Never Tiring of Each Other

The blurb for "Marrying Up" is at the bottom. Add it to your collection if you're interested~ Main Story Blurb: Ji Yao is the fifth emperor of the Sheng Dynasty. She lives a life of extravagance and debauchery, and she and Marquis Xuanping Qin Jin have never gotten along. They can't stand the sight of each other. Who could have expected that, during a southern inspection tour, they would both be caught in a rebel ambush and stranded in the wilderness? With nowhere else to turn, Ji Yao has to secretly travel with Qin Jin to Longyou to raise troops, hoping that one day they can return to Chang'an and set things right. * As they flee, their resentment toward each other only grows. Qin Jin has never met anyone so high-maintenance. Even while running for her life, she nitpicks everything: she won't walk on muddy ground, won't ride a smelly donkey cart, and complains that the sleeping spot is too hard. She even makes him act as her human cushion. Then an accident sends them past the point of no return, turning them into a pair of ill-fated lovers in the wilderness. With red-rimmed eyes, Ji Yao says weakly, "You have to make it up to me somehow..." In that moment, Qin Jin is completely done for. At first, he only feels guilty toward her. Later, he can't help feeling sorry for her. After carefully saving a few taels of silver on the road by scrimping on food, he spends it on a set of robes and the most useless beaded hairpin for her. * After surviving countless dangers, they return to Chang'an. She is the ruler, and he is her subject. The past becomes nothing but a dream. Life in the palace is dull and tedious. With nothing to do, Ji Yao turns her attention to Qin Jin again. At court, Qin Jin holds a note Ji Yao secretly passed him. Making sure his colleagues aren't looking, he opens it and sees five words: "Youyou Bridge, at dusk." He knows he shouldn't go, yet after court he whips his horse into a gallop, returns to his residence, and changes into his brightest robe... Tips: 1. A spoiled, foolish empress X a paternal, self-restrained minister. 2. Not a matriarchy. Sweet romance, both leads are inexperienced, happy ending, ten-year age gap. 3. The hero falls first. The heroine gradually grows. Romance is the focus, with political intrigue as a supporting element. Upcoming novel, "Marrying Up" Yao Yao was abandoned as a child and grew up wandering from place to place. Every morning, the first thing she did after waking was figure out how to fill her stomach. Then one day, by the river, she found an elegant carriage with a lone dead woman inside. Yao Yao stared, having never seen such luxurious clothes before. "I'll bury you, and you give me your clothes." So Yao Yao buried the woman, changed into her bright skirts, then cheerfully settled into the carriage to enjoy a moment of comfort. Just then, someone outside pulled the curtain aside. "The bandits have been driven off. Is Lady Zhong all right?" Yao Yao froze for a long moment, then smiled and said, "I'm fine." And so she rode off in the carriage, with no idea where she was going. But she wasn't afraid. At least she'd have something to eat from now on. * Zhao Yan, son of the eldest princess, is a spoiled, domineering playboy who spends his days cockfighting and chasing dogs. After Zhongli, the Grand Commandant, falls from power, Zhao Yan takes revenge by going after even his illegitimate daughter, who was raised elsewhere. When they meet, Zhao Yan stares at Yao Yao and sneers. "Well, Lady Zhong. You're a scrawny little thing who hasn't even finished growing." He locks Yao Yao in a side residence, feeds her cold leftovers, and gives her coarse hemp clothes, hoping to slowly torment the last surviving member of the Zhong family to death. ** After a banquet, Zhao Yan visits the side residence to enjoy the sight of Lady Zhong in distress. But the little girl has somehow grown lovelier, almost like a budding beauty. Drunk, Zhao Yan thinks she might make a decent mistress. He expects her to resist, but instead she throws her arms around him with burning enthusiasm and looks up at him with an innocent face. "Thank you for bringing me food every day." With red gauze draped around the lanterns, Zhao Yan's lust-filled eyes flicker with surprise. He grabs her chin hard. "You... you're not right in the head, are you?" ** For Yao Yao, having enough to eat and warm clothes, and living quietly in a corner of the world, would be the greatest happiness. Even becoming someone's mistress would be marrying up. Until Zhao Yan, in a rare moment of kindness, takes her to a private banquet. The gentle, moonlike crown prince suddenly grabs her hand. Staring at the jade pendant she always wears, he says in a trembling voice, "Yao Yao... you're my long-lost little cousin..." In that moment, Zhao Yan is stunned. How could the foolish mistress he took in possibly be the little cousin he'd lost so many years ago? [Both leads are inexperienced. The hero is awful at first, but later suffers face-slapping and chases his wife.] Theme: Growing strong through adversity