[The companion series, Sin's Return, is now being serialized]
Zhao Lingxi was the most outrageous princess since the founding of the Dayin dynasty.
At a court assembly, she took a liking to the newly appointed top scholar who had openly berated her. She had him locked up before the palace hall and waited for the day he would submit to her. She tried every means at her disposal, but Zhang Tuan never bowed his head, not even when she drank poison and took her own life.
The poisoned wine tasted sour and bitter. She frowned and drank half the flask in one go.
No matter how sour or bitter it was, it couldn't compare to the look on Lord Zhang's face toward her, she thought.
·
According to official history, Zhang Tuan, chief minister during the Kai Long era of the Min dynasty, was an incorruptible, self-disciplined public servant with a distinguished record, a pillar of the nation.
His one stain was that he had been imprisoned by Zhao Lingxi for three years, made Imperial Censor of the Palace Hall in name, but kept as a captive and toyed with and humiliated at her whim. For the sake of the people, he endured the disgrace and masterminded the coup that put the Seventh Prince on the throne.
On the day of the palace coup, she drank poison before his eyes.
He had never bowed his head before, but now, facing the princess's corpse, he lowered it. It was too late.
The common people all called her licentious and cruel, a scourge on the court. But Zhang Tuan remembered only that winter, when his parents died and the emperor had him remain in office. As endless white snow smothered the palace, she held a paper umbrella and let him return to his hometown to mourn, allowing him to fulfill his filial duty. Yet he had driven her to her death.
On a long, snowy night, he drank the remaining half flask of poison she had left behind.
·
When Zhang Tuan awoke, everyone in the room saw the usually solemn, restrained Lord Zhang laughing through his tears and thought Zhao Lingxi had driven him mad.
Only he knew the truth: she wasn't dead.
Zhao Lingxi had thought her fake-death escape plan flawless. She had meant to travel the world and enjoy the rest of her life, but before she could even leave the capital, a fast horse carried her off to the chief minister's residence.
"Zhang Tuan, who gave you the nerve to put me under house arrest?"
Facing Zhao Lingxi as she angrily berated him, the elegant and unruffled Chief Minister Zhang replied with perfect courtesy, "Your Highness did."
Reader's guide:
1. Entirely fictional setting. No need to fact-check.
2. The heroine is not a virgin, the hero is. Happy ending.
3. Early on, she really does abuse her power, meddle in government, and act spoiled and outrageous. This may raise your blood pressure, so read with caution. Please unclench your fists and stay calm, stay calm, stay calm. It's not worth getting upset over, not worth it, not worth it.
Fourth version of the blurb, 2022/1/27.
Completed story: The Courtesan, a courtesan x a martial-world assassin. See my profile!
Blurb for Sin's Return
Gui Fengxing is the adopted daughter of the emperor and his chief minister. Favored by the emperor and elevated almost to the status of crown prince, she has every man in the capital vying for her attention, and she handles them all with ease.
But there are two exceptions.
One is the person she loved when she was young. She doesn't want to manipulate him.
The other is Crown Prince Zhao Jie, who wants to manipulate her.
·
Born the emperor's eldest grandson, Zhao Jie is of the highest rank.
But royal kinship is as thin as paper. His grandfather is merciless, his father was deposed, his uncle staged a coup, and his aunt rebelled. Forced to become a monk as a child, he lost his birth mother as a result. As an adult, he was forced to return to lay life and spent every day walking on eggshells.
After being betrayed by his own family time and again, he stopped trusting anyone
except Fengxing.
He believes Fengxing is sincere, genuine, and kind to the core. He plans to manipulate her, use her to take revenge, seize power, and ascend the throne.
But the moment she lies wounded in his arms, he regrets it.
·
Fengxing knows Zhao Jie has had a miserable life, so she pities him. But he caused her to lose her family and friends, leaving her all alone.
She also knows he loves her, so she takes advantage of it and torments him to vent her hatred.
After all, love and hate are so alike that he can't tell them apart.
·
Zhao Jie needs Fengxing's love, and he gets it as he wishes.
Fengxing cherishes him, trusts him, and depends on him, but she also tends to overthink, suddenly grow distant, and put him through the wringer again and again.
He knows it's because he once hurt her, making her anxious and insecure.
That's all right. He will cherish her all the more, protect her, and heal her.
But he forgets: how could the emperor and chief minister's adopted daughter be an innocent little rabbit?
She was pretending.
He fell for it.
#If he can tell them apart, does that mean he can't be manipulated?
#The one who's truly insecure may be someone else entirely.
Theme: Virtue is cultivated through good deeds.
The writing is too good, which is also a worry. As I read along, I always felt that the emotional line was not as well written as the career line. It always feels weird to write the emotional line in this style of writing. However, I particularly like the heroine's growth and changes in her mood along the way, and finally becomes a wise king. As expected, career is the most enjoyable.
When will the teacher open "Ancestors"? I've been waiting for a long time!
There is also archeology for later generations. Thousands of years later, people feel a bit like traveling in time. They also have a daughter, and I kind of want to see them raising their baby.
I like the first thirty chapters the most, but unfortunately there are basically no emotional scenes in them. Fortunately, the heroine ascends to the throne at the end. It would be better if it were a romance novel.
I have been crying since the beginning of the episode. There is a hint of sadness in the whole text. Even though it is he, everyone still feels like it? The writing is so good and has great staying power.
Review completed! I still like it after watching it again (character setting, concept, writing style, plot, foreshadowing, details, quotations from classics, aesthetics, etc.). It can be ranked in my top 3 ancient sayings. The teacher is Kami [Spreading Flowers]! And I am even more curious about the story of Shi Zhi, so I continue to knock on the bowl and wait for the next door (while waiting, I will review it from the beginning again) 🥺.
Ah ah ah, the first thing Princess Zhang Tuan said when they first met was "What's your name?", And now they still say the same thing when they meet again. You must be happy in this life.
Is this the reincarnation of Xihe Tuan in the end?
Alas, the male and female protagonists in this article are a perfect match. The male protagonist did a pretty good job in the end.
Hahaha, the playbook of "Beautiful Talents" can be used as a stage set. The writing is so good.