Plucking the Blossoms

My new novel, The Seductive Bedchamber, is now underway. If you're interested, please check it out! The Pei clan of Hedong is the foremost aristocratic family in Yanbei. Its eldest son, Pei Yan, is handsome and refined as an immortal, with a nature pure as white jade. Few know that he is actually the emperor's son, temporarily entrusted to the Pei family to raise. The year Pei Yan came of age, a beautiful and charming young cousin came to live with the family. She greeted him, her every movement alluring, and called him with coy affection: "Cousin." That very night, the elders arranged their betrothal. Three years after their wedding, Pei Yan regained his identity as crown prince and prepared to bring his wife back to the palace. But to his surprise, she ran away. Beneath the cold moonlight, the man stood in the empty residence, his voice low, as if murmuring absentmindedly. "She ran?" "Bring her back. Break her legs." "It would be best to keep her locked at my side for the rest of her life." . After Lin Jingzhi married Pei Yan, the Pei family's brilliant eldest son, everyone praised her good fortune for marrying into such a prestigious family. But Lin Jingzhi knew that Pei Yan would one day regain his identity as crown prince and bring back from beyond the passes a woman whose appearance and figure were identical to hers. That woman was already pregnant. She was the white moonlight he had long yearned for, the one he had once loved but could never have. As his substitute, Lin Jingzhi would be secretly imprisoned in a dark, lightless dungeon. Pei Yan never came to see her. That woman, however, often appeared with her pregnant belly, acting as if she were the crown princess and looking at Lin Jingzhi with undisguised hatred. In the end, Lin Jingzhi was forced to drink poisoned wine and died a violent death. Reborn, Lin Jingzhi trod carefully, and at last, when the chance came... she ran. A short scene: A rainy night. The man's bloodstained fingertips caressed the back of her pale neck as he watched his frightened little wife huddled beneath the palace wall, laughing with wild obsession. "Tell me, why did you run?" His voice was icy as he closed in step by step, as if he had come straight from hell. Trembling, Lin Jingzhi raised a dagger, sobbing so hard her whole body shook. "You want to kill me?" He bent down and rasped the question against the tip of her ear. The next moment, the blade pierced flesh, and hot blood gushed out. Pei Yan held her hand, the sharp dagger buried in his chest. He knelt before her, his eyes filled with undisguised love. "Jingzhi, let me repay you with my life for what I did to you in our past life. All right?" [Important content warnings] * The male lead is not a scumbag / faithful to his wife / misunderstanding in the past life / no substitute / no white moonlight / groveling for his wife * Fictional setting / extensive original worldbuilding / historical accuracy not guaranteed / one-on-one romance / happy ending / both leads are virgins * No flaming or arguing / enjoy the story in peace / respect one another / cover used with permission * Follow me on Weibo for updates: @Lu Shiming Theme: The young should have ambition, stand firm as a mountain, and serve their country and its people.