Willow Waist

Three years after General Chu died in battle, his wife remarried, and their only daughter, Chu Dai, was taken into the palace by the Empress Dowager.

Chu Dai had skin as fair as snow and beauty like a flower, but she was frail and often needed medicine to nourish her. The Empress Dowager doted on her and intended to choose a powerful nobleman as her husband.

Late one quiet night, the new emperor whispered beside her ear, "Which nobleman could possibly be nobler than I am?"

Chu Dai trembled and gently shook her head. "This humble subject's daughter wouldn't dare entertain such a thought, nor can I let down Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. I beg Your Majesty to have mercy."

The Emperor's story

The emperor issued an edict acknowledging his failings and yielded the throne to the worthy Prince Song Yunlang. He ruled with diligence, and in just three short years, all the neighboring states bowed and paid tribute.

Yet his inner palace was completely empty. He even thought that selecting consorts would waste the people's resources. The Empress Dowager grew anxious, and so did the ministers.

At last, the Empress Dowager asked him to issue an edict naming Chu Dai a princess of a different surname and choosing a consort for her.

Song Yunlang curved his lips but did not answer. His gaze settled on a corner of a dress behind the beaded curtain. "I have no need of another younger sister. What I lack is an empress."

Reader notes and things to be aware of:

1. Entirely fictional

2. One-on-one romance, both leads are sexually inexperienced

3. The leads are not related by blood

4. The heroine's father is awful. She is more than just ill, and she will recover later.

5. Pure romance, with no BL or GL

6. I'll add more if I think of anything. I hope you enjoy the story. If anything makes you uncomfortable, please stop reading and take care of yourself. Let's be kind to each other. Hugs~

There are completed stories in my collection. Click to read. My upcoming story, The Substitute Bride, is now underway. Here's the blurb:

The heir of the Marquis of Zhongyong, Song Yuguang, has won many military exploits and is arrogant and unruly. After being blinded in a plot against him, his temperament changed drastically. He shut himself away, and even his closest family could barely get near him.

The marquis's wife wanted to find her son a beautiful, kind-natured noblewoman to be his wife, stay by his side, and care for him. After searching high and low, she settled on the legitimate daughter of the Earl of Guang'an.

But the day before the wedding, the bride disappeared.

Qi Fengxiao had grown up in a country estate, unknown to all, with a life as insignificant as a blade of grass. She was as lovely as an orchid.

Suddenly brought back to the earl's residence and forced into the bridal sedan, Qi Fengxiao heard her legal mother threaten her in a low voice: "If you can win the marquis's favor, Mother will tell you where your birth mother is and let you reunite. If you can't, don't blame Mother for selling you off just as I sold your mother!"

Qi Fengxiao did not dare disobey. Even though she was terrified of the young master, whose moods were unpredictable, she was gentle and attentive, serving him with all her heart.

Everyone knew she was willing to wear a veil all day while praying for his sight to return, and that she was utterly devoted and deeply in love with him.

Song Yuguang thought so too.

Her slender waist and soft voice became the gentlest comfort in Song Yuguang's darkness, and he decided to go along with the mistake.

Who could have guessed that after his young marquis's wife returned to her parents' home, she would come back a different person?

Soft on the outside, strong within x sharp-tongued but kind-hearted

Notes:

1. Entirely fictional, one-on-one romance, both leads are sexually inexperienced

2. The hero is blind at first, but will recover later

3. The heroine has a golden finger, but doesn't know it

Theme: Love is built on trust