Broken Kite

Blurb: Disaster strikes the Duke of An's household. All the women are sent to the imperial entertainment bureau, becoming delicate flowers for the powerful men of the capital to pluck. The orphaned cousin, Luo Yuan, has spent over a decade living at the mercy of others. For the rest of her life, she can only be a lowly servant, waiting on people. Luo Yuan refuses to accept this fate. Someone advises her, "The Prince Yu's heir is of noble birth and has admired your face for a long time. Being a highborn man's concubine is better than becoming a common courtesan. This could be your way out." Rather than serve a crowd of men, she would be better off winning one man's heart. Luo Yuan makes up her mind. As she dances and pours wine at a banquet, she lets herself go limp and falls into the heir's arms. The guests erupt in shock, and whispers fill the room. She thinks she's already succeeded, but when she gets a good look at the man, her breath catches. This isn't the heir. This is... * Outsiders praise Crown Prince Rong Heng as a refined gentleman, unaware that he is unruly, cruel, and a complete madman. When he was young and powerless, the crown prince was betrayed and abused by an official's daughter, and nearly lost his life. When they meet again, he coldly watches her try to ingratiate herself with him in hopes of finding a way out. But later, when she aims her clumsy flirtatious glances at someone else, he can't stand it. He thinks that if he wants revenge, it would be better to keep her by his side and slowly "torment" her. Years of taming her prove quite effective. The once-arrogant crown prince kneels before Luo Yuan, bowing his head. He kneels at her feet and tenderly kisses her knees again and again, his voice trembling as he begs, "Be my empress. I beg you." P.S.: 1. A scheming (airheaded) beauty x a cunning (jealous) crown prince. The male lead is no good man. A powerful man lowers his head to beg for love. Includes coercive romance, a groveling pursuit, the heroine faking her death and running away while pregnant, and other melodramatic plotlines. One-on-one, happy ending. 2. The heroine will not be put through angst. The heroine will not be put through angst. The heroine will not be put through angst. 3. A story about a man who tries to make the heroine submit, only to be tamed by her instead. Theme: Love is mutual.