My Heart Is No Stone

Next book: The Prince Lost His Mind Before the Divorce. Please add it to your reading list ^o^

Story blurb

Song Yanxi is the daughter of a county magistrate. One day, she goes missing. When the magistrate finds her, she's lying beside an unfamiliar man, both of them in disheveled clothes. With no other choice, the magistrate arranges a marriage for them.

At first, Song Yanxi despises him. But when she sees his face, her dislike lessens a little. Then she receives his letters, and her dislike fades even more.

The two are a handsome, talented couple who get along beautifully. They make a rather lovely pair.

But good things never last.

She accompanies her husband to the capital for the imperial examinations, only to discover that he is the young son of the Marquis of Changping who was lost outside the family. She has no choice but to enter the marquis's household with him.

The Marquis of Changping's family has an exalted status. As the daughter of a seventh-rank county magistrate, she is undeniably marrying above her station.

Song Yanxi grits her teeth through her mother-in-law's difficulties and the servants' contempt, until the day before she plans to return to Pingyang to visit her family, when she learns that her husband intends to marry another woman from a powerful family.

Only then does Song Yanxi understand that Jiang Ciliu has been lying to her all along.

Once she sees the truth, she leaves a divorce agreement and returns to Pingyang County. The road ahead is long, and they will never meet again.

But she is ambushed on the way and falls from her carriage.

When she wakes, her memories have returned to the year before she met her husband. She has forgotten her husband and remembers only her childhood friend.

When Song Yanxi sees the childhood friend she hasn't seen in years, she cries excitedly, "Brother, you're back?"

Song Chengshu smiles gently. "You were having fun and lost track of time, Yanxi. I've come to take you home."

Song Yanxi nods, trusting him without a doubt. "All right."

*

Jiang Ciliu has always known what he wants. He will stop at nothing to gain power, including making Song Yanxi marry him.

He gets his wish: he returns to the marquis's household and inherits the title. He also knows that the second branch of the family won't let things rest. To secure the hard-won position, he has no choice but to seek support from outside. As it happens, the newly widowed Princess of Changning is interested in him, and the two reach an agreement.

He thinks Song Yanxi has always been sensible and that making her a co-wife alongside the princess is already a show of favor.

He never expects Song Yanxi to leave a divorce agreement and walk away.

After seeing the agreement, the normally composed Jiang Ciliu tears it to shreds and says bitterly, "Even if anyone was going to write one, it wouldn't be you."

Jiang Ciliu rushes back to Pingyang, travel-worn, only to see Song Yanxi flying a kite with the childhood friend who is not her blood relative.

Her smile is brighter than ever. Her red dress is more vivid than blood, and even the jade ring at her waist makes a lovely melody as it chimes.

Song Yanxi picks up the kite. Their eyes meet, and she quickly looks away, but he keeps staring at her.

Song Yanxi clearly notices his lingering gaze. She says coldly, "What sort of libertine are you?"

Jiang Ciliu smiles and takes two steps toward her. "I have fallen for you, miss. May I ask if you are married?"

Blushing, Song Yanxi calls him a lecher, then turns and leaves with Song Chengshu without looking back.

Watching the two of them walk farther and farther away, Jiang Ciliu grinds his teeth. She should be standing by his side, just as the Marquis of Changping's household should belong to him alone.

If not, then he'll simply take her back.

*

Reader's guide:

1. The story begins when the leads meet. The male lead loves power at first and the heroine later. He is devoted in body and heart, not a womanizer. They marry young. The male lead behaves like a jerk, so the heroine leaves. He comes back to take her, and if he can't win her back, he'll fight for her to the bitter end.

2. The groveling is intense. The groveling is intense. The groveling is intense. The groveling is intense. The groveling is intense.

3. The leads' names are taken from: "I played by the inkstones in years past, and now ten years have passed. The pine grows strong until it splits the stone; when the fish changes, it leaves the current behind.", Sima Guang

4. Please read the second point carefully. For more details, see the author's note in the prologue.

Coming Soon

Next book: The Prince Lost His Mind Before the Divorce. A sweet, pre-marital-marriage-to-love story! Blurb:

Yin Xi has worked as a physician's assistant for seventeen years before learning she is the young daughter lost by the Marquis's household. The emperor takes pity on the marquis's family, and Prince Su, Lin Yanqing, has just distinguished himself in battle, so the emperor arranges their marriage.

At the time, Yin Xi has a beloved who is out of reach, and Prince Su Lin Yanqing has a woman he cherishes in his heart.

No one knows that Yin Xi's beloved is Lin Yanqing, but Yin Xi knows that she isn't the woman in Lin Yanqing's heart.

After two years of marriage, Lin Yanqing is stationed at the border. Including their wedding day, the two have met only three times.

Lin Yanqing is seriously wounded, and Yin Xi risks her life climbing a mountain to gather herbs and save him. Yet the first name he calls upon waking isn't hers.

Yin Xi's heart turns completely cold. Once his wounds heal, she writes him a divorce agreement and a letter of repudiation. When she hands them to Lin Yanqing, he accepts both.

Yin Xi is furious. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered! Just as she's about to bite him... no, yell at him, Lin Yanqing swallows both pieces of paper in front of her.

As he chews, he asks her, "Got any more? These taste pretty good."

Yin Xi stares at him in shock. Has he gone completely mad?

The servants crowd around her. "Princess, please save the prince."

Yin Xi's heart softens, and she stays, thinking she'll leave once he is cured. She never expects her dreams to come true. Her once-cold husband begins to admire spring flowers with her, fan her in summer, climb to high places with her in autumn, and share drinks with her in winter.

She thinks that Heaven hasn't treated her unfairly after all: it let her meet him.

*

Prince Su has spent his life on the battlefield. When he was gravely wounded, a physician's assistant saved him. He fell in love with her, but the emperor arranged his marriage to someone else.

He has no feelings for the marquis's daughter. Unable to be with the one he loves, he would rather die on the battlefield. He has already prepared a divorce agreement, so that if he dies, she will be free.

He thinks he is going to die, but then he is reborn.

Living his life over again, he finally sees the physician's assistant clearly. She is his wife...

Since that's the case, this time, he'll be the one to save her, and love her.

Just as he is about to confess his feelings, she hands him a divorce agreement and a letter of repudiation.

Seeing her timid expression, his mind goes blank. If she divorces him, he might as well go mad.

Lin Yanqing's mind starts working, and he reaches a conclusion: he can pretend to be mad.

The mad prince: He has an illness that can only be cured by a kiss from his wife.

*

Blurb written on January 1, 2026.

Reader's guide: In their previous life, both leads had tragic endings. The male lead has always loved the heroine, but there are misunderstandings between them. He is reborn and changes their fate. There is a touch of angst before his rebirth and plenty of sweetness afterward. The heroine will not regain her memories. Both are devoted to each other, happy ending. The setting is very loosely developed.

Theme: My heart is not a stone, that can be turned; my heart is not a mat, that can be rolled up.