The Beauty Offered to the Powerful

To escape, Shi Zhinuo once gave herself to that cruel, twisted man. When she returned to the capital, she discovered that this was the day Gu Yunguang, son of the powerful Prince of Huainan, was returning to the capital. In the crush of the crowd, someone shoved her into the middle of the road. Before she could get up, she heard the clatter of hooves overhead. She looked up in shock. The man on horseback met her gaze, backlit by the sun. His hard features were just visible. He was strikingly handsome, and his gaze carried the casual arrogance of a man born to privilege. She couldn't stop trembling. Because this was the very man she had once given herself to. Not long after she returned to the capital, Shi Zhinuo was offered to Gu Yunguang once more, becoming his concubine for pleasure. Ever since she entered his household, he summoned her to his bed almost every night. His control and possessiveness were nearly pathological. She had never encountered such a mad dog. The more she resisted, the more fiercely he clung to her, so she faked her death and escaped. * Everyone who knows Gu Yunguang knows how ruthless and heartless he is. He has never cared for love. But later, for one woman, he killed the crown prince and ascended the throne despite the fury of the entire realm. He personally placed her at his side as empress, and even went gray overnight for her, nearly going mad in his desperate longing for the slightest scrap of affection. Yet all she ever wanted was to escape him. * After escaping, Shi Zhinuo lived alone under an assumed name, thinking she could finally enjoy a quiet life. Until one day, a young man with snow-white hair came after her again. His gaze clung to her. “Wu'er, don't fall for anyone else. If... if you absolutely have to choose someone else, could you come see me when he isn't looking?” Shi Zhinuo looked at the handsome young man, his eyes red at the corners, and gave him a strange look. Was he begging her to sleep with him? (Reader's guide: ★ Note: The male lead is a dark, crawling-on-the-ground mad dog. Cruel in the beginning, then he falls hard and forcibly takes her for himself. ★ Also known as: Buried Jade, Buried Fragrance; The Powerful Man's Beloved; Snow at Her Temples ★ Character setup: Proud, mad-dog marquis vs. cool, refined young lady ★ A story of a powerful man forcibly claiming the woman he hates. ★ The heroine fakes her death; the male lead becomes obsessive and unhinged. Happy ending, both leads sexually inexperienced. ★ They dislike and attract each other at first. A face-slapping romance where he eats his words. ★ Sister novel to Long Life, Good Fortune ★ The heroine is eighteen. This is an alternate setting. The blurb was probably drafted around September 2022. Theme: After struggling with myself for a long time, I'd rather be myself.