Broken Bones

Blurb: Jiang Zhiyi, the youngest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, has been frail since childhood. One day, her condition worsens, and she seems on the verge of death. A traveling monk visits her home and declares that her fate is weak. If she can marry a husband as full of murderous aura and masculine energy as the Senior General, she might still survive. To save his beloved daughter, the Duke of Zhenguo travels far and wide, and at last exchanges betrothal cards with the General's household. The happy occasion seems all but certain. Then disaster strikes. That night, the fortune-telling monk is hung from a beam with his tongue cut out. The Senior General is suddenly dispatched to the frontier, while Jiang Zhiyi, barely breathing, is carried into the imperial palace in a sedan chair. The year is ending, the cold is bitter, and snow and wind rage outside. Trapped in a corner of the bed, she is so frail that even her clothes seem to weigh her down, sorrow etched across her cheeks. The sinister, ruthless emperor bends down and grips the back of her neck, forcing her to lean against his shoulder. He whispers in her ear, "Tell me, is there anyone in this world with more murderous aura and masculine energy than I have?" #He has a palace filled with carved beams and painted rafters, where a delicate beauty lives. He plans to keep its doors locked forever, until she willingly bends her neck for him# [Please Note] 1. An alternate world, both leads are each other's first, happy ending. 2. The emperor takes her by force. His love is real, and so is his cruelty. He's a complete madman, so proceed with caution! 3. This isn't a purely sweet story. The general progression is: the heroine suffers physically, then sweetness mixed with angst, then the hero suffers physically and emotionally, followed by genuine sweetness. A new novel is now underway next door. Feel free to check it out if you're interested. The moment Jiang Chengyun learns that she isn't his biological younger sister, he comes back to life like a withered tree in spring. His heart cries out incessantly: I've cared for her so meticulously for over a decade. Doesn't she belong to me, completely? * Jiang Ningyue has spent seventeen years as the daughter of a marquis, only to suddenly learn that she is the illegitimate child her mother bore with another man. Her father, the Marquis of Wenyuan, is furious and wants to drive her out of the marquis's estate. But to save face, he has no choice but to marry her off, forbidding her from having anything more to do with the family. Fortunately, her husband is handsome and considerate, and she thinks she has found a new home. But on their wedding day, her husband is thrown into prison for cheating in the imperial examinations. Rumor has it he'll be sentenced to be cut in half at the waist. To save her husband's life, she breaks her promise to leave the family behind and goes to her older brother, Jiang Chengyun, in the middle of the night. By the desk, the candlelight flickers red. Jiang Chengyun sits upright, tapping the documents in his hand as he declares righteously, "The confession has already been signed. There's no way to change things." Jiang Ningyue is overcome with despair. Just as she did when she was a child, she collapses against his knees and sobs uncontrollably. He looks down at her, taking in her tearful eyes, her soft red lips, and her slender, fragile frame. His Adam's apple bobs. Then he abruptly changes his tune: "However..." Theme: Even when faced with adversity, do your best to protect yourself.