The Fragrant Medicine Beauty

· Futong was a little medicine woman immune to every poison, whose blood could cure all illnesses. During the turmoil of war, Siyi found her and brought her home. Siyi treated Futong well. He cooked for her, took her horseback riding, braided her hair, and protected her whenever anyone bullied her. Futong was sensible and obedient. When Siyi needed her to bleed herself to treat his younger sister, she sat still even as pain turned her pale and made her tremble. Tears glimmered in her eyes, but she never complained or said it hurt. Once his younger sister was cured and married off, Siyi would be able to marry Futong. * At long last, Siyi's younger sister recovered and was finally to be married. But the bride, accompanied by drums and gongs, was carried into Siyi's own courtyard. By then, Futong had become the laughingstock of the whole city. When Futong demanded an explanation, he only gave her a cool smile. As if she were a mere plaything, he patted her hair and told her to be obedient. “Marriage ties are child's play, nothing but a temporary expedient.” Only later did Futong learn that the younger sister was no sister at all. She was Siyi's childhood sweetheart, the woman he loved with all his heart. The story about them being brother and sister was a lie. The temporary expedient was a lie. Even Futong herself was a lie. Futong's homeland had fallen because of Siyi's schemes. In his eyes, she was nothing but a medicine ingredient and a slave. So Siyi had never loved Futong. It had all been a lie. * The night Yexiang, the little princess who could dance the Hundred Flowers Dance, brew Hundred Flowers Wine, and smile as sweetly as a hundred flowers, perished in a sea of flames, snow fell over the whole city again. The snow came swirling down, blanketing everything, yet still failed to quench the sudden blaze inside the palace. The fire soon engulfed the great hall, swallowing Futong's figure. By then, her belly had begun to swell. Siyi had spent his life seated securely in high places, always certain of victory. He had never once lost his composure like this. His jade crown was askew, and he ran so hard he lost his boots. His legs gave way, and he collapsed outside the hall, which had burned down to nothing. With all his strength, he clawed with bare hands through the heap of scorching ashes. The palace servants carried out a charred corpse, burned beyond recognition, for him to identify. His face twisted in a daze as he shook his head and choked back sobs, his eyes bloodshot as he roared, “It's a lie... That's not her...” Futong loved Siyi so much. She would never have the heart to leave him behind. Content warnings: The male lead doesn't realize he is in love; the female lead is reborn from the flames and runs away while pregnant; the male lead chases after his wife, only to find her gone; both leads are each other's only partners. Classic melodramatic angst warning! Bad ending (extra chapters also have a bad ending). Theme: Love means giving your heart sincerely.