Plucking Spring's Branches

[Seeking Bookmarks for My Upcoming Novel, A Golden Branch to Climb! See the Blurb Below]

Blurb:

A scheming, cunning wolf of an imperial uncle x a sweet, charming little princess

The emperor fell gravely ill. Everyone assumed that his adopted daughter, delicate as a flower, had lost her only support and was about to be cast into the mire, where anyone could trample her.

No one expected the one who would “bully” her to be her nominal imperial uncle, His Highness Prince Yu, a man wielding immense power.

At a country estate,

The once dignified and gracious Prince Yu stormed in alone and slashed off both hands of the playboy who had been plotting to assault her. Blood still dripped from his sword, but his manner was casual as he approached step by step, backing the stunning little princess into a corner.

Xiao Zhenyu thought he meant to finish what they had started years ago and kill her to silence her.

So she softened her tone and pleaded, “Imperial Uncle, that secret has long since rotted away inside me. I won’t tell anyone.”

Prince Yu froze, his eyes flickering. “And how will Yu’er convince Imperial Uncle of that? How about pledging your flesh and blood?”

Xiao Zhenyu went pale with fright.

But when he saw her, he smiled, his eyes crinkling. He brushed her cheek with a cool fingertip and said, “With Little Yu’er by Imperial Uncle’s side, I can finally rest easy.”

From then on, he kept her in his prince’s residence under the pretext of protecting her, claiming it would also give them a chance to grow closer.

Xiao Zhenyu was truly afraid of her uncle’s endless schemes and tricks.

When Prince Yu ascended the throne, he seemed too busy to spare her a thought, as if he had forgotten all that had happened between them.

Taking her chance, Xiao Zhenyu schemed against him in turn and asked to marry her prospective husband as soon as possible.

At that moment, the young emperor’s cup fell from his hand. His expression was terrifying, unlike anything Xiao Zhenyu had ever seen. He said through gritted teeth, “Yu’er must have forgotten her promise. Wouldn’t it be better to stay by Imperial Uncle’s side? Why are you always thinking of getting married?”

1. The two leads are each other’s only partners, and they are not blood-related.

2. This is a very loosely inspired historical setting, with plenty of original worldbuilding.

3. A melodramatic story featuring coercive romance. Please don’t read if that’s not your thing.

Seeking bookmarks for A Golden Branch to Climb!

At the royal western gardens, a young man from a powerful family took his brother’s place on the polo field. His skillful play was as graceful as it was dashing, and his legs gripping the stirrups were especially eye-catching.

From then on, Princess Xue Ning of Changle took an interest in him. What followed was a trap laid to draw him in. He came to her of his own accord, pleading earnestly that he would gladly die for her, as long as she spared his family.

Xue Ning slowly tapped her toe, her gold-thread shoes set with pearls striking the carpet and making the young man kneeling before her shiver.

After a long while, he picked them up slowly.

No one noticed how utterly entranced he was, or how nearly reverent his movements seemed.

At first, Wu Yunzhou was merely the son of a disgraced official. On the way to exile, he happened upon a wedding procession escorting a princess to marry abroad.

Their eyes met. The tearful princess’s expression changed, and she tossed a bundle out of her carriage.

It struck him so hard that his head bled.

Later, thanks to what was inside the bundle, he returned safely to the capital. By then, time had passed, and she no longer recognized him.

But that was all right. He could do what he did best: disguise himself, take what he wanted by clever means, and reach for the golden branch.

Born cold-blooded and scheming to the bone, he had thought himself utterly without feeling. But for the first time, he found himself longing for something, and from then on, he would stop at nothing to get it.

When they met again at a palace banquet, the once down-and-out young man had become a powerful court official, able to command the winds and rain, his influence at its height.

Their positions had now been reversed, and the once-arrogant Xue Ning was condemned by everyone. The real princess had been found and brought back to the capital, though no one knew who had found her.

Xue Ning was consumed by despair, waiting for punishment and revenge. But the young man not only came to her rescue, he even offered her a place to stay. Xue Ning forced herself to remain calm, then turned and fled.

But she couldn’t escape.

Those warm, smiling eyes she had once liked had become a dense web, eager to close around her.

“Manman, the world is vast, but the only place you can go is by my side.”

Theme: Embrace yourself and accept who you are.