Back to When My Husband Was Down on His Luck

(My new book next door is now available!) A few years after the kingdom fell, the new emperor arranged a marriage between Yu Huan and the great general Shen Ling. After they married, they got along well, and their life together was quite happy. In his spare time, Shen Ling often told her about the past: He said he'd been lonely as a child, struggled through his youth, and had no one to rely on. Everyone on the streets had been free to bully him... Though he later rose swiftly through the ranks, the memories of his youth remained a wound that not even a lifetime could heal. * Yu Huan's heart ached for him, and she thought to herself: If she'd met Shen Ling when she was young, her status as a princess would have let her protect him for a few years. Then she opened her eyes and found herself back in the past. She was twelve that year. On a whim, her father had taken her along on a trip incognito. By an incredible coincidence, they were visiting Shen Ling's hometown. * She heard that a gang of young thugs was beating up a boy near the market. In her haste, Yu Huan didn't even bring her attendants. She ran straight out of the residence. She grabbed a copper basin she'd found nearby and banged on it, shouting at the thugs: "The constables are here! Let Shen Ling go! Stop beating Shen Ling!" At those words, the thugs immediately stopped moving. They all turned in astonishment to look at Shen Ling, the one who'd been leading the beating. Without changing expression, Shen Ling wiped his face, grabbed the person on the ground without a word, and dragged him to the back. Then he quickly lay down himself. Watching the young woman rush over, he reached out and said in a feeble voice: "Help... I'm in so much pain..." #He's so pitiful, he's faking it #A hard-up general who's a military hooligan and henpecked x a rich, capable, fearless princess #A little ensemble cast, an alternate world, and a mountain of original worldbuilding --- Coming Soon: The Princess Forces a Flower from the Heights --- Shang Xun, heir to the Marquis of Pingxi, joined the army as a young man. He was blessed with extraordinary looks and a bearing that captivated the realm. In his previous life, Princess Lanling fell for Shang Xun at first sight. Ignoring his wishes, she begged her father to force him to become her consort. After their wedding, Shang Xun treated her with icy courtesy. Three times, he passed the princess's residence without entering. On the day of the palace coup, he even abandoned her without hesitation and left the capital. He loathed her utterly. * Reborn, Shaoyin returned to the day her father asked her to choose a scholar to serve as her companion. Everyone knew that when Princess Lanling chose a companion, she was choosing her future husband. So they all did their utmost to win her favor and rise to greatness. But... Shaoyin carefully looked around the room. Among all the young men competing to outshine each other, she still chose the one who was most heavily dressed and covered up the most: Shang Xun. - She knew that a forcibly plucked melon wouldn't be sweet, but she wanted to break him one more time! #A princess who is spiteful toward one person only and deliberately picks fights x a lofty beauty who's been toyed with but can't complain #Shang Xun never imagined that because of her, he'd do every outrageous thing he could think of in this life. --- Coming Soon: Spring Winds Cross the Jade Gate Again --- In later generations, opinions of Qi Keyan, a famed general of the Great Yin, were often divided into two extremes. His admirers praised him as a youthful genius, a master of unorthodox tactics, and a true god of war. His detractors condemned him as a reckless madman and a sinner who doomed tens of thousands of soldiers. He stirred endless controversy in the annals of history, yet even the finest historians devoted few words to him. * Three hundred years passed in the blink of an eye. Yuan Jialuo, daughter of the Duke of Dingguo, was stationed on the northern frontier with her father and brothers. She often heard them lament: If Qi Keyan hadn't lost the Battle of Guye Fort, he could have pressed his advantage and taken back the lands occupied by the barbarian enemy. But the opportunity was lost, and in three hundred years, no one had managed to fulfill that long-held wish. On New Year's Eve, longing for her father and brothers, who had stayed with the army, Yuan Jialuo wrote them a letter. But when their reply arrived, it came with an extra letter that bore no signature. The handwriting was bold and powerful. The writer explained that he'd happened upon a letter and didn't know the sender's name. Noticing that it discussed military strategy, he'd answered a few points on a whim and sent his reply along. * At first, Yuan Jialuo assumed it was a coincidence. Later, a second and then a third anonymous reply about her arrived in her hands. From the writer's tone, she guessed he must be a young man in the prime of his life. They talked about training troops and everyday matters, and they got along remarkably well. Once they'd become familiar through their letters, they discovered that they were both on the northern frontier and might be living not far from each other. They arranged to meet, but no matter how they planned it, every attempt came to nothing. Even when they followed the clues in the letters, they often found that everything had changed. Her suspicions grew. Then she read the letter in which he explained the origin of his name: "I will conquer the Zhiyan tribes on the northern frontier. My surname is Qi." Qi Keyan! * To Yuan Jialuo, Qi Keyan was a mystery she had never been able to unravel. No matter how many historical records and notes she read, or how many times she examined his strategies, she couldn't understand one thing: Why had Qi Keyan, renowned for his godlike skill in war, stubbornly chosen to station his elite troops at Guye Fort, where there was no water, during the crucial Battle of Yin and Yan? In all the turning of three hundred years, she had never imagined she would meet Qi Keyan in this way. ...And uncover the truth of what happened back then! Even fight the Battle of Guye Fort with him again and reclaim their homeland. - I use the years as my brush to paint your noble spirit. A thousand years from now, history will finally give you your due! Theme: When faced with adversity, hold fast to your convictions and turn the impossible into the possible.