I Don't Believe Your Eyes Are Empty

[The Ascetic Falls from Grace | She Pursues Him First | A Proactive Heroine]

In the twenty-sixth year of Yuanjia, the emperor followed the precedent set by Hongwu and made an unprecedented move by granting the title of Princess Yongkang to Feiran, the daughter of the late Grand Princess.

On the day of her investiture, the abbot of Baiyun Temple, Master Xisheng, came in person to pray for the princess and bless her with good fortune.

The master wore a lotus crown and celestial robes. His features were clear and handsome, his bearing ethereal. At just twenty-seven, he already oversaw Taoist affairs throughout the land. His future was boundless, and he was destined to become a towering figure in the Taoist world.

Everyone knew that the master had been bound to the Way since childhood. He had been abandoned at the temple gates as an infant, uttered scripture as his first words, and read only mystical classics. He had never once been tainted by worldly life.

No one knew that the master and the princess had a past.

*

At eighteen, Feiran fell in love with a Taoist priest.

They first met in the mountains. He had striking features and a radiant bearing. One glance was all it took for her to never forget him.

She devoted all her thoughts to him and tried every means she could, all for half a year of worldly life together.

Back then, Feiran was certain that half a year would become a lifetime, and that he would surely come to love her. But later, his ruthlessness made her realize that from beginning to end, it had all been one-sided.

She hated him for entering the mortal world, only to abandon it again.

*

In the year of the investiture, Emperor Yuanjia chose a husband for Princess Yongkang, finally settling on Gu Hesheng, the son of a director in the Ministry of Rites.

Feiran carried the almanac of auspicious dates selected by the Imperial Observatory and went to Baiyun Temple in person.

“Please consult the gods and choose an auspicious date for my wedding.”

Li Weidao reached out to take the almanac. His fingertips paused, then closed around it in silence.

Lifting her skirts, Feiran slowly walked to his side and let her gaze fall on the Taoist priests in the temple. Suddenly, she let out a soft laugh.

“I wonder if your disciples know that the master they see as pure and detached, free of worldly desires, has in fact already broken his vows of chastity?”

She turned her head to look at him, mockery filling her eyes. “Do they know how he once lost himself in passion, forgetting every last one of the Taoist precepts?”

A few things to know:

1. Set in an imaginary Ming dynasty.

2. One-on-one romance, happy ending, with an intense emotional relationship. The heroine and hero were husband and wife for half a year in the past. The hero is completely inexperienced, and the heroine has a reason for marrying a second time. Her marriage to the consort was never consummated, so neither lead has been with anyone else.

3. The story begins with their first meeting. The heroine's career storyline begins midway through.

4. [Important] Feiran is stubborn. She can be irrational, feel lost in life, and cry her heart out over love. She isn't perfect, but she is always passionate and full of life.

Posted on 2026.4.14, screenshot saved.

Theme: May we have years to look back on fondly.