[The full novel is complete. Thank you to all our readers who supported the official release. Sending you all my love. The next novel, Beauty's Blade, is available on my profile. Many thanks.]
Blurb:
Fleeing the imperial capital for the frontier, Pei Zhaolu spent more than half a year hiding and running with her four-year-old son.
Before a temple on the border, with snow and wind raging all around, she pointed at the child and said to the monk, "I've brought your imperial brother's son to you."
The monk took the child and turned to close the door.
Pei Zhaolu stood outside the temple and smiled weakly.
"Come in!" In the dead of night, the temple gates opened again. The monk's voice was cold and stern, with none of a monk's compassion.
There was no reply from outside.
He raised his lantern and looked out. A line of crooked, bloodied footprints led down the mountain. Later, halfway down the slope, he found her half-buried in the snow, with only a breath of life left.
*
Pei Zhaolu and Li Mu met again five years after their divorce.
It was also the fifth year since Li Mu had shaved his head and become a monk.
By then, she was the crown princess of a fallen kingdom, the daughter of a disgraced minister whom everyone condemned. He was the Sixth Prince, supported by the former court officials who wanted him brought back to the capital to turn the tide.
"If Your Highness hadn't insisted on marrying me all those years ago, I would still be the beloved daughter of the Situ household, cherished by my father and brothers."
"If Your Highness hadn't later insisted on divorcing me, I would still be your Princess Consort, dreaming of a harmonious life together and growing old at your side."
"Everything I have suffered today is your doing."
Beneath the pale lamp before the ancient Buddha, she held a bowl of hot porridge and desperately wanted to say those words.
But then she thought, what was left to say between them?
And what good would saying it do? Just thank him, then.
Thank you for feeding me today. Thank you for saving my life tonight.
So she bent down, lowered her head to the ground, and gave him a respectful kowtow.
That single kowtow broke Li Mu's heart.
Bonus scene:
The royal son who had shaved his head and retreated into the monastery for six years ascended the throne.
Yet Pei Zhaolu wore neither phoenix crown nor ceremonial robes. Dressed plainly and wearing only a simple hairpin, she blended into the crowd, knelt with everyone else, and congratulated him: "Long live the emperor."
From the towering dais, Li Mu looked down over the world. Even among thousands of people, he recognized her at a glance.
But all he could do was let her kneel, let her offer her congratulations, and let her turn and walk away.
Note:
1. The leads were both virgins when they married. Later, the heroine remarried and spent five years as a crown princess, so technically she's not a virgin while the hero is. Please proceed with caution if this bothers you.
2. As always, even the punctuation in the main story is angsty. You'll have to pick out the sweetness from the shards of glass. The pure sweetness is in the extras. Happy ending.
3. This is a completely fictional setting, with many invented details. It's melodramatic and old-fashioned, and all the potential triggers are in the blurb.
Theme: Strength, courage in solitude, and devotion.
If I were the female protagonist, I would not forgive the male protagonist. Are female protagonists objects?
Everyone makes mistakes, and no one can always be firm, and the same goes for the male protagonist. Even if he gives and leaves the letter, even if he believes in his adoptive mother but does not believe that the Pei family father and brother who have taught him for more than ten years are not treasonous, these cannot be completely blamed on him. In addition to his own lack of firmness and lack of trust in the Pei family, there are also other people's sinister plans. But the consequences of his mistake this time were too tragic. His stupidity and weakness allowed others to easily bring disaster to the heroine and the Pei family. Although Concubine Su will harm the Pei family no matter what, if the hero is here, things will never be so bad. The most ridiculous thing is that at the end he said, "Back then, the gift of He Lishu was just a plot, and it was not a big mistake. All the mistakes in this life are because she found Xue Ye and turned her away." It's really outrageous. Shutting out the female protagonist is the male protagonist's failure to control the bad nature of human nature. It is certainly a big mistake. But isn't it a big mistake for him to make the decision for the heroine without authorization and give her Li Shu as a gift? Indeed, the male protagonist was plotted against him, and he had difficulties. He had unknown weakness and low self-esteem since he was a child. He was easily controlled by his biological mother, and his low self-esteem and cowardly nature that even led him to make wrong decisions were mostly due to him being ignored by his biological mother and "tempered" by his father since he was a child. It was not entirely his fault. But the decision was ultimately made by him, and the heroine was hurt both physically and mentally because of his character's weakness and other people's schemes. The male protagonist's gift of marriage and divorce was someone else's plan. It was also a stupid decision that the male protagonist cruelly imposed on the female protagonist due to his inner inferiority and cowardice over the past many years. It later became the beginning of the female protagonist's subsequent suffering. Why was it not a big mistake for him to give the heroine and Li Shu a gift? Why should he put all the blame on other people's calculations? Giving and leaving the book is a result of character weakness and calculation by others, and believing that the Pei family is rebelling is truly ungrateful. Even if he never thought of being ungrateful, judging from his behavior, he failed to live up to the love of the heroine and the teachings of the Pei family. He failed to protect the heroine and the Pei family well. The male protagonist is very pitiful, and the female protagonist and the Pei family are even more pitiful. What the male protagonist did before gave me a feeling: "I can understand why he did it, but I don't understand that he actually did it." I really don't understand why they can still fuck. Can love really conquer everything?
Although Han'er is very good, I always feel a little disconnected. I'm just selfish. The male protagonist gave up seven years of his life in exchange for a ray of Han'er's soul. I really don't think it's worth it.
I really looked down on the male protagonist and gave his wife away, causing her to become very sick.
It was so painful to watch, especially when I saw the extra episode that I cried. It was really sad, right?
Help, the extra episode is so tear-jerking! I would like to point out that if Madam, this book started with rebirth, would it be sweeter? Maybe the data would be better. Come on, my wife will keep chasing you
I cried when I didn't read the main story, but I cried when I read the extras
The main text is the ending of Conferring Gods, and the extra chapter is the ending of healing. I love it so much!!
Will Fu Rui have a story with Han'er?
Congratulations on the ending. This is great. Although the main story is tortured to death, the extras satisfy everything. How great.