A Dream of the Southern Dynasty

Blurb:

Zhou Zhiyi had spent fifteen years as a gentle, obedient little princess in the Southern Qi imperial palace. She could have followed her mother's arrangements and married a distinguished, talented young nobleman of high rank in Southern Qi. But instead, she fell for Lu Lingxiao, a hostage sent by Northern Chen.

The eldest legitimate son of Northern Chen's great general, Lu Lingxiao had none of a military man's bearing. Instead, he looked like a delicate, sickly scholar with a jade-white face.

Who could resist a handsome young gentleman who was so good at sweet-talking?

On her birthday, Zhou Zhiyi accepted the ancestral jade pendant he gave her, smiling brightly. Her rosy cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she said, "Then be sure to send word back and have Northern Chen come ask for my hand."

But Zhou Zhiyi never saw a marriage proposal. Instead, Southern Qi fell, and everyone in the inner palace was brought to the Hall of Government. There she saw Lu Lingxiao, once so gentle and refined, standing before her in full armor. Without a word, he drew his sword and cut the ropes binding her. "Come on, Ayi."

A princess had become an orphan with both parents dead, but Zhou Zhiyi never imagined her fate could grow even more miserable.

Lu Lingxiao took her back to Northern Chen, then hid her in the home of one of his deputy generals, giving her a new identity so she could stay by his side as a concubine.

Zhou Zhiyi pulled a silver hairpin from her hair and pressed it against her neck until it drew blood, refusing to back down. "What makes you think I would accept such humiliation? Even if you came to ask for my hand with all the proper betrothal gifts and rites, I might still say no."

A coup broke out in Northern Chen, and the great general rebelled. Zhou Zhiyi gazed at the Northern Chen palace, its skies thick with smoke as it burned, with unusual delight. She raised her cup toward Lu Lingxiao and gave him an approving look.

"Ayi, are you happy now?"

"Happy? Of course I am. I'd be even happier if Brother Lingxiao were willing to die for me."

Highlights:

* This is a tragic ending, with plenty of melodrama.

* The heroine falls in love with the hero before the upheaval begins. Neither of them is perfect.

* Every plot point serves the story, and every choice reflects a different standpoint.

* Set in an imagined historical world. The historical details are mostly a blend of Song and Ming influences, along with inventions for the story, so please don't scrutinize them.

Advance Preview: A Young Man's Journey

The Generous Heiress x The Newly Appointed Scholar

"The journey to the capital is long, so please be careful along the way, young master." Qi Wanying handed the young man before her ten taels of gold, carefully wrapped up. After he took them, she belatedly lifted her silk fan to hide her blushing cheeks.

"I will always remember your kindness, miss." The plainly dressed young man clutched the money tightly and blurted out everything he had long wanted to say. "If I pass the examinations one day, I will return to my hometown and ask for your hand!"

Qi Wanying gave a soft, almost inaudible hum and watched him leave.

"Miss, that's the third one this month," her maid complained in exasperation. "How many times can you give away the money you've saved over the past three years?"

"Until it's all gone." Qi Wanying smacked her on the forehead. "I'm counting on these men to remember me if they ever make it big."

The Qi family had been merchants for generations, and every generation had hoped to marry into an official family and change the clan's fate at its roots. But Ying Tian was full of powerful aristocratic clans, and a trend of looking down on merchants had taken hold. In more than a hundred years of the Qi family's history, only the current Old Madam had married into the family at a lower station, after her own family fell from grace due to a scandal.

Qi Wanying had been raised by Old Madam Qi herself. She had inherited the Qi family's sharp business sense, as well as Old Madam Qi's broad outlook and experience, so she was remarkably good at putting on an act.

She might have been good at acting, but her memory was terrible. When Luo Ji appeared before her with a book basket on his back, she shot her maid a look, then promptly took off the golden qilin pendant she always wore and held it out to him, putting on a coy expression. "The journey to the capital is long..."

"So please be careful along the way, young master?" Luo Ji finished her sentence for her. "It's been years, but your lines haven't changed at all, miss."

Qi Wanying stared up at him in shock, then turned to her maid and mouthed: Who is this man?!

Qi Wanying's good-for-nothing fiancé, Du Qin Xu, had lost his father five years ago and his mother two years ago. At long last, his period of mourning was nearly over, and the Du family had sent someone to discuss the marriage. Qi Wanying sat on tenterhooks at home.

She had given away so much money. Why had no one kept their promise and returned to ask for her hand?

"It's the lowly butcher who tends to be honorable, while the scholar is more often a faithless lover! Grandmother was absolutely right!"

"I heard you cursing me as I walked over, Miss Qi." Luo Ji looked rather displeased. "What have I done to make you so angry?"

Note:

* There is a considerable age gap. In the present timeline, the heroine is 18 and the hero is 24. When she gave him money, she was 13 and he was 19. Please don't read if that bothers you.

* This is set in an imagined world with many invented details, so please don't scrutinize them.

* The leads test each other. Please don't read if that bothers you.

Theme: Struggle to survive through hardship, never give up, and reach your goals in the end.