Spring Branches Never Stay

* In their previous lives, Xie Luanzhi was a lowly clerk who disguised herself as a man and struggled to survive, while Zhu Jiong was an aloof and ruthless ruler who made every decision himself.

“Why... aren't you a woman?”

When Zhu Jiong murmured those words, Xie Luanzhi chose to remain silent.

And so Zhu Jiong never learned the truth, not even when he died with regrets after being ambushed. War eventually broke out everywhere, and Xie Luanzhi also died tragically amid the flames of battle.

Reborn, Xie Luanzhi decided to take another path and never repeat her past mistakes.

At the time, Zhu Jiong was a disgraced prince who had only just been found and brought back. She entered the palace and went to Mingze Hall, becoming a young palace maid at Zhu Jiong's side.

She did everything she could to get close to him, offering advice, helping him through his troubles, and staying by his side through countless days and nights.

In this life, he would still become the supreme emperor, while she would remain his loyal little palace maid. They would each get what they needed, and that would be just fine.

From the Cold Palace to the Prince of Dai's residence and then to the imperial palace, Miss A Luan's reputation grew and grew. Everything went smoothly, except for Zhu Jiong's reaction.

Zhu Jiong was a disgraced prince who had grown up away from home and had only just been found and brought back. A young palace maid named A Luan came to serve him.

The first time he saw A Luan, he felt an inexplicable fondness for her. The strange familiarity unsettled him, while something deep inside him cried out that he had to keep her.

Everything about A Luan suited him. He thought she would stay by his side forever, but she still betrayed him.

As his memories gradually returned, Zhu Jiong's fury was followed by a trace of joy and satisfaction.

“Xie Luanzhi, or should I call you Lord Xie?”

He declared, “In this life, I will no longer hold back.”

Tips:

[The male lead is not attracted to men, so read without worry]

[Both leads are reborn; the male lead only gradually recovers his memories later on]

[I'm terrible at writing blurbs, but the story is still deliciously angsty and melodramatic]

[No historical research whatsoever. The author makes all the rules]

Upcoming: The Nobleman's Secret Mistress

To stay alive, Qing Yi hid her identity and took refuge in the Bailan House, where she became an inconspicuous musician.

At a feast full of song and dance, amid the noisy clinking of cups, only Chu He noticed the beautiful woman in the corner, illuminated by the candlelight.

After listening to her play, he turned away with indifference. So what if she was beautiful? She was merely a woman who used her looks to entertain men and flaunt her charms.

But perhaps the woman had learned some art of seduction, because from then on, her pale face kept appearing in Chu He's dreams.

When they met again, he was high on horseback, and she tumbled through the rain to his feet, disheveled. Clinging to him like a drowning woman to a lifeline, she begged, “Please save me. Just don't let those people take me away, and I'll give you anything.”

“What do you have to give me besides yourself?”

Qing Yi's face paled. She raised her head and said firmly, “As long as you keep your word, my lord.”

“War is coming. I need an heir.”

“All right.”

Chu He thought that if it were her, perhaps the child she bore would be someone he could grow to love.

The new emperor ascended the throne and issued an edict throughout the realm, offering a reward of a thousand gold pieces for finding his twin sister, Princess Jingyi, who had gone missing during the war.

After a great fire, a little secret mistress disappeared from Fu'an Alley, while the palace welcomed back the emperor's most beloved jewel.

Five years later, when Chu He returned to the capital, he turned down everyone who tried to arrange a marriage for him. “I already have a wife.”

Then, at a flower-viewing banquet, he looked up and saw a woman. Who else could it be but his Wanwan? Yet everyone called her Her Highness the Princess, and she already had a prince consort by her side.

*The male lead is Chu He. He is devoted to the female lead, body and soul, throughout. Happy ending.

Upcoming: The Female Shadow Guard

Dian Yu transmigrated into the body of a shadow guard. Carefully keeping a low profile in this high-risk job, she hoped to make it safely to retirement.

Perhaps because she was so good at staying alive, she became the only surviving assassin on Young Master Luan Yi's journey to serve as a hostage in another state.

“You abandoned me? How dare you betray me? Who bought you off?” Luan Yi stared at her in shock and fury.

Now was the time to leave, so Dian Yu rolled her eyes and snapped, “I've put up with that high-and-mighty, self-important attitude of yours for ages. And with a temper like yours, do you think there's even one thing about you people could like?”

“I've wanted to tell you this for ages: I quit. I'm done. Get it?” Saying it out loud made her feel as if all her frustration had vanished, leaving her refreshed and clearheaded.

But the more satisfying it was to say, the more painful it was to eat her words. In the end, she was forced to keep working in that job.

When Young Master Yi returned from serving as a hostage and ascended the throne, he issued two edicts. The first was to marry Miss Jiang into the palace as his empress. The second was to make a maid at his side his secondary consort.

The first was just what everyone had expected. The second sparked plenty of rumors. Many said the king was rewarding the maid for her loyal service in the enemy state.

“I know you're proud and unwilling to be beneath anyone. From now on, you'll be my secondary consort, no longer a servant. Surely now you can feel at ease.”

The newly appointed secondary consort stamped on the edict and stabbed the king.

She laughed. “A secondary consort? Whoever takes that title is a dog.”

She thought they were soulmates, only for him to turn around and marry his first love. All she could do was shout, “What a load of crap!”

“I don't need your damn reward. I just want the payment you promised.” She shot him a sidelong glance. “What, Young Master Yi? Can't afford to pay up, so you're trying to get out of it by giving me the title of secondary consort?”

Theme: Survive in adversity