Seeking the Bright Moon

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Jiang Ling is a princess of Great Yan, the orphaned daughter of a loyal minister, and a woman of unmatched status.

One day, she learns in a dream that she is nothing more than the heroine of a clichéd romance novel. The people who care for her are only pretending, and Zhao Jing, the Fourth Prince she is about to marry, is no suitable match for her either.

In the future, he will torment her in body and mind. After she suffers every hardship imaginable, she and Zhao Jing will finally “live happily ever after.”

When Jiang Ling wakes, she looks at the so-called male lead before her and feels fear and revulsion unlike anything she has ever known.

Now that she has seen through the ending, she decides she must change it with her own hands.

The Crown Prince is refined and courteous, and gifts her a famous zither with a smile.

Prince Kang is witty and amusing, drawing out her name as he calls her “Little Ling.”

Jiang Ling turns her attention to Song Huai, an inspector in the Imperial Listening Bureau.

In her dream, he repeatedly opposed Zhao Jing and had nearly succeeded in taking his life.

On a moonless, windy night, Jiang Ling lifts her eyes to the tall, handsome young man before her and says, word by word, “My lord, would you dare to oppose the imperial family?”

As soon as the words leave her mouth, a large hand brushes her hair and plucks away a peach blossom that must have landed on her head. The corner of his mouth curves slightly, though it is hard to tell whether he is looking at the flower or at her.

“Your Highness and I are both alone in this world. If we lose, then so be it. But if we win...”

A low laugh drifts through the night. “What do you think, Your Highness?”

Later, after Jiang Ling has done everything in her power to win her freedom,

A defeated young lord lies in a dim prison, covered in blood and dust.

She only lowers her eyes and smiles faintly. “Zhao Jing, we will never meet again.”

With old grievances settled, Jiang Ling breathes a sigh of relief. Just as she is preparing to take her maids and matrons on a leisurely tour of the world, never again to get entangled in the capital's affairs, she belatedly realizes that she seems to have... gotten herself into a new mess?

Jiang Ling: ...I'm exhausted.

Song Huai entered officialdom at a young age. At first, he only meant to use the celebrated beauty of the capital for his own ends. After all, the enemy of one's enemy is one's friend.

But no matter what, he never expected that he would be the one to get too deeply into character. There was nothing for it, then: he would just have to make the pretend romance real.

After going to great lengths to marry her, he finds his bride missing on their wedding night.

A thin sheet of paper lies on the desk, its handwriting impossibly carefree: Lord Song, this is where my performance ends. I wish you a bright future.

His eyes instantly darken, as if a raging storm has begun to churn within them.

[Dream sequence: Chapters 6-16]

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One couple, both each other's first and only

The scumbag gets his comeuppance, but there is no getting back together

#When the heroine of an angsty romance fights back#

The setting is entirely fictional. No need to scrutinize the details.

Theme: Never give up on life