Hall of Longing

An innocent, adorable noblewoman versus a tragic, handsome, powerful eunuch

The companion story, "The Evening Oriole's Grace," is complete. My upcoming story is "Marrying the Eunuch." Have a look if you're interested.

During the Huazhuo era, there lived a beautiful young Taoist nun at the Liuyun Temple in Jinling. Her name was Lian Lengyao, and in her blue robes she looked like an immortal.

She was kind and innocent, and rarely left her quarters. Young nobles from the Five Mounds all vied for her favor, but Lengyao was unmoved. She knew she had come to Liuyun Temple as a refugee and could never marry in this life.

That is, until the night of the Flower Festival, when a splendid sedan chair forcibly carried her to the Bureau of Military Affairs. The eunuch faction was said to wield unchecked power there, and its newly appointed director was reputed to be ruthless and sinister, with piles of bones on his hands.

Outside the purple gauze curtain, Lengyao trembled in fear. "I am a woman of the Dao and have no concern for worldly affairs."

She heard a soft laugh from the other side. Looking up, she met a pair of alluring phoenix eyes. The man lowered his voice. "Five years apart, and you don't even recognize your own brother?"

Lengyao froze. She couldn't believe the man before her was her brother! Duan Shuzhu, the gentle young man who had once been as graceful as the breeze and moon, composing poetry and writing essays. She had thought he died on the night their family was executed.

Duan Shuzhu lowered his eyes with a faint smile. For five years, he had gritted his teeth, cast aside his conscience, and clawed his way to the pinnacle of power, all so he could welcome Lengyao back today on a path paved with gold bricks, in robes adorned with agate.

From then on, even the cold-blooded director learned to recite Buddhist scriptures, always indulging her and agreeing, "You're right, Yaoyao. The more good deeds you do, the more blessings you receive."

He was determined to be a good big brother again, but the moment he received the imperial decree arranging her marriage, he was struck speechless.

On the day the director of the Bureau of Military Affairs' sister was to be married in a splendid ceremony, the groom vanished.

In the pouring rain, in the Hall of Longing, Director Duan bent over her, his purple robe spattered with blood. His voice was hoarse, like that of a trapped beast. "Yaoyao, tell me, who matters most in this world?"

Blood dripped down, staining her white silk dress red.

Only then did Lengyao understand that the moon-bright gentleman in her memories was long gone. All that remained was the most tyrannical and ruthless power minister in the land.

"The only conscience I have is with Yaoyao."

① One true pairing, happy ending, sweet romance.

② They are only brother and sister in name for a while; they are unrelated by blood. He is a fake eunuch, and the heroine is not a nun, she was taking refuge.

③ The hero is a master of political intrigue, but treats the heroine very well. The groom is no simple man either. He and the hero fight each other to the death.

Blurb for "The Evening Oriole's Grace":

Qianxue, the seventeenth princess of the Tangye dynasty, was beautiful, spoiled, and deeply loved.

People said that, showered with love and raised as a princess, she should have no worries in the world. But ever since childhood, the princess had something weighing on her heart.

Whenever a festival came around, she would dress in her finest clothes and visit a remote palace. Weeds grew thick there, and the moon and stars were faint. The proud, noble princess would bend down and ask timidly, "Esteemed Attendant, are you well?"

It never mattered that nobody answered.

She floated lanterns on the Mid-Autumn Festival, lit red candles on New Year's Eve, and brewed green plum wine during Grain in Ear. Smiling, she would talk to herself. "Esteemed Attendant, the lantern has drifted so far!"

"Esteemed Attendant, aren't the red candles beautiful?"

"Esteemed Attendant, have you had this year's plum wine?"

He remained silent, but she knew he could hear her.

For over a decade, a demon feared by all had been locked away in the desolate Xingqing Palace. They said he had murdered his father and brother, corrupted the imperial harem, and was so cruel and inhumane that everyone should want him dead.

Only Qianxue refused to believe it. She had seen his gentle, refined smile and remembered how he had stood by the rippling waters of Xuelan Lake and said, "As you command, Your Highness. I won't say a word."

Behind a red door covered in cobwebs was no demon, but Su Zelan, a former attendant of the Hanlin Academy, a brilliant and gifted man. She loved talking to him, sharing her joys and sorrows, and never minded when he didn't answer.

Then one day, the emperor issued an order for the princess to marry into the Southern Chu Kingdom to secure peace on the border. For the first time, she sat outside his door and wept. "Esteemed Attendant Su, I'm leaving. I won't be able to come here again."

As she stood to say goodbye, she heard someone inside ask, "Where... are you going?"

"The Southern Chu Kingdom."

The door she had thought would stay shut forever slowly opened. A faint light from a battered oil lamp fell on the face she had longed to see. The man's eyes were like a wintry river, yet his handsome gaze held a smile. He softly called to her, "Your Highness."

Their eyes met, and the stars seemed to fall into the pond.

Peach blossoms fluttered around Qianxue; love took root in the heart of Lan.

"Your Highness, haven't I come back?"

A repentant, scheming power minister + a noble and adorable little princess

① A story of healing, with a ten-year age gap. The princess will not marry into another kingdom.

② The poem is adapted from Zhou Mi's "Qing Ping Le."

③ A little sweet treat set amid spring blossoms and autumn moons.

Theme: Good deeds are rewarded.