The Sickly Ninth Prince Is a Fox!

Blurb follows↓

[Mutual Devotion | Happy Ending | He Pursues Her | Healing Each Other | Secret Love Becomes Mutual | Equally Matched Leads | Court Intrigue]

Purehearted, dashing female general × sickly, sweet-on-the-outside, dark-within fox of a prince

( Fierce Eagle of Shuobei × Cunning Fox of the Imperial Palace )

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In the tenth year of Xuande, the Northern Yi grew increasingly brazen. The court ordered Xie Zelin, son of the Marquis of Dingguo and Mighty General, to lead the Imperial Guards on a northern expedition.

Shuobei City sat on the border between the Northern Yi and Great Zhou, a key military stronghold. War broke out, livelihoods were destroyed, and the people suffered terribly. The Mighty General was entrusted with the task in a time of crisis and stationed his army there. By the fifteenth year of Xuande, he had won numerous distinguished victories.

That same year, the daughter of the Marquis of Dingguo and younger sister of the Mighty General, who had followed the army on its expedition, distinguished herself in battle and rendered outstanding service. She was appointed a border-guarding general and given the title Treading on Snow.

The frontier was bitterly cold, with the clash of arms, galloping warhorses, sand filling the sky, thick smoke billowing, and bones strewn across the land...

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Xie Wuyang spent five years at the border cutting down enemies. With blood on her blade and great military achievements to her name, she became the General Treading on Snow, a woman everyone kept at a respectful distance.

In the eyes of outsiders, to put it simply, she was no good.

Xie Wuyang didn't care. She despised the airs of the capital's people most of all. To her, they were the very embodiment of moral corruption.

Snow came to the capital right on schedule. She held out a hand to catch a flake, and the melted snow in her palm was bone-chillingly cold.

Beneath the red walls and white tiles, people schemed against one another. The court was full of shifting currents and hidden dangers. The great hall was filled not only with incense, but also with everyone's ulterior motives.

And yet the emperor bestowed a marriage decree, ordering her to wed the Ninth Prince, who was rumored to be frail and sickly, blind, and liable to topple over in the slightest breeze!

Was this marriage contract a sign of the emperor's suspicions, or someone's deliberate scheme?

She had thought that after the war, all she had to do was return to the capital, keep claiming to be ill, and refuse to honor the engagement. Then she could stay away from the mess at court forever.

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On the day she returned to the capital, a steady rain fell. Xie Wuyang raced back to the marquis's residence, only to pick up a blind, bewitching fox of a man along the way!

At the time, she had no idea how much trouble he would cause her later.

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During a trip to Qixia Temple, bandits suddenly abducted them and took them to their hideout.

Who knew what charm the blind man possessed that the bandit's daughter took a fancy to him? So, without Xie Wuyang knowing, he actually claimed they were married!

To get rid of the young woman as quickly as possible, the bewitching fox suddenly kissed her.

That kiss seemed to carry a trace of personal feeling, yet the bewitching fox said, "General, don't give us away."

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Later, after he risked his life to save her, and as they continued to spend time together, a different sort of feeling stirred in Xie Wuyang's heart.

No, he was blind! She had to find a way to get rid of these thoughts.

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But the fighting in Shuobei was urgent, and before she left, the bewitching fox himself came to see her off.

Afterward, she returned to the capital by the skin of her teeth. At court, she met the rumored Ninth Prince for the first time.

He was pale and thin, spoke gently, and looked like a fragile porcelain doll.

Xie Wuyang nodded to herself: Fine. He looks pretty pitiful. I'll try not to make him cough up blood.

But... why does this man look a little familiar?

Later, she couldn't find the bewitching fox anywhere, but she seemed to have made a new discovery: the blind, bewitching fox and the sickly Ninth Prince were one and the same person!

And neither of them was actually blind!

Once she realized she'd been played for a fool, she was instantly furious and declared herself his one-sided arch-enemy.

Whatever he said, she argued against.

But he never seemed to get angry with her. Without the white silk over his eyes, his gaze was foxlike, and he always watched her with a smile, as if deliberately trying to bewitch her.

No, she had to resist falling for his looks!

She asked him, "Why did you approach me?"

He smiled softly and leaned in to peck her cheek. "Let's call it... repaying a kindness from years ago?"

Xie Wuyang: "Repaying a kindness???"

Xie Wuyang suddenly remembered what had happened all those years ago. Her real memories of the capital went back only to when she was five.

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That year, the imperial garden was in full bloom. Impatient to get out and play, she climbed over a wall, only to witness the ugly faces of the powerful by chance.

On a whim, she rescued a dirty little "blind boy."

The white silk before his eyes had long since turned gray and black. He could only squint and make out her shape through his dim vision.

She smiled brightly and freely, leaving a beam of light in his blurry field of vision and stirring ripples in his heart.

But even that couldn't erase the barriers in her heart.

An enemy was an enemy. They could never be together!!!

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Later, after seeing him every day and getting to know him again, she discovered...

Not only was his gentle, mild-mannered nature an act, but so was his frailty!

Only Ji Qinghuai knew that he had prepared everything long ago, and had come to find her at just the right moment.

This time, he would do whatever it took, using every means at his disposal, to trap her in the golden cage he had personally built for her over the years.

The blood on his hands was also meant to pave her way, to lead her forward one step at a time until she willingly crossed the threshold and became a bird in a cage, belonging to him alone.

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General Treading on Snow swirled the teacup in her hand. She smiled carelessly, with a hint of wickedness, and taunted him: "Your Highness wants to get close to me? Then you should be careful. I'm no virtuous gentleman."

The seemingly frail Ninth Prince merely smiled. His blue robes made him look gentle and refined, like a being from beyond this world. Seated among the guests, he looked like a pristine porcelain vessel that might shatter at the slightest touch. His cool voice rang out, but his words were like a silver snake, slowly winding around the arm of the person beside him. Its deepening chill made her whole body stiffen.

"How coincidental. I'm no good person either."

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Xie Wuyang had only wanted to lie flat, but was forced to take up work and court intrigue, all while being constantly set up by the sickly prince.

Ji Qinghuai knew how to play pitiful to win sympathy, scheme and lay traps, and secretly cling to her.

Xie Wuyang: ...Fine. This marriage has turned out to be a real hot potato.

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Reader's Guide:

① The male lead is sweet on the outside and dark within. At first, he's gentle and frail, as refined as jade; later, he's dark, scheming, ruthless, and extremely possessive. Some content may be rather obsessive, so readers who prefer wholesome and upright characters should proceed with caution.

② The male lead truly begins pursuing her in Chapter 8. The earlier chapters lay the groundwork and provide background.

③ The heroine treats different people differently. Early on, she is rather harsh toward the male lead, with a tendency to tease him out of embarrassment. If that's not to your taste, please proceed with caution rather than leaving abusive comments.

Theme: Establish a heart for heaven and earth, secure life and destiny for the people, carry on the lost teachings of past sages, and bring peace to all generations.