Where Will His Highness the Crown Prince Sleep Tonight?

[First, a quick plug for my new novel, After Picking Up a Rebel Leader. It's already underway, so you can start reading or save up chapters. A dutiful, traditional young woman x a hot-tempered, arrogant heartthrob. A different kind of man-picking-up story, with an incredibly cute couple. The blurb is at the very end.]

This novel's proper title is The Radiance of Zhao and the Resolve of Che, taken from Chapter 20. The main plot may be a slow burn, but the couple's romance will be blazing hot.

*Main plot:

[Free-spirited beggar girl vs. aloof, restrained heir to an aristocratic family]

It takes A Cuo twenty years to go from a beggar who kills dogs for food to the first woman ruler of Great Liang.

She is wild grass, duckweed, an insignificant insect.

When Cui Xingdu tells her who she really is, she has only one thought: she wants to live.

As a beggar, a bowl of hot soup and a bowl of rice are all she needs.

But later, the capital is swept up in treacherous plots and shifting loyalties, and everyone treats her like a puppet they can manipulate at will.

They sully her reputation, kill her friends, and take away her freedom.

The lake's early-spring waters are bitterly cold, just like her utter isolation. Fury blazes through her like a fire, igniting her ambition to seize power.

The amber in her eyes gleams like the first sunlight, dazzling and burning. Contempt fills her gaze as she laughs and declares:

"If they don't understand justice, then I'll knock them down and claim it for myself."

"I am the crown prince of Great Liang, the future woman ruler. Great Liang..."

"I am the sovereign here."

No one else will lay a finger on it.

*Romance:

The day she meets Cui Xingdu, snow whirls through the sky, and the north wind stings her face.

He knocks the stone from A Cuo's hand as she prepares to kill a dog.

Wearing a black cloak, he holds a red paper umbrella before her. It tilts slightly to shield her from the falling snow.

Against the white snow all around them, the red umbrella is dazzling.

She thinks she is about to die.

Instead, she hears his clear, gentle voice call to her:

"Your Highness."

*

In the crude thatched hut, A Cuo gazes at the young gentleman before her with her amber eyes.

Leaning against a broken wall and panting, she wipes the blood splashed on her face and gives a soft laugh.

"Cui Xingdu, after today, you won't have much of that pristine reputation left."

"For the rest of your life, you'll be tied to me, the infamous rebel."

Then she smiles and asks him, "So, do you regret it?"

As soon as she finishes speaking, the elegant young gentleman lets out a quiet laugh.

His dark eyes shine brightly in the gloom.

He curls his lips into a smile.

His clear, cool voice fills the hut:

"It would be my honor."

*

Later, red curtains hang low, and warmth fills the bedchamber.

She looks down at Cui Xingdu beneath her and takes his hand, pressing it to her forehead.

She softly asks him, "What if that lotus had bloomed here instead of there?"

She slowly moves his hand down, tracing her swanlike neck.

"Here." Both hands glide over her collarbones.

"Or here." She presses his hand just below her burning chest.

Her red lips part beside his ear as she whispers, "If it were here, would you take a closer look yourself?"

"Your Highness..."

She is so close that their breaths mingle. At that moment, he, who prides himself on his composure, holds his breath and cannot bring himself to scold her.

"Would you?" The young woman's amber eyes regard him with playful amusement.

The room falls silent.

Just as she grows bored and is about to pull away, he moves.

He lifts himself up and gently presses a kiss where she pointed.

It should have been impossible between them...

He must be going mad.

But if it is her, he welcomes it.

Note: Happy ending, one-on-one romance, both leads have had no previous partners, boy-girl romance.

This is a lighthearted story with humor woven into the serious parts. The author usually writes whatever line comes to mind, and the state of mind is... quite something. The writing is pretty funny, so feel free to check it out if you're curious. But there's political scheming too, so please bear with me (sob).

P.S. I worked on this for seven months. The opening chapters aren't as polished, so you can start from the end of the academy arc or the Fengzhou arc. The author discovered their comfort zone later on, and the romance gets pretty intense (confirmed). Come join us for a meal! I'm the couple's romance bodyguard, and they're super sweet!

The blurb has been saved as a screenshot.

After Picking Up a Rebel Leader

A Qing has spent more than ten years in the palace. When a woman ruler ascends the throne and grants a general amnesty, A Qing is allowed to leave the palace and return to her hometown. But before she can even step inside her family home, she finds a young man right outside her door.

She doesn't want to take him in. After all, the Book of Wisdom says men and women should keep their distance. But as luck would have it, she has just learned that saving one life is better than building a seven-tier pagoda. Hoping to gain merit, she saves him.

But she never expects this man to be... so pampered! His rice has to be green, his clothes have to be made of silk, and he won't even drink water, insisting on tea instead! He's so hard to please!

He's also overbearing and petty. He won't let her smile at anyone else, only at him. He even drives away all the suitors who come to court her, saying that since she saved his life, she has to take responsibility for him!

She's his savior. How is she responsible for him? How annoying.

If the Book of Wisdom didn't tell her to keep calm, be dignified, virtuous, courteous, modest, and yielding, and to be obedient and sensible, she wouldn't pay that spoiled man any attention!

Hmph. No wonder his nickname is Xiao Yi!

Xiao Yi, Xiao Yi, Xiao Yi! You're so bad! You rotten Xiao Yi!

Before meeting A Qing, Pei Xuan thought he would do just three things in his life: be the boss, rebel, and become emperor. But after meeting her, his to-do list changes to: find A Qing, soothe A Qing, ruin A Qing's marriage prospects, and burn that accursed Book of Wisdom she's holding!

A Qing, A Qing, A Qing, A Qing. Sweet A Qing, good A Qing.

Come enjoy the next book, too!

Theme: Break through your limits.