Let Me Go (Take It by Force)

Cui Heng led troops against the enemy for five years, earning the title of Great General Who Guards the Nation and a place as one of the emperor’s closest confidants. For a time, he was the talk of the town. Then came another piece of good news: his younger sister was about to be married. But a bewitching maid had seduced her, and his sister was ready to die for that vixen. His sister could do no wrong. She was young and easy to tempt, but he was different. He was strong-willed and battle-hardened. There was no way a mere bewitching maid could ensnare him. Leave it to me. - Lu Wan was sold to the Cui household at the age of six. She had dutifully served as a maid for more than a decade, saving money so she could buy her freedom and leave the estate. Everything was going smoothly. Then, just as she was about to leave, she got into a little trouble with the eldest young master of the Cui family. The young master said she had saved his life. Lu Wan didn’t see it that way. When he asked what she wanted as a reward, Lu Wan refused again and again. Eventually, unable to refuse his insistence, she asked for a modest sum. “One hundred taels of silver will do.” The young master’s smile froze. Then he gently coaxed her. “Why not cast a longer line to catch a bigger fish?” Lu Wan murmured, “I’m afraid of fish bones.” The young master gave a frustrated laugh. He couldn’t tell whether she was truly naive or pretending. He tied her to his side and kept urging her to eat fish, never expecting Lu Wan to be so stubborn. She kept insisting that he give her money. The young master couldn’t bear to part with her, convinced that they were deeply in love. Lu Wan was in a living hell, barely able to breathe. “How can you repay kindness with cruelty?” “After I saved your life, you should have offered yourself to me. What, are you trying to welch on the deal?” - The night before Lu Wan’s wedding, Cui Heng stayed by her bedside all night. His eyes bloodshot, he watched the first light of dawn spread across the sky and kissed his unconscious beloved. “I don’t care if heaven strikes me down or I’m condemned to eternal torment. I’ll never regret this.” #Lots of coercive possessiveness, with a little fake-incest tension# Please note: 1. Set in an imaginary world, with original worldbuilding. 2. Both leads are romantically inexperienced. Coercive possessiveness (emphasis added), not strictly historical in style, and spectacularly melodramatic. She runs, he chases. 3. I’m bad at writing blurbs, so this will have to do for now... Blurb screenshotted on July 31. Theme: Love of freedom and hope