Because of the premise, this story may undergo major revisions. It's so difficult, QAQ. I'll revise For My Wife first, then this one.
[Highborn noblewoman × Lord of Yanzhou City]
Desert, wilderness, an eagle crying high above, dust everywhere, sand and stones flying.
Liu Suci lifted the carriage curtain and gazed toward the vast desert of the northern frontier.
When she first arrived, she hated and despised him, looking down on this coarse, overbearing brute.
Later, in the bitter cold of a winter night, they were trapped together in the snow. He took off his outer robe to warm her, his strong, muscular body radiating endless heat.
When enemies attacked without warning, he reined in his horse and raised his blade, clad in black armor and a dark robe, a peerless figure of martial valor. One command from him could summon a thousand troops.
Only then did she understand the weight he bore: the peace of the common people and the future of the northern frontier.
*Bonus Scene
Liu Suci stayed in the northern frontier for three months, then set off for the capital.
Four months later, her carriage entered the capital.
That night, the man, covered in road dust, pinned her against the headboard. His arm, hard as iron, held her fast. His face dark, he gritted his teeth and threatened, “Liu Suci, if you dare marry that pretty boy with our son in tow, I'll chop him up and feed him to the dogs!”
@Content warnings
1. Both leads are sexually inexperienced.
2. One-on-one, happy ending.
Pre-release: Spring Deep in the Palace
*
Xi He had known since childhood that she was the daughter of Consort Mei and another man. So although she bore the title of princess, she had never been favored by the emperor.
Her birth mother chose a husband for her, settling on the only son of the Minister of Revenue. But when she married into his household, she discovered she had merely jumped into another prison.
On the crown prince's birthday, Xi He was invited to Penglai Palace. Around midday, she got drunk. When she woke, the crown prince's collar was open as he applied salve to the rows of scars on her wrists. His dark eyes gave nothing away as he asked, “Who did this?”
Xi He came to her senses and instinctively pulled her hand back, but the man held it firmly. He looked down at her, his eyes cold as ice. “Qin Xiao?”
Qin Xiao was her husband.
She looked away, flustered, and sat up, covering the collar of her inner robe. “Xi He behaved improperly and offended you. Please forgive me, Imperial Brother.”
The crown prince put away the medicine box, rubbed the jade thumb ring on his thumb, and looked at her. “Little sister, you are far too disobedient.”
Three days later, the Qin household was confiscated on charges of treason, and Qin Xiao was beheaded in the street.
*
The current emperor was obsessed with cultivating the Dao and paid no attention to state affairs, leaving all the court's business to the crown prince.
Li Yunci, the crown prince, was exceptionally gifted. After two years governing the realm, he had won the respect of the entire court. Yet in private, the dignified and self-possessed crown prince had an affair no one knew about.
Li Yunci would never forget how she once clung to him, begging desperately, or how she used him to get what she wanted.
He would also never forget how she deceived him, kept things from him, and persuaded him to leave the capital, only to dress in wedding finery and marry someone else.
@Content warnings
1. Both leads are sexually inexperienced.
2. The female lead was never entered into the imperial register. After marrying, she was no longer a princess and was known as Madam Qin. She and the male lead are not related by blood in any way.
Theme: Life is resilient. Never give in
