Cooking Wine in the Eastern Eaves

Condensed blurb:

An ambiguous, intimate touch of rouge at a banquet turns a fourteen-year-old boy into a dazzling pawn in the hands of the crown prince. Whether cold or heartless, the prince keeps him close in the name of deep affection. Perhaps the boy's clear, jade-like features are exactly what this future ruler has been searching for. From the first moment he sees him, strange feelings take root, until he has the boy's fate entirely in his hands: from guard to bedmate, then from bedmate to assassin. How wide is the gulf from hatred to absolute love, and how many years must pass before the two can lean on each other through decades of hardship?

He thought that when he drove in that sword, it would pierce the other's entire desolate heart. But the wound was his own, and in the end, it was his own heart that hurt. Either way, he lost. This time, though, he lost to the other's love...

A prequel to "Arhat Peach Blossom," set against the same broad backdrop. Although it has some connections to "Arhat Peach Blossom," it's a prequel, so the ties aren't that significant and it can be read on its own. The story takes place earlier in the fictional historical timeline and is based on the Prince X Xiao Zhu pairing from Peach Blossom. It tells of Ruan Yuzhu, who is given to the crown prince as a guard, and his transformation from a loyal puppy to a tsundere, then from a cold-hearted man to a queen. Of course, the ending is the same as in Peach Blossom, and Xizi Yu still becomes emperor in the end.

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Strongly recommended by a friend:

A new work from our very own Weiran, who has returned! A scheming, seductive bottom versus a cold emperor top. Throwing flowers, clapping wildly, tossing chairs, shaking my head! Go read it, go read it! A tearful recommendation. This author is especially good at writing tragic romances that still keep you hooked. I'm in tears. Once I fall into this author's pit, I can't climb back out~~