Moonlight in the Same Courtyard

Brothers in One Bowl | Straightforward Heroine Blurb: Que Yun was born into a humble family. By a twist of fate, she saved a man who was on the brink of death. The man claimed to be the fourth young master of the Xie family and offered to marry her to repay her kindness. As if possessed, Que Yun climbed into a prestigious family. Xie Yinghuai was upright and proper, a husband beyond reproach. Their married life was sweet and harmonious. But two months after the wedding, Xie Yinghuai died unexpectedly. His mother knelt before Que Yun and begged her: “Choose someone to continue the family line. We’ll tell everyone the child was conceived before his father died. At least that way, this branch of the family will have an heir.” Remembering the Xie family’s kindness, Que Yun agreed. After much consideration, she settled on Xie Lingyu, who had yet to take a wife. He was clear-headed and upright, wielded great power, and was her husband’s cousin. Surely he would be willing to help. But once she got to know him, she discovered that he was cold by nature and loathed her. He rebuffed every attempt she made to win him over. Swallowing her pride, she approached him again and again, humbling herself to please him. But just as she finally became pregnant, her dead husband returned. Her face lit up with joy. Then she turned and saw Xie Lingyu watching her with a dark expression. Third Young Master Xie Lingyu returned to the capital in glory. Taking advantage of a banquet, his family arranged for him to meet eligible young women. Beneath the white snow and red plum blossoms stood a graceful woman, with bright eyes and red lips, her beauty seeming heaven-sent. His heart pounded, and for a moment he forgot to breathe. But that very night, after sending someone to ask about her, he caught her entwined with his cousin. Only then did he realize that the woman was Que Yun, who had married into a prominent family and whom he despised as his cousin’s wife. Later, when his cousin died, he took control of the Xie family’s power. At the height of his triumph, the elders of the clan brought Que Yun to him, her eyes lowered, and announced that she had chosen him to father an heir for his cousin. Xie Lingyu gazed at her lovely face and gave a mocking laugh, malice surging in his eyes. “Very well.” All his careful scheming had paid off. He had personally killed her husband. Xie Yinghuai survived an ambush by the skin of his teeth. While lying low in the capital, he saw Xie Lingyu out with his newlywed wife, Que Yun. He had heard that after his death, the Xie family had forced her to choose someone to continue the family line, so today the two of them had come to the temple to pray for a child. Through the misty rain, he watched them kiss intimately beneath the covered walkway. The possessiveness buried deep in his heart was set ablaze. On a cold winter night, the day he returned home, he forced a kiss on her. A metallic bitterness spread between their lips. “A Yun, you’re mine.” The woman in his arms lowered her lashes. When a cold voice sounded behind her, her shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably. Xie Lingyu’s gaze shifted from his darkened face to the slender figure before him. With a sneer, he said, “Why don’t you ask her whose child she’s carrying?” Preview divider: Death Beneath the Blossoms Amid the chaos engulfing the realm, 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 stationed far away at the frontier, sat in the place of honor wearing red robes, receiving a bow from the newlyweds as their elder. Beneath her crimson veil, her eyes met his smiling gaze. Her strength suddenly left her, and she swayed. The groom hurried to steady her and explained to the man seated above them with a blissful smile, “A Yue is frail, Brother. Please don’t take offense.” “I don’t.” Li Shuchen smiled, but his gaze remained fixed on the hand resting on her slender waist, his eyes growing colder by the moment. “She’s always been so delicate.” So delicate that she never let him have his way. The Li family of Qinghe had been a prestigious clan for generations. They seemed noble and refined, but as one of many concubine-born daughters, Li Pingyue endured the servants’ contempt. Her mother was gravely ill, hovering between life and death. With no other choice, she went to plead with her powerful elder brother. Li Shuchen was as handsome and refined as jade, graceful and self-possessed. He readily agreed to help her, yet in secret, he coaxed her step by step across the boundary between siblings. The more his desires grew, the more frightened she became. She only wanted to put an end to this absurd affair as soon as possible. Li Shuchen made no comment. But when the family arranged marriages for the younger siblings, he alone kept delaying her match. So when he left 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. The man took hold of her trembling waist and spoke slowly, word by word: “Was I not good enough to you as your elder brother?” “Why has my little sister grown so bold as to climb into another man’s bed?” Screenshot saved on May 29, 2026 Xie Lingyu (pronounced Lingyu) Male leads are faithful; the female lead is not the male lead’s first. Reader’s guide: 1. Love at first sight, all in: a family of four, two fathers and one child. 2. Young Xie and the heroine are only engaged and have not yet married. He is not related to Elder Xie. 3. The blurb mostly covers the first half of the story. Theme: Pursuing true love