Folding Dai

"Betraying My Sister-in-Law" is now available. Please add "The Princess Is About to Enter the Bridal Chamber for the Ninth Time (Both Reborn)" to your collection! Dai Zheng always dressed in men's clothes. Clever and gifted, she could solve problems that stumped everyone else. But she was only a lowly servant in a wealthy household's back courtyard. One day, she rescued a badly wounded man named Fu Lanxiao. He was like a bloodstained blade, his eyes shadowed by a depth she could not understand. Dai Zheng treated him wonderfully, but in Fu Lanxiao's eyes, she was still an insignificant private slave. That changed in the New Year of that fateful year. Fu Lanxiao rose again, reclaimed his high position, and burned down the place where the two of them had been living. When Dai Zheng saw the carriage that had come to fetch Fu Lanxiao, she finally understood. He was the nobleman he had said she could never hope to reach, and there truly was a world of difference between them. Their promises from the past now seemed like cruel jokes. * By a twist of fate, Dai Zheng acquired a new identity. She wanted to take the imperial examinations and build a better life. After placing first in the examinations, she was summoned to the imperial garden by a secret letter. But someone pinned her against a rockery. Only when she saw his familiar face did she realize he was the infamous Ninth Prince, known for his vicious, unrestrained ways. The man in her memory wore a mocking, cruel smile. "Do you know how they punish those who deceive the emperor?" * Fu Lanxiao appeared refined and otherworldly, but in truth he was ruthless and ambitious. From a Ninth Prince who kept his talents hidden to the lofty Crown Prince, his creed was, "I would rather betray others than let them betray me." But he was wrong. Even his resolute heart had changed. Dai Zheng was once a lowborn private slave he had looked down on, and an opposing minister who had become a thorn in his side. She was also the dreamlike beauty he could neither taste nor beg to possess. Ever since that fire, there had been no longing or love in her eyes when she looked at him. Once, she had valued him above her own life. Later, when he finally gave her what she wanted, she no longer cared for it. Reader's Guide: 1. A one-on-one romance with a groveling male lead and elements of coercive possession. I just love this emperor-and-country-girl pairing. 2. Romance is the focus. All plot developments serve the love story. 3. Do not assume the author's values are reflected in anything in this novel. 4. Set in an alternate world, with a general mix of Tang, Song, and Ming influences. 5. Both leads have flaws, especially the male lead, who is completely unhinged. Read for fun, but if you ever meet a man like this in real life, run! Theme: Perseverance