Diligent Day and Night

[Updates probably won't be posted until after midnight. Don't wait up. - 9.10]

Yuan Shihe thought she deserved to die alone and miserable.

A heaven-blessed beauty, adored by all, she fell for Yan Jiming with near-mad intensity.

To get close to that cold-faced Buddha, she didn't care about her reputation and confessed to him again and again. To keep him from being framed, she stepped in to help him, but ended up causing her fourth younger brother's death. To get the emperor to grant their marriage, she ignored all advice and nearly broke with the Yuan family.

At last, she got her wish and became the mistress of the Yan household, but she found none of the happiness she'd imagined. After their marriage, she was left alone in the inner quarters while he ignored her. When the Yuan household fell into trouble and begged for help, he turned a deaf ear. When she was gravely ill and longed to see him again, he paid no attention.

On the day Yuan Shihe died, full of despair and regret,

Yan Jiming was rising steadily through the ranks, helping the new emperor ascend the throne and becoming the most powerful Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, second only to one man: The Outcast.

When Yuan Shihe awoke, she personally led people to smash the Yan residence to pieces.

As it happened, Yan Jiming returned home and walked right into the scene. Sure enough, he didn't dare make a fuss. He only stared at her and asked three words: “Feel better?”

She was the third young lady of the Duke of the State's residence, envied by everyone in the capital. Her mother was Princess Zhaohua, her father was the Duke of Jin, her eldest brother was a commander of the Imperial Guards, and her second elder sister was the wife of a marquis's heir. Even her good-for-nothing younger brother was a companion to a prince and dearly loved by the emperor.

At the time, Yan Jiming was no more than a junior scholar. How could he dare make an enemy of her?

After venting her anger and returning home, Yuan Shihe learned that Yan Jiming had been promoted yet again that very day. She suddenly came to her senses. In the future, he would be the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, second only to one man: The Outcast. Had she gone too far by wrecking his home?

After thinking it over for a moment, Yuan Shihe made up her mind. “Whoever can give Yan Jiming a beating will be handsomely rewarded by this young lady.” Since she'd already offended him, she might as well get a few more things off her chest. Otherwise, what was the point of living a second life?

The youngest Minister of War in the dynasty had a bright future. No one dared lay a hand on him.

Yuan Shihe decided it was best to avoid him and keep him out of sight.

Who would have thought that the rumors in the capital would change from saying she shamelessly pursued Yan Jiming to claiming she was playing hard to get, trying every trick to attract Lord Yan?

Yuan Shihe publicly set the record straight, but no one believed her. Even Yan Jiming spoke as if she were making a scene. “Feel better?”

Then one day, the kidnappers gave her a sword and told her to choose which of two men to release. Without hesitation, she let the newly crowned top scorer, Lu Zhili, go.

Lord Yan, who had been watching with composure, lowered his gaze and advanced toward her step by step until the sword pointed at his chest. “Hehe, are you still angry?”

She screamed inside, “Don't come any closer!” Yet he took another step forward. The blade sank into his chest, and blood flowed out along with his voice. “Hehe, tell me, what would it take for you to feel better?”

[Author's Note]

1. Both leads are reborn; the male lead has to win her back after hurting her.

2. This is a fictional setting, so please don't nitpick historical details. Some elements are original.

3. The title comes from: “Both wise and perceptive, he keeps himself safe. Diligent day and night, he serves one man.” - Book of Songs, “Song of the People”

Blurb written on June 28, 2023

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Coming soon: “Has the Crown Prince Been Forgiven Today?”

Sheng Shiyue took Princess An'nan's place and went to Nanwan to marry for peace.

Seeing that the emperor was gravely ill, she thought she would be spared humiliation.

But the crown prince discovered her secret.

To stay alive, she had no choice but to offer herself to him.

The youth gripped her chin, his voice cold and mocking. “You think you're good enough?”

She begged and pleaded, and at last he took pity on her and spared her life.

Later, the crown prince ascended the throne and allowed her to remain in the harem.

Everyone in the empire said the emperor doted on her alone, breaking with ancestral rules and ignoring the laws of the court.

Only Meng Shiyue knew the emperor had a beloved woman in his heart. She was his cousin, the wife of the Grand Secretary, and a secret he could never speak aloud.

She was merely his shield. From beginning to end, he had never touched her.

Until the real princess who had gone to marry for peace came to claim her rightful identity and name.

Meng Shiyue was only too happy to comply. She secretly left the palace and was finally free.

She concealed her identity and met the man she loved in Jiangnan. He didn't mind that she was a widow. Instead, he cherished her endlessly and cared for her in every way.

On their wedding day, the emperor arrived in person, claiming he would officiate the wedding of his late father's woman. As they bowed to one another, he kicked the groom to the ground.

He looked at her and smiled cruelly. “Yueyue, are you going to beg me?”

Meng Shiyue could barely breathe. Then she heard him say, each word clear and deliberate, “Just like you begged me to favor you behind Father's back.”

Meng Shiyue was dragged back to the palace like a wanted criminal. She thought that perhaps only death could set her free.

At last, one day, when forced to choose between his beloved and her life, she made the choice for him.

She didn't know that after she died, the cold and lonely young emperor felt utterly bereft for the first time in his life. Only by cutting his arm with a knife, again and again, could he ease the pain.

After that, he stayed in her palace, drinking himself into oblivion, cutting himself whenever he was sober, over and over.

-

After Sheng Shiyue was reborn, the crown prince had already discovered her secret.

This time, she didn't beg him. If staying alive meant being entangled with a madman like him, she'd rather die.

She waited for the crown prince to expose her, but the days passed and not only was her life never in danger, when others suspected her, he even shielded her from every blade and sword. “I believe her.”

Something was not right.

The crown prince didn't just believe her. He let her enjoy the delicacies first and gave her first pick of the finest silks.

The ministers all said the crown prince was filial. Then the emperor died, and when a courtier suggested that she be buried with him, the young emperor, newly enthroned, flew into a rage. “How dare you lay a hand on my woman?”

After saying that, he kept Sheng Shiyue in his own harem.

The officials were dumbfounded and protested one after another. If His Majesty behaved this way, the empire would cease to be an empire!

Sheng Shiyue calmly played the role of his shield, waiting for the real princess to arrive.

Day after day, the real princess never came. The emperor, however, showed up in front of her every day. One day he dined with her, the next he played chess with her, and the day after that he asked her to help him change clothes.

Sheng Shiyue: “?”

The emperor began to grow nervous, his face turning red. “We've spent so long building this bond. How much longer will it take for you to forgive me?”

Sheng Shiyue: “...”

He held her tightly, afraid she'd vanish in the blink of an eye, like a child who had lost his most precious treasure. “I'll wait as long as you say. I only ask that you don't leave me.”

[Author's Note]

1. Both leads are reborn, both are each other's one and only, happy ending.

2. Substitute bride + coercive romance + the male lead has to win her back after hurting her.

3. Please add to your collection. I'll add more if I think of anything.

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For completed stories, visit my author page and add them to your collection.

1. “Married to a Short-Lived Husband, I Laundered Money Through Him”:

She transmigrates into a book and accidentally marries the right man. Both becoming an award-winning actress and getting rich are within reach.

2. “After Failing to Win Over the Villain, I Reaped the Rewards”:

A scheming general turns into a calculating, pitiful little sweetheart, and a money-making woman falls into his trap.

Theme: Love means courage and trust