My Childhood Friend Is Up to No Good

As the second daughter of the prime minister's household, Song Ci fell ill as a child and was raised by her paternal grandparents in Qingzhou.

Grandparents dote on their grandchildren, and they indulged her so much that she grew up spoiled and headstrong.

At sixteen, Song Ci returned to the capital, Kyoto, to fulfill the royal marriage agreement in place of her elder sister, who had gone missing.

What she told no one was that, on the nearly thousand-mile journey from Qingzhou to Kyoto, the most precious thing she brought was neither fine clothes and jewelry nor books and paintings. It was Xie Qi, the young heir of the Langguang Marquis's household in Qingzhou.

Beneath the bright moon, the young man lowered his eyes to look at her, his voice almost bewitching. "A Ci, do you want to leave Kyoto?"

--

As the only son of the Langguang Marquis, young Lord Xie was unruly and overbearing in Qingzhou, idle and unwilling to study.

As a child, Xie Qi thought Song Ci was his greatest rival in Qingzhou.

Only two months older than him, the little girl was half a head taller. She climbed onto roofs, tore them apart, scaled walls and trees, and even rode a horse a good deal faster than he did.

But when he once found himself in danger, Song Ci came alone to save him, and from then on he suffered from an ailment that would never heal in this lifetime.

From then on, no matter how far the mountains and rivers stretched, he stayed by her side and protected her.

Xie Qi thought it would always be that way.

Until the day Song Ci threw herself into his arms, trembling as she told him she would fulfill her elder sister's marriage agreement with the Crown Prince in her place.

Only then did Xie Qi realize that she had long since become the one in his heart.

--

Later, Xie Qi ventured into court politics and even went far away to the battlefield. If he could not escape this place, then all he wanted was to pave a smooth road ahead for Song Ci.

Even if his hands were stained with blood and he was mired in a quagmire.

But in the darkness, Song Ci once again clasped his hand.

The young woman rode into the wind, her wedding dress blazing like fire as she came toward him beneath the setting sun.

"Xie Qi, would it be all right if I married you like this?"

Reading Guide:

1. One-on-one romance with a happy ending.

2. The male lead is love-struck. Both leads are direct and forthright, protect each other, and grow together.

3. The dynasty is fictional, with original worldbuilding.

4. The political intrigue got cut.

Theme: Face love fearlessly and grow for it.