The Crown Prince's Allure

Wushuang became Gong Tuo's maid at fifteen, serving him from his fresh-faced youth to the elegant young gentleman he was today.

Outsiders all said she had won the favor of the Earl's heir and lived an easy life, with no need to toil from dawn till dusk.

Only Wushuang knew how carefully she had to tread, always afraid of taking one wrong step. That so-called favor was faint and fleeting. In Gong Tuo's eyes, she was still just a servant.

Youth slips away quickly. She didn't want to spend her whole life like this, so she planned to save some money, leave the manor, live an ordinary life, and find an honest man who could accept her.

She tactfully broached the idea with Gong Tuo. He smiled faintly and said nothing.

His Wushuang had always been gentle and obedient. She was acting so cautiously now only because his family was arranging a marriage for him and she had become a little uneasy, because she cared too much about him. With good food and comfortable lodgings, he didn't believe she would leave.

Before departing on a diplomatic mission to a foreign land, he had someone send a great many things to her room, which was his way of comforting her.

Half a year later, Gong Tuo returned to find her room empty. His family told him that Wushuang had been released from servitude and taken away by someone.

.

On her wedding day, Wushuang stood in an empty wedding hall, dressed in a brilliant red bridal gown. There were no guests, and her future husband was nowhere to be seen.

The man in the seat of honor held a cup of tea. As handsome and graceful as ever, he gazed at her coolly.

She couldn't help taking a step back, her eyes reddening with anger. "Young Master, I am free now."

Gong Tuo stared at her lovely face, remembering the feel of that slender waist in his hand. At her words, he laughed in anger. "Are you?"

He had kept her all these years and watched her grow into the woman she was now. He hadn't done all that just to let someone else have her.

Coming soon: The Yao Robe. Please add it to your reading list.

After one unexpected night of passion, Yao Yi's reputation was utterly ruined. Rumors spread that she had been tricked and violated.

As the gossip grew louder, an imposing carriage stopped outside the Yuan family home. Yao Yi knew her family could no longer keep her. Amid her father's sighs, she resolutely climbed into the carriage. The neighbors pointed and whispered that this was just a wealthy family's attempt to save face, and that she would be tormented to death sooner or later.

Anxious and uncertain, she was brought to a grand residence. Many days later, she finally met Zhan Duo.

He was noble and aloof, with the proud bearing of a pine standing tall on a peak. His gaze upon her was distant.

Yao Yi had no intention of currying favor. She simply had nowhere else to go and needed a place to stay for a while.

She was always careful to keep her distance, never going to bother Zhan Duo. She would leave when the time was right.

.

Zhan Duo went to his maternal grandfather's home to celebrate his birthday. Someone with ulterior motives persuaded him to drink a cup of wine, and afterward, he lost control and took a woman.

As a proud son of an aristocratic family, he ought to accept responsibility for his mistake. But the Zhan family was a noble clan. There was no way he could marry the woman.

She was poorly educated and knew nothing of music. Even her voice was soft. At least she was well behaved, so he thought he might take her as a concubine after some time. That would be fair enough to her.

Unexpectedly, when he returned from a trip, the gatekeeper handed him a wedding invitation from the countryside.

The invitation said that the kindhearted Lady Zhan had found Yao Yi a match. The man was a fine prospect, and the wedding date had already been set.

When Zhan Duo hurried to the little house in the countryside, he saw Yao Yi sitting by candlelight, sewing her wedding dress.

Seeing him, Yao Yi rose with a radiant smile. "Young Master, you've got the date wrong."

Zhan Duo's gaze darkened. He dragged her into the bedchamber and held her just as tightly as he had on the day he had been set up. Again and again, she pushed him away.

He pulled her into his arms. Her trembling voice sounded in his ear, again and again: "You can't. You can't..."

Theme: Time flows downstream, while life is a boat rowing against the current.