Rosy Cloud

This novel will be completed on October 3, beginning with Chapter 27. If you've already read those chapters, please don't buy them again! Thanks, everyone! Cheng Yueli, the County Princess of Qixia, was born into a powerful family and acted with arrogant, unbridled abandon. She was notorious throughout the capital. She was in love with the Fifth Prince and insisted that she would marry no one but him. But the Fifth Prince was devoted to the gentle, beautiful daughter of a Vice Minister and despised Cheng Yueli. One winter day, the Vice Minister's daughter pushed Cheng Yueli into the water, nearly killing her. Yet everyone said that Cheng Yueli was malicious, that she had tried to harm someone but brought disaster upon herself, and that she deserved it. Cheng Yueli woke from her coma and, after coming face to face with death, suddenly saw things clearly. If everyone called her an arrogant, overbearing county princess, then she would live up to the name. She lived freely and did as she pleased, and before long she became the capital's most sought-after noblewoman, pursued by the sons of princes and nobles alike. The Crown Prince was in love with her, willing to give up his entire harem and dote on her alone. The God of War general was also in love with her, willing to seize the throne for her and claim the empire with his sword. The Fifth Prince, who had once looked down on her, regretted it deeply. He pleaded earnestly, one word at a time: “Yueli, give me another chance. I swear I'll devote myself to you for the rest of my life.” Cheng Yueli couldn't even be bothered to spare him a glance. She turned elegantly and walked toward the handsome young guard who was utterly devoted to her. From then on, people said that all the princes and noble sons in the capital shared the same unattainable first love. #I'll avenge myself and clear my own name. #No matter how fiercely your regret burns, I won't turn back. Tips: Fierce county princess x utterly devoted young guard The dynasty is entirely fictional, with no historical research whatsoever (note: absolutely none! Not even a little.) The endgame couple is the young guard, so the third male lead gets the girl (not a homewrecker). Cover art used with permission from artist Hua Zhongjin-A Tang -- Coming soon: Prince, Your Princess and Your Shadow Guard Have Left “Your Highness, the Princess Consort has been confined to the side hall for three days.” “Has she admitted her mistake?” “No. She left with your shadow guard on the very first night.” 1. Xie Yao was the legitimate daughter of the powerful Xie family. For the sake of her family's interests, she married Lu Qi, Prince of Lin'an, and helped him ascend the throne. Xie Yao helped Lu Qi deal with the princes who were fighting him for the throne, sparing no effort. But one night, while strolling through the garden, she accidentally saw her husband meeting in secret with another woman. They plotted together to depose Xie Yao once Prince of Lin'an ascended the throne, and make his favorite concubine empress instead. Lu Qi's shadow guard witnessed the scene as well. The shadow guard asked Xie Yao, “Princess Consort, want some melon seeds?” Xie Yao nodded. “Yes, thank you.” And so Xie Yao and the shadow guard hid in a corner, cracking melon seeds as they listened to her husband plot how to secretly get rid of his wife once he succeeded. 2. The Xie and Lu families were bound together by marriage, sharing both honor and disgrace. Even though she knew what Lu Qi was planning, Xie Yao had to keep helping him fight their external enemies for the sake of the Xie family. But to Xie Yao's surprise, Lu Qi treated her differently from what she had expected. He went from being coldly polite to taking care of her in every possible way. Lu Qi grew increasingly gentle and considerate, as if he truly wanted them to be a loving couple. Xie Yao kept hiding in corners with the shadow guard to eat melon seeds. “Hmph, men. The nicer they act, the more they want to hurt you inside.” 3. Lu Qi successfully claimed the throne. To protect herself, Xie Yao put her carefully devised escape plan into action and left the palace with the shadow guard, heading far away. The two lived freely outside the palace, but rumors from the court kept reaching them: the new emperor seemed to have gone mad, constantly sending people to search for his Princess Consort, his empress. Later, Xie Yao met Lu Qi again. The emperor, the Son of Heaven, turned red-eyed the moment he saw her. Lu Qi, Prince of Lin'an, married his principal consort, believing that their marriage was a political alliance without affection. He planned for them to remain polite but distant, a couple who were closer than family yet strangers in every other way. But he failed to realize that, without knowing it, he had fallen in love with his beautiful and brilliant wife. By the time he belatedly recognized his feelings, he was deeply in love and unable to extricate himself. After ascending the throne, Lu Qi planned to make his princess consort empress, shower her with every kindness, and live with her as a blissful couple. But on the night after his coronation, his beloved wife and his shadow guard both disappeared. Tips: 1. The male lead doesn't like the heroine from the start, but gradually falls in love with her. 2. The leads share the same goals and work together against their enemies. 3. The heroine is the legitimate daughter of a powerful family. She never fell for the male lead, but her family's interests come before her personal feelings. 4. The second male lead gets the girl. Theme: Even in adversity, face the sunlight and weather every storm with resilience.