(Two male leads, pseudo uncle-and-nephew relationship, equally matched, both inexperienced, one-on-one romance. The characters are not perfect people and have psychological issues. Please avoid if that bothers you.)
Sickly, gloomy, strategic beauty top × heir bottom who plays the pig to eat the tiger
Xiao Jingyun, heir to the Yunjiang royal house, was born with bright, beautiful doe eyes and a teardrop mole at the corner of one eye. At six, he could recite the classics without missing a word, earning the late emperor’s praise: “He reminds me of myself as a boy.”
Sent to the capital as a political hostage, he became a caged bird in the hands of Regent Ling Che.
The regent, rumored to have murdered his father and elder brother and to hold absolute power over the court, is actually a beautiful man frail with illness. He rules the realm while coughing up blood, and seems to have some unknown proclivity. Yet he is exceptionally “kind” to Xiao Jingyun: feeding him sweets with his own hands, gently applying medicine, and even letting him share his bed.
Everyone says the heir is the one exception held dear in the regent’s palm.
That is, until Xiao Jingyun tastes the poison beneath the sugary coating.
He smiles as he swallows it, then presses a poisoned kiss beside Ling Che’s ear.
“Uncle, the candy is sweet. But next time...”
“Let your nephew wield the blade himself.”
[You feed me sugar-coated sweetness, and I answer with a blade’s edge. In this high-stakes gamble with the realm as our wager, whoever falls in love first loses everything.]
Evenly matched rivals, political scheming, mutual salvation, soulmates, mysteries of their origins, sweet with a touch of angst, includes a secondary couple, happy ending
I’ll post whenever inspiration strikes, so updates will be slow.
The story includes plenty of tropes and settings that cater to the author’s preferences. Any similarities are purely coincidental. Friendly comments are welcome. Hope you enjoy reading.
