Fragrant Hairpins in Cloudlike Hair

Zheng Suiling, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei, who commands an army of her own, has enjoyed the emperor's favor and her family's love since birth. On her coming-of-age ceremony, an imperial decree betrothed her to the new emperor, making her empress.

Everyone in the capital envies her blessed fate and the harmony between emperor and empress. But only Zheng Suiling knows this is clearly the classic tale of “when the rabbits are dead, the hounds are cooked.” Her father commands troops in a region of his own, and the late emperor had already grown deeply wary of him while he was alive.

So she lives in constant fear, as a grand palace-intrigue drama quietly unfolds in her mind:

The emperor bestows upon her radiant pearls. She thinks: A poisoned gift, meant to let my guard down!

The emperor spends the night in her palace, treating her with tender affection. She stays alert: He's probing me at night, trying to wheedle family secrets out of me!

The emperor abolishes the selection of consorts for her sake. She is alarmed: He's building me up just to destroy me. His intentions are unforgivable!

To save her family, Zheng Suiling resolutely takes on the role of a “wicked beauty who ruins the nation,” making trouble at every turn as she waits for the emperor to fly into a rage and issue an edict deposing her, so she can leave with her mission accomplished.

But no matter how much trouble she causes, the emperor looks at her with indulgent affection and accepts it all. Then her father returns victorious, and the emperor rewards him for his service, raising the marquisate's power to even greater heights.

Zheng Suiling is completely panicked: When will this attempt to build me up just to destroy me end? The day the birds are gone and the bow is put away will surely be the day of our ruin!

At a palace banquet, she takes a different tack and sets up a “self-sacrifice” scheme. She pretends to be attacked, then gets abducted amid the confusion.

As the carriage races out of the city, she is about to meet up with her accomplice when a familiar voice rings out from outside, cold as a blade.

“Ling'er, you were even willing to use a self-sacrifice ploy just to get away from me?!”

The curtain is pulled aside. The new emperor, who should have been furiously searching the palace, has come galloping after her himself. His eyes are bloodshot, and a nearly broken smile tugs at his lips.

He reaches into the carriage, scoops her up, and holds her tightly against him, squeezing so hard it seems he would fuse her into his very bones.

“Did you know I saw through your entire plan before that assassin even entered the palace?” He leans close to her ear, his scorching breath mingling with his low, husky voice as every word pours into her ear.

Note: “When the birds are gone, the bow is put away; when the rabbits are dead, the hounds are cooked” comes from Records of the Grand Historian: Hereditary House of King Goujian of Yue.

Here's a new work coming soon!

The Hairpin and the Rouge, a historical romance about love after marriage

Song Yunshao is the daughter of a merchant family in Jiangnan. Years ago, her grandfather saved the life of the old Marquis Yue, and the two families agreed to a marriage between their grandchildren.

When Song Yunshao comes of age, the Yue family has two grandsons around her age for her to choose from.

The second young master, Yue, is a refined and proper gentleman, the safest match in the eyes of others.

The third young master, Yue, is dashing and forthright, his youthful spirit dazzling.

Everyone says she is blessed beyond measure. As a merchant's daughter, being able to choose one of them as her husband is already a lofty match.

But the capital's social ranks are rigid, and true tolerance is nowhere to be found.

At a flower-viewing banquet in late spring, every word crushes the little dignity she has. Whispering voices fill the hall, and countless burning gazes and mocking looks settle on her.

She leaves in silence. The moment she steps out of the marquis's residence, a gale rises in the sky and torrential rain pours down.

The night rain is bone-chilling, soaking her clothes through. She stands helpless in an empty alley, drenched and with nowhere to go, her heart filled with nothing but cold despair.

Everyone says the Yue family's eldest young master, Yue Lu, is the most terrifying and brutal man in the capital, a fiend of slaughter.

He has spent years guarding the border. He is hardened by battle, cold and taciturn, surrounded by the murderous aura of the battlefield. No one in the capital dares provoke him lightly.

Yet this very man, whom everyone respects and whom she has always feared, comes through the pouring rain that night. With firm, careful strength, he scoops her wet body into his arms.

The wind and rain roar, and all else falls silent.

He looks down at her face, his ink-black eyes deep and intense, full of an unshakable force and certainty. Each word lands with finality:

“They don't want you.”

“I do.”

“Song Yunshao, there's no need to choose anymore.”

“I'll marry you.”

The rain pours down, and the wind howls in her ears.

Song Yunshao lies rigid in his warm, solid embrace. Her body is cold, but something inside her collapses with a roar.

She looks up in a daze at this man she has always feared, completely stunned.

But... she doesn't want to marry him. What should she do?

Theme: Serve the emperor and protect the nation