The Xiao family had a daughter of peerless beauty, with graceful bearing and unmatched looks.
Unfortunately, her father held only a fifth-rank post and had come from the countryside. The aristocratic clans disdained the idea of marrying into the family and making her a legitimate wife.
The most prominent noblewomen of the capital both looked down on and envied this stunning flower from the countryside, newly arrived in Luoyang. They took pleasure in bullying and humiliating her.
Wulan was helpless and hurt. Then, unexpectedly, the man she had never dared even dream of, a man who seemed to dwell among the clouds, appeared. He lifted her from the dirt and cradled her in his hands like a precious treasure.
Later, the man married her as his principal wife, making her crown princess. The noblewomen who had once wronged her all knelt before her, bowing and paying their respects.
*
Because he knew nothing of life's hardships, the crown prince Huo Shu, famed as a prodigy and blessed with extraordinary talent, was sent to the Imperial Academy. He concealed his background and enrolled to take the imperial examinations.
It was time for a young woman to marry. Xiao Wulan discussed with her father the idea of choosing a poor scholar who had come to the capital for the examinations and taking him as her husband. After all, she brought good fortune to her husband.
There was one particularly handsome candidate, with a good chance of placing first in the examinations, who was also said to have no parents...
But when she asked about his plans for the future, he avoided answering.
Wulan: "A real man needs ambition! Work hard at the examinations, keep up your diligence, and in ten years you could be a high-ranking official like my father!"
The crown prince, who had hidden his identity to take the examinations, looked at her and smiled, his eyes curving into crescents.
"A fifth-rank official? That's one thing I definitely can't manage. :)"
She knew she brought good fortune to her husband, but never expected to bring this much good fortune to a delicate beauty, VS an impossibly charming crown prince.
1. Both are virgins. 2. The setting is very loose, with lots of original worldbuilding, such as both men and women being allowed to study. 3. A warm, sweet, feel-good story.
2019.03.23
