[Yuan Fang and Ru Yan] How Li Guaiguai Fell

The cool-headed General of the Imperial Guards, Li Yuanfang, X the spirited and mischievous Di Ruyan: How did this hopelessly straightforward man become such a hopelessly lovesick, jealous sweetheart?

Li Yuanfang: A fourth-rank General of the Imperial Guards, loyal, upright, calm, and reserved.

Di Ruyan: Di Renjie's mischievous young niece, clever, spirited, and deeply devoted to those she loves.

1

Suffering from a hidden illness, Ruyan comes from her hometown to Luoyang, the divine capital, to seek treatment. She stays at Di Renjie's residence, but repeatedly finds herself targeted by mysterious assassins. Yuanfang saves her from danger time and again.

"Li Guai Guai, thank you." Ruyan stretched her neck, her eyes crinkling with a charming smile.

"What did you call me?" Yuanfang asked in surprise. No one had ever called him that in his twenty-five years.

"Are you the obedient General of the Imperial Guards, my uncle's obedient bodyguard, or my very own..."

"What?"

"Beloved."

Yuanfang blushed and smiled.

Completely off his guard, he fell step by step into her trap.

Her radiant, lively spirit was like a beam of light, illuminating the cautious, shadowed life he had led as a soldier for twenty-five years.

But just as he prepared to open his heart and welcome that light, he discovered that it was all a game of seduction she had set in motion long ago.

Her identity, her hidden illness, her supposed helplessness, even the assassins who wanted her dead, all concealed other secrets.

"So it was all a lie." Heartbroken, he spoke with trembling lips. "You were just putting on an act."

"That's right. I don't feel the slightest affection for you." Two hot tears rolled from the corners of her eyes. Her voice broke like cracking ice.

2

Six high-ranking ministers at court disappeared one after another. There were no witnesses, no clues, as if they had vanished from the face of the earth.

Several days later, when Wu Zetian went to offer incense at Fengxian Temple, the giant Buddha wept blood. The bloodstains slowly formed a line of words across its body, a horrifying sight.

The Empress was furious.

Di Renjie and Yuanfang were ordered to investigate, but discovered that several clues pointed straight to their own residence.

And since the Lantern Festival, Ruyan was the only guest staying at the Di residence...

3

Three months after their wedding, Ruyan became pregnant.

The rough hand that Yuanfang had used to wield chain knives and the Youlan Sword now rested on Ruyan's belly, soft as a cloud.

"Yuanfang, you're quite something," Ruyan said, pouting as she leaned close to his ear.

Yuanfang looked up at her in confusion, unsure what she meant.

"We've only been married for three months. If you're not quite something, who is?"

Yuanfang had never heard anyone say anything like that. His ears immediately grew hot, the tips burning red.

"Look at you, the mighty General of the Imperial Guards, blushing again." She gently prodded his burning cheek with a fingertip.

"You..." Yuanfang leaned his head against her chest, listening closely for movement in her belly.

"From now on, whatever my wife wants, Yuanfang will give her."

4

A red-robed man used Ruyan and her unborn child as hostages, demanding that Yuanfang lay down his weapons. At the moment of life and death...

"The lives of my wife and child are my own life!"

The Youlan Sword flashed from its sheath.

The blade quivered, a cold glint of light.

His fury reached its peak.

In the blink of an eye, the curtain of rain split in two. Blood from the red-robed man's abdomen mingled with the raindrops, spreading across the muddy ground.

"The moment you threatened me with Ruyan, you were already dead."

Reader's Guide:

1. The story centers on the romance between Yuanfang and Ruyan, with elements of mystery and investigation. The tone is light rather than that of a serious historical drama.

2. Yuanfang and Ruyan's personalities are consistent with the original Divine Detective series, but their romance and the cases are all new stories. This covers everything from their first meeting through their married life.

3. This story contains many author-created details, and some may not match historical fact. Just sit back and enjoy, everyone!

Theme: Evil can never triumph over good