The daughters of the capital were each more delicate than a flower. Lin Yujiang, the legitimate daughter of a fifth-rank official, was the queen of flowers. She had a face of incomparable beauty, but came from a humble background and had crude manners.
During a rebellion at the autumn hunt, the queen of flowers and her father saved the emperor.
Her father was made a marquis, and she became a commandery princess.
Lin Yujiang basked in glory throughout the capital, her brilliance rivaling that of the capital's foremost dandy.
The Imperial Consort Xu, who was the most favored woman in the palace, had one son, the Fifth Prince, Li Shengzhou. Deeply loved by the emperor, he was made a prince and granted his own residence at a young age. He eclipsed even the crown prince, earning the admiration of everyone in the capital.
He was the foremost man in the capital.
At a grand banquet in the capital, the guests gathered on a raised platform. One imperial decree made Lin Yujiang a bride-to-be. The decree was drafted, awaiting only the name of the man she would marry to bring about a match.
The many young men below thought to themselves that this woman was beautiful and had won the emperor's favor. Why not... make her a stepping stone on the road to success?
Li Shengzhou, seated below the emperor, lounged against a cushioned backrest with a cold smile, freely downing a jug of wine. Unexpectedly, his own name appeared on the imperial decree.
Thus, the capital's two most talked-about figures became husband and wife.
Before their marriage, Lin Yujiang had thought Li Shengzhou was exactly what he seemed: the capital's foremost dandy. After all, racing horses through the busy streets, betting his princely residence, and trading ten measures of gold for a piece of white stone were things no one but him would do.
How could she have known that the dandy who raced horses through the streets would arrive on their wedding day dressed in bright red wedding robes, riding at full gallop beneath a jade crown? He would sweep aside a villain with a single stroke of his saber, then lean down and lift her bridal sedan's curtain. Through her veil, he would say flirtatiously, drawing close: “My little bride, your lord and husband has come to marry you.”
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When the marriage was decreed, Li Shengzhou had naturally thought Lin Yujiang was a vulgar beauty from a small household, good for nothing but wielding a spear and completely uneducated.
How could such a common thing ever catch his eye!
But when he was ambushed, there was a young girl who feared no danger and carried him from the imperial city all the way beyond its walls.
The vast imperial city could not contain him. Only one delicate shoulder offered him a place to lean on and rely upon.
At that moment, Li Shengzhou fell for her, and never climbed back out.
A little skit in a modern entertainment-industry setting:
Lin Yujiang didn't care about being married off by imperial decree. To those who wanted to use her as a stepping stone, she simply replied, “Don't use me for clout. Let me be the only star in my own soul, thanks.”
Li Shengzhou had carefully cultivated his noble image, but suddenly lost more than half his traffic and was even rumored to be romantically linked with her as a couple.
The two of them both said, “We're not in love. We're just revolutionary comrades.”
The capital's ordinary people who hadn't heard the gossip: “They deserve it!”
The nobles, noblewomen, and young ladies who had heard the gossip: “They'll split up sooner or later!”
Lin Yujiang believed that rumors were seventy percent false and thirty percent true, which meant some of them were still worth believing. So she believed the part about Li Shengzhou not loving her and disliking her.
As a result, in their newlywed bedroom, Li Shengzhou sat by the bed with red eyes and flushed cheeks, beckoning her over with a curled finger. His fingertips warmed her skin as he whispered sweet nothings in her ear.
Lin Yujiang: “Don't believe everything you read online! Anyone who does...”
In an instant, the lights around them went dark.
At last, everyone in the capital lived to see the day the rightful heir ascended the throne.
And then they made their relationship official!
They made it official?!
Reader's guide:
1v1, mutually devoted, sweet romance, alternate universe.
The ancient-world version of a top-tier starlet x a top-tier star
(That's all for now.) Thanks for reading!
Moral: One person for a lifetime, growing old together in love.
