Recklessly Plucking a Branch

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Powerful minister and fake eunuch x beautiful imperial princess

Ruan Linglong, an imperial princess of the Great Ye, was graceful and elegant. The top scholar Wen Qianlou was immensely talented, so the emperor arranged their marriage.

On their wedding day, Wen Qianlou broke off the engagement and fled. From then on, Ruan Linglong fell gravely ill.

Only after asking around did she learn that Wen Qianlou already loved someone else, and she was the one who had come between them.

*

As the Great Ye was on the verge of collapse, Ruan Linglong was sent away for a political marriage.

When she arrived at the Great Yan palace, the man who came to escort her from her carriage was exceptionally handsome. It was the very person she had once loved.

Wen Qianlou sneered. "The princess is indeed a peerless beauty. What a pity you'll be buried in this palace from now on."

Only then did Ruan Linglong learn that Wen Qianlou was a spy who had infiltrated the Great Ye.

He had made himself part of the game. Their past had been nothing more than an act.

The Great Yan palace was as deep and treacherous as a cold pool. Ruan Linglong struggled at every turn against Wen Qianlou's provocations, and the only person by her side was the Crown Prince, who often kept her company.

She thought that perhaps she should choose the gentle and refined Crown Prince. At least she could live a peaceful life with him.

*

On the day of Ruan Linglong's wedding to the Crown Prince, the one who arrived was Wen Qianlou. His cold hand brushed her cheek.

She moved away in disgust. "What are you doing here?"

He lifted a strand of Ruan Linglong's hair and bent to inhale its scent. "The Great Yan court is in the palm of my hand. The Crown Prince is my puppet, let alone you..."

Wen Qianlou couldn't stand seeing her call another man her husband.

As they wore each other down, she eventually chose death to find peace. With no trace of him in her eyes, she said, "Lord Wen holds a high position. I was foolish to think I could ever aspire to be with you."

Only then did he realize that the "cousin" who had saved him from the cold pool all those years ago was Ruan Linglong. As he watched her fall from the cliff, his eyes nearly split with anguish, and all hope left him.

When they met again, his proud spirit was nowhere to be found. He had sheathed all his sharp edges and acted with utmost caution around Ruan Linglong.

"Linglong, would you give me another chance to hold your hand?"

[Reading Notes]

1. This is an imaginary setting.

2. One-on-one romance, both leads' first, male lead pursues the female lead after losing her.

3. Sweet at first, then angsty, then the male lead pursues the female lead, ending happily. The male lead is awful in the beginning, gradually changes under the female lead's influence in the middle, and realizes his feelings while pursuing her later. His supposed love for someone else was a lie.

4. The female lead fakes her death by jumping into the water and runs away.

Ruan Linglong, an imperial princess of the Great Ye, was born to a life of privilege, but the Great Ye was beset by dangers. Foreign powers watched hungrily from outside, while treacherous ministers within the court overturned the order of the kingdom. In the end, the princess's uncle succeeded in usurping the throne. Ruan Linglong's older sister had long been jealous of her, and urged their uncle to send Ruan Linglong away for a political marriage. To save her parents, Ruan Linglong set things right. She lay low, returned to the Great Ye, and reclaimed everything that belonged to her, fitting the theme of rising again and striking back from the brink.

Theme: Think carefully before you act, so you won't do something you'll regret