The Crown Prince's Caged Bird

Gongye Jingzhao was the only legitimate-born princess of Yue, yet she had none of the dignity one would expect from someone of her station.

Since childhood, she had been imprisoned by her older brother. After coming of age, she was sent straight off in a carriage to marry for political reasons.

Fortunately, she had a good match. Her husband seemed to be a well-mannered, educated man.

She just couldn't understand why, since husband and wife were supposed to be one, her husband insisted they separate after three years.

As the heir to the throne of Wu, Xie Heng was the elegant young gentleman countless people wanted to marry.

But why had he ended up marrying a politically betrothed princess who was sensitive, troublesome, and lacking in basic life skills?

Well, well. She was just a poor soul, after all.

Out of kindness, he began teaching his wife the most basic things,

She didn't seem all that stupid.

Gongye Jingzhao had never been treated like this before.

So she could simply be herself, and live by relying on herself too.

But just as everything started going well, she began noticing strange things.

Beyond the crowds of people laughing and talking, Xie Heng's gaze seemed no longer gentle.

And the personal belongings she had lost at various times kept mysteriously turning up at his side.

There was even a faceless goddess statue in a hidden compartment in his study.

And its figure looked remarkably like hers?!

When the three years were up, Gongye Jingzhao happily knocked on Xie Heng's study door.

With the neatly prepared separation papers in hand, she went to ask Xie Heng for a divorce.

"A divorce?"

His eyes, usually restrained and indifferent, never showing a hint of emotion, were now covered in a dark, frenzied madness.

"Of course. I'll count to three. If you can get out of here..."

Coming next:

My Damp, Brooding Ghost of a Brother Covets Me

Liang Tu offended her older brother Liang Keqing and spent two years in prison.

She was injured in prison and lost her memory, remembering only that she and her brother were bitter enemies.

On the day she was released, only her mother came to meet her.

Her mother said her father was dead, and Liang Keqing now held power in the household.

The illness she had contracted in prison required his approval before she could get medicine.

Branded with a bad reputation, she also needed his help to find a husband.

Her mother told her to be obedient and win his favor. The two of them had no one else to rely on.

After returning home, Xu Tu tried to please him at every turn, keeping her head bowed.

But her brother loathed her and found fault with everything she did. Only seeing her cry in pain could put him at ease.

So, in the eyes of outsiders, she was a respectable second young lady, but in private, she lived worse than a servant.

She carefully ingratiated herself with him while secretly meeting potential suitors, hoping to escape.

On the night before her betrothal, he broke into her room in the dead of night.

She was startled and gripped the bedcovers tightly, unable even to cry for help.

His expressionless, gloomy eyes stared at her, like those of an evil spirit.

"I'm the only one burdened by all these nightmares, while the person responsible has forgotten everything and is rushing off to a new life."

Then he personally destroyed her engagement.

She accidentally entered his bedroom and glimpsed a secret she should never have seen.

He drifted up behind her, excitement surging in his eyes.

He frightened her as he led her to a dark corner and kissed her lips, never seeming to get enough.

From then on, nightmares tormented Xu Tu every night.

At last, she found someone more powerful than her brother, someone who didn't care about her background or her tarnished reputation and truly cherished her.

On the eve of her wedding, she was only being polite when she said tearfully, "I can't bear to leave you, Brother."

He said they were siblings, so she should toast him with a cup of wine.

She was so happy that she let her guard down. After drinking, she passed out.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in a dark room, unable to move her limbs.

His sickly, hazy eyes met hers.

He held her face tenderly.

"If you can't bear to leave, then stay by your brother's side forever."

Theme: The self-growth and salvation of an empty-hearted person