatest throne in the world.

She had once, amid the cheers of all the people under heaven, kissed the most beautiful lover in the world.

Editor's review

In this book Su Mianshuo turns the lens on the relationship between an empress and a scholar who are at once each other's chess opponent and each other's weakness. Yunyuan ascends the throne with the ruthlessness of patricide and fratricide; rumors of palace scandal and a harem of male consorts are the mask she shows the world. Du Weisheng, bearing the refined identity of a new-dynasty examination graduate and Hanlin scholar, is called a "jester" for entering the emperor's bed at night. Both are two-faced: in court each schemes, while in private each sees the other's wounds. Set in a female-dominated world, the story unfolds along twin lines of intrigue and redemption; images of fireworks and the throne, of the cheers of the multitude and the kissing of a lover, are set side by side, making the loneliness at the pinnacle of power concrete. The pleasure of reading lies in watching two clever people test each other while surrendering their true hearts, with the tension of court maneuvering alternating with the tenderness of intimate moments. Suitable for readers who like strong character tension and can accept morally gray characters, and who want to see how power and emotion pull against each other within a female-dominated framework.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Ancient-romance readers who like female-dominated settings interwoven with court intrigue
Readers who prefer strong character tension and two strong leads testing each other
Mature readers who can accept protagonists with moral grayness and complicated pasts
Those interested in the love-hate and mutual-redemption motifs

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer light, sweet romance and pure-hearted protagonists
Those sensitive to dark elements such as patricide and palace scandal
Readers expecting fast-paced wish-fulfillment and unwilling to read detailed intrigue setup

Reading tips

First sort out Yunyuan's and Du Weisheng's respective public identities and private faces, then enter their scenes together
In court passages, note the probing in their words; in intimate scenes, note the emotional landing points, and read the two in contrast
If unfamiliar with female-dominated settings, accept the power structure first and then follow the shifts in the characters' relationship

About the publisher

Jiangsu Kuwei Culture Development Co., Ltd. China · Founded in 2014

Jiangsu Kuwei Culture Development Co., Ltd. is a cultural enterprise focused on planning and publishing literature and social science books. Public information is limited, and the available details come mainly from its in-house catalogue. Its publishing areas cover prose and essays, foreign literature, social science classics, mystery and detective fiction, and history books, with attention to reissues and boxed sets of classic works. Representative titles include Wang Zengqi's essay collection Renjian Youwei, Wanwu Youqu, The Little Prince, a boxed set of Western philosophical classics, Mao Dun's classic works, a collection of Yasunari Kawabata's award-winning works, Cai Lan's essays, and the Eddie Flynn courtroom mystery series. Its authors include Chinese and foreign names such as Wang Zengqi, Mao Dun, Yasunari Kawabata, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Plato, and Marcus Aurelius, reflecting a publishing profile that brings together Chinese prose, foreign literature, and philosophical and social science classics.

版权信息
第一章枕边人
第二章雷霆雨露
第三章夕光
第四章画中人
第五章白月
第六章失宠
第七章后手
第八章病酒
第九章振鹭于飞
第十章柏梁台
第十一章元方季方
第十二章一线
第十三章僭越
第十四章途穷
第十五章既醉
第十六章暗流
第十七章渺渺予怀
第十八章隔飞烟
第十九章冷泪
第二十章旧欢新梦
第二十一章冬之夜
第二十二章天命所归
第二十三章回头
第二十四章尾声之一
第二十五章尾声之二
第二十六章后记

FAQ

Whom does the title "Jester" refer to?

It refers to Du Weisheng. Though he came from an examination background, entered the Hanlin Academy, and was appointed scholar, he was called a jester by contemporaries because he entered the emperor's bed at night. The title points to his awkward position between courtly reputation and private intimacy, and it is also the core tension of his relationship with Yunyuan.

Is Empress Yunyuan a positive character?

The material says she schemed to kill her father, usurped the throne by harming her brother, and appointed only favorites; her image carries obvious moral grayness. The story focuses more on her loneliness and emotional needs at the pinnacle of power than on simple judgments of good and evil, so readers need to accept a complex character setup.

Does the story emphasize intrigue or romance?

The two are interwoven. Court intrigue provides the arena for the characters' maneuvering, while the romance advances through testing and redemption. It is best read as ancient romance running on two parallel lines, not as pure intrigue or pure sweet romance.

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About the author

苏眠说 Author

Su Mian Shuo is an author in Chinese web literature who focuses on time-travel and alternate-history fiction. Reliable public information is limited, and no confirmed English name, nationality, or dates of birth and death are available. The library currently holds ten of the author's works, including The Court Jester, The Aide in the Curtain, A Thousand Miles of Promise, A Life of Fondness, The Beauty Like a Hook, How Could You Be an Old Friend, Raising Bandits, and the two-volume Su Mian Shuo Jianghu Sweet Romance Set. Judging from these titles and the common category of time-travel alternate history, the writing tends to center on martial-world grudges, court intrigue, and sweet romance in ancient or invented settings, weaving character relationships between power struggles and tender attachments. Settings such as the jester and the aide in the curtain carry tension of status, while titles like A Thousand Miles of Promise and A Life of Fondness emphasize affection and commitment. The style is generally accessible and plot-driven, suited to readers who enjoy time-travel alternate-history and sweet romance stories. Because verifiable biographical information is scarce, this introduction describes only the works and categories held in the library and makes no claims about unconfirmed personal experience.