The Autumn Moon Hangs Alone

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[This story has a happy ending. Please read the author's note before starting!]

■ Blurb:

When Jiang Jinyue was serving as a constable in a small county, the magistrate recommended her, the best martial artist in his service, to an official from the capital who had come to investigate a secret case, hoping to curry favor with his superior.

This aloof official carried a jade-handled whisk and dressed like a Daoist. Tall and elegant, he nevertheless commanded respect without saying a word.

At first, Jiang Jinyue thought He Quan was surely someone not to be trifled with, and certainly not someone she could afford to offend. But before long, she found herself coveting him. While investigating a case, she got drunk at a pleasure house and seized the opportunity to kiss He Quan’s... Adam’s apple.

For the first time in his life, He Quan, who had never been interested in women, felt his whole body catch fire. In the end, however, he stubbornly forced that fire back down inside himself.

It wasn’t until someone set Jiang Jinyue up and she fell into a deep lake that she was finally able to hear this normally eloquent man confess his love, rambling and stumbling over his words.

They got together and were deeply in love. But

When she and a commandery princess fell into the water at the same time again, He Quan knew Jiang Jinyue was afraid of deep water, yet weighed the options and chose to save the princess instead of her.

Heartbroken, Jiang Jinyue chose to leave.

Three years later, Jiang Jinyue came to the capital to make a living. She learned that He Quan now held power over the entire court and was the Jin Dynasty’s only prince. She also heard that he was still distant and unsmiling, and that, despite being of marriageable age, he had neither a princess consort nor concubines. He was the man every noble young woman in the capital longed to marry.

Yet when they met again, He Quan’s eyes reddened and his voice choked as he said, “I know I was wrong. I beg you to forgive me, Yue’er.”

Jiang Jinyue smiled faintly. “All right. On one condition: from now on, Your Highness and I are strangers.”

He Quan was stunned: “...”

P.S.:

1) The male lead loves only the female lead. He didn’t save her when she fell into the water because he was trying to capture the enemy, having confirmed there was no danger. The author promises the reasoning is sound, and the leads’ love and hate aren’t a melodramatic mess (please spare me!). And yes, it has a happy ending!

2) This story explores [Personality and Choice]. If a character’s choices are hard for you to accept, feel free to drop the story.

3) I welcome all well-intentioned corrections and criticism. But life is never perfect, so the characters’ fates have both joy and sorrow (that’s the warning). Please keep this in mind.

4) The female lead has no golden finger and isn’t a noblewoman. As an orphan, she has to work hard to survive. Yueyue faces adversity without giving in; that’s part of her character, her resilience and practicality. Some readers feel bad for what she goes through, but that’s what real life is like (a life of smooth sailing is a rare blessing). I hope you understand.

5) I know many readers like to jump straight to the wife-chasing arc, but this story unfolds gradually: [Meeting - Getting to Know Each Other - Falling in Love - Making a Choice - Regret - Wife-Chasing Arc - Ending]. I’m trying to flesh out every character’s personality and choices, so going straight to the wife-chasing arc is, honestly, a bit of a waste of money and could easily lead to misunderstandings about the main characters.

Premise: Personality and Choice