[Tentatively set to launch on December 1. Will launch early if the collection reaches 300.]
When chaos engulfed the land, Li Pingyue, a concubine-born daughter, hastily became engaged to a poor scholar and set off for Yangzhou.
On her wedding day, Li Shuchen, who should have been far away on the frontier, sat in the place of honor in red robes, receiving a bow from the newlyweds as their elder.
Beneath her crimson veil, her eyes met his smiling gaze. Her strength suddenly drained away, and she swayed.
The groom hurriedly steadied her and explained to the man seated above them with a blissful smile, "A-Yue is frail, so please don't hold it against her, Elder Brother."
"I don't mind." Li Shuchen smiled, but his gaze stayed fixed on the hand resting at her slender waist, his eyes growing colder by the moment.
"She's always been so delicate."
So delicate that she had never let him have his way.
The Li clan of Qinghe was a century-old noble house. They looked wealthy and distinguished on the surface, but as one of many concubine-born daughters, Li Pingyue suffered the servants' cold treatment.
Her mother was frail and near death. With no other choice, she went in person to ask her powerful elder brother for help.
Li Shuchen was handsome and noble, refined and self-possessed. He readily agreed to help her, but in secret he coaxed her, step by step, across the boundary between siblings.
The more his desire grew, the more frightened she became. She only wanted to put an end to this absurd affair as soon as possible.
Li Shuchen gave no answer. He simply delayed arranging her marriage even as he found matches for the other younger members of the household.
So while he was away from the capital, she used marriage as a way to escape the Li family.
She thought they could live in peace from then on.
In the bridal chamber, red candles flickered as the man clasped her trembling waist and spoke slowly, one word at a time:
"Was there something I didn't do well enough as your elder brother?"
"Why has my little sister grown bold enough to climb into another man's bed?"
Reader's guide:
1. They are not related by blood.
2. The story leans toward possessive coercion.
September 9, 2026: Screenshot saved.
Thematic message: Pursue true love.
