Please bookmark "The Golden Branch" on my profile.
I've completely run out of inspiration for this one, and I'm afraid I'll ruin it if I continue, so I won't be putting it behind a paywall. The story is temporarily locked and on hiatus. I plan to revise it extensively later. Please understand, everyone.
Blurb:
Sang Ning is a maid to the Third Prince. Because of her beauty and intelligence, the prince carefully trained her.
After an unexpected turn of events, she became a concubine to Yu Yuan, Prince Pingyang.
Yu Yuan was handsome and graceful, with a face like polished jade, but rumors said he was moody and had an unfathomable nature.
Ever since entering Prince Pingyang's residence, Sang Ning had been constantly on edge. But to help the Third Prince win Yu Yuan over, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and whisper sweet nothings in his ear.
Later, this unpredictable lord seemed to have truly been "charmed" by her.
She liked bamboo, so he had all the plum trees he cherished cut down and planted a grove of green bamboo instead.
He even made sure to give her the fine silks, cosmetics, and rouge reserved for the ladies of the imperial palace.
Afraid she might fall in love, Sang Ning could only find ways to avoid him. On the first and fifteenth of every month, she burned incense and prayed to Buddha, begging to leave Prince Pingyang's residence soon.
Perhaps the Bodhisattva saw how sincere she was, because her wish actually came true.
One day, Yu Yuan clutched the carrier pigeon bearing her letters to the Third Prince and looked at her coldly. "I hear you spend every day hoping I'll lose interest in you, my lady?"
Sang Ning: "..."
Knowing how vindictive he was, Sang Ning waited for a dark, windy night, gathered the gold and valuables she'd been saving, and decisively climbed over the wall to escape.
Reader's Guide:
* The story takes place in a fictional setting. Please don't scrutinize the historical details.
* The leads are eight years apart, one-on-one romance, both virgins. The male lead says one thing and means another, and has been quietly pining for a long time. The first half features an unconventional forced-marriage trope; the latter half brings revenge, comeuppance, satisfying drama, and sweetness.
* There will be melodramatic scenes where the heroine runs away and the hero chases after her. The political intrigue is at an elementary-school level; everything serves the romance.
New Novel
Blurb One:
Lu Sui had a dream. In it, a wicked consort held power and joined forces with her father and brothers to murder the emperor, usurp the throne, and change the dynasty.
The land was torn apart. The wicked consort led a young prince to the throne, while the court officials submitted at her feet and cried, "Long live the Empress Dowager!"
The Lu clan had served the dynasty loyally for generations. Lu Sui was especially proud and unyielding, and would rather die than submit. When he refused to obey, the wicked woman raised an eyebrow and said lightly, "If he's going to be so disobedient, castrate him."
Lu Sui awoke with a start and swore to find this unforgivable woman and tear her limb from limb to eliminate the threat.
Later, he really did find her. She had bewitching eyes and a naturally seductive charm. One "General" from her lips made his knees go weak, and for the first time in his life, the decisive and ruthless Lu Sui couldn't bring himself to kill.
Lu Sui thought, if he couldn't kill her, then he'd keep her for himself.
Blurb Two:
Fu Yin had been frail and sickly since childhood. Because a fortune-teller had branded her an ill-fated star, she was sent to live with her maternal aunt in the countryside from a young age.
When she reached marriageable age, her father, who lived in the imperial capital, sent someone to bring her back to the capital. But on the first night of her journey, she had a strange dream.
In the dream, she was dressed in rags and imprisoned in a dungeon. A grim-faced man forced her into a corner and viciously pinched her shoulder blade, his voice cold as he said, "Wicked empress, do you still dare to wish to make me, a general, die without an heir?"
Fu Yin awoke in fright, telling herself it had only been a nightmare. Then, at the spring banquet, she met a man exactly like the one from her dream.
And the way he looked at her was clearly strange...
Theme: Somewhere in this world, someone will cross mountains and rivers to come to you