*1
As the legitimate daughter of a collateral branch of the Xie clan of Chen Commandery, Tonghua was given a childhood name at birth: Yuanniang.
The character Yuan symbolized a fresh start for their branch of the family.
Though such high hopes were placed on her, she wasn't blessed with the same good fortune as her cousins who lived in Luoyang.
She was unlucky. When she was five, infighting within the Xie family grew fierce, and someone secretly sabotaged her branch. They had no choice but to move the entire family to Jinling.
And so she grew up quietly in Jinling for twelve years.
But all those years of keeping her head down couldn't withstand the twists of fate.
She met that young man only three times:
The first time, a stone bridge blocked her way. He was frivolous and boorish, utterly repulsive.
The second time, at a villa south of the city, he saved her from drowning, but he still couldn't keep his mouth shut.
The third time, with a marriage contract, gongs and drums blaring, they had to greet each other with smiles.
She knew she had no say in her own marriage. She'd somehow married a notorious playboy, and her life was over.
On her wedding day, dressed in an exquisite white brocade wedding gown, she clutched the fan that hid her face and spoke with anger in her voice.
"A man should marry a virtuous woman, and a woman should marry a man with ambition. I'm not virtuous, and you're not ambitious. This marriage won't work."
The young man, dressed in white as well, turned around. His eyes were gentle as flowing water. There wasn't the slightest trace of a playboy in him.
"We've come this far. It's a little too late to back out. Let's just make the best of it."
Xie Tonghua: ...
*2
Zhou Hongyuan had lived flamboyantly in Runan for eighteen years.
Who in all of Runan didn't know his reputation as the biggest playboy around?
He'd been quite pleased with it, until he met her.
At first: "Hmph, she's just the legitimate daughter of a collateral branch of the Xie clan of Chen Commandery. How could she compare to the legitimate son of the main branch of the Zhou clan of Runan?"
Later: "This young lady is interesting. I'll arrange to bump into her, tease her, and pester her!"
Finally: "Father, can we take a marriage contract to the Xie family and ask for her hand? Yuanniang is the only one for me in this life!"
#She gets mad, he laughs. He deserves to suffer through the long road to winning his wife back.#
*An alternate world. Official titles and forms of address are modeled on the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties.
*Reading guide:
1. One couple, one-on-one romance, both leads' first love, a bickering couple, a slow-burn sweet romance with a gentle pace, everyday family life, and kindergarten-level political scheming. Contains original worldbuilding, so please don't overanalyze. Nitpicking and contrarian arguments are not welcome.
2. Both leads are fictional.
3. I've looked into the historical details. Weddings during the Two Jin periods were mostly held in white, and the veil-lifting ceremony existed. This story follows that convention.
4. This is a companion story to my other novel, "A Branch Folded for Love." You're welcome to read both. The Zhou siblings are eagerly waiting all day for lovely readers to drop by. Love you!
*Warnings: No warnings.
[Blurb written on July 23, 2022. Please do not repost.]
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