Old Tales of Xichuan

[Advance Purchase Notice: This novel will go on sale starting with Chapter 22 on June 3. Thank you for your support!]

Please check out my upcoming novel, Madam, Are You Impeaching Me Again Today? (*^ω^*)!

Upcoming Novel Synopsis:

A dashing, unruly young general x an upright female censor

Xue Zhuyin was exceptionally talented, cool and dignified, and born into a prestigious family. From childhood, she studied alongside the imperial princes and princesses at the Hall of Literary Studies. She rose to become an Investigating Censor, and was not only the foremost noblewoman in the capital but also the Crown Prince's most trusted aide.

Her mother, Princess Changhua, doted on her daughter and turned away every suitor who came to call. As a result, Xue Zhuyin was approaching twenty, and still had no marriage prospects.

Xue Zhuyin devoted herself to court affairs and had no interest in romance. She thought it made little difference whom she married. When her imperial uncle, the emperor, asked what she hoped for in a future husband, she smiled faintly and said only that she hoped he wouldn't be a wastrel.

In the third year of Chengqian, at Xue Zhuyin's twentieth birthday banquet, the emperor issued an edict on the spot, marrying her to the young Marquis Gu Xiuyuan, known as General Gu.

At the announcement, Xue Zhuyin looked over. The young general was surrounded by songstresses, carefree and flirtatious, raising his cup to her from across the banquet amid the clinking of cups.

It took her a long while to remember: was this the same Gu Xiaobao who skipped school every day to haunt the pleasure quarters?

After their wedding, following the ancient maxim, "To govern a state, first put one's own household in order," Xue Zhuyin put her skills as an Investigating Censor to use. As long as she drew breath, she would keep impeaching him.

Gu Xiuyuan spent the night in a brothel, squandered a fortune, and bought the freedom of the famous courtesan Su Lingyan. She impeached him.

Gu Xiuyuan ignored military discipline, indulged in amusement, and played cuju with the soldiers in camp. She impeached him.

Gu Xiuyuan was narrow-minded and disregarded the greater good, placing one woman's life above the safety of an entire city. She impeached him...

One day, Xue Zhuyin went looking for writing supplies in Gu Xiuyuan's study. While searching, she accidentally knocked a book to the floor, and a yellowed sheet slipped out. It seemed to be a discarded draft of a memorial Gu Xiuyuan had written long ago. In bold, graceful handwriting, it held only a few short lines:

I, Gu Xiuyuan, am willing to trade my achievements in conquering cities and lands for a marriage alliance with Miss Xue, and a lifetime together until our hair turns white.

P.S. The male lead is very chaste. There are extenuating circumstances behind his nights at the brothel and buying the famous courtesan's freedom.

Synopsis of this novel:

On a snowy day, the physician Lin Xiruo rescued a destitute stranger named Luo Chuan. He promised her a favor. As it happened, Xiruo was troubled by a marriage arrangement, so she asked Luo Chuan to help her put a stop to it.

"May I ask you something, Doctor Lin? Is there someone you love?"

"No."

"If I help you this time, what will you do the next time you're caught in a difficult situation like this?"

"I'll find a way when the time comes."

"I have a plan. It will let me step in and put an end to this marriage arrangement quite naturally, and solve the problem once and for all, so you won't have to deal with this again."

"I'm listening."

"Marry me."

"..."

"This is only an act. When you find someone else you love, I'll divorce you, and you can have your happy ending."

Xiruo thought it was a fine plan and readily agreed. She never expected that, with time, they would both develop feelings for each other.

Later, on New Year's Eve, Xiruo stood beside him beneath the veranda, listening to firecrackers ring out all around them.

The lantern overhead swayed in the wind, its light dancing with it. Xiruo's thoughts wandered, and she felt that this was the moment to confess something.

She quietly reached out and hooked a finger around Luo Chuan's, then took his hand and gave it a little shake. Looking into his eyes, she said, "Qiushan, I love you."

Lin Xiruo had always been alone, a modest wandering physician in Ningcheng. After meeting him, she built a medical clinic, traveled to the frontier, and treated smallpox. Though she never became wealthy or powerful, she felt she had discovered a much wider world.

Luo Chuan was born into a family of military officers and spent his childhood secluded in his study. Then, one day, his father and elder brother were framed, and his family was destroyed. To avenge them, he suppressed bandits, pacified the frontier, and struck down treacherous ministers. The world praised his literary and military talents as a worthy successor to his father and brother.

One day, after his success was complete, the emperor asked him in the great hall what reward he wanted. He replied, "I wish to return to Ningcheng, open an academy, and become a teacher."

Because the little Doctor Lin he longed for was there.

Note: Both leads are independent, kind, and able to communicate. There will be no ridiculous misunderstandings.

Theme: Love means growing together.