Savoring the Marrow

Princess Xiao Luge of Yongning has been in love with her ideal man for over a decade, but now he's engaged, and his bride-to-be isn't her. Unwilling to accept it, she asks why. The answer: the princess has a notorious reputation for being promiscuous.

In a fit of anger, Xiao Luge gets drunk and loses control. That very night, she makes the rumors true with an unknown young man from a humble family.

The next morning, Xiao Luge wakes up and sees the young man beside her. He is shy, his long lashes lowered as he can't bring himself to look at her.

Xiao Luge is mortified. She lifts her skirts and rattles off three lines like a heartless cad:

"It was a mistake. Let's pretend it never happened."

"I'm married now. My husband comes from a noble family and is terribly jealous. If he finds out, he'll kill you."

"I'll find a way to make it up to you. Do you want money, or a recommendation?"

The young man grips her waist, his ears red as blood. All he wants is to make the same mistake once more.

Xiao Luge holds herself together, her waist nearly breaking, and coaxes him: "I'll owe you for now. Next time we meet, I'll make it up to you."

Prime Minister Chu was born into a family of immense wealth and power. He entered official service at twenty, and within a few years rose to the highest ranks, wielding power and manipulating the young emperor to command the nobles. He even kept the Grand Princess under house arrest. He was a thoroughly corrupt and tyrannical official.

Yet no one knew his hidden past. When he was still an inexperienced young man, he studied under a master at a temple in the mountains near the capital. There, a wicked woman seduced him, stole his heart, and abandoned him.

Years later, with immense power in his hands, he turned the capital's nobility upside down, but still couldn't find the woman to take his revenge.

Then, as he plotted to usurp the throne, he came face-to-face with the Grand Princess, famous for her beauty and her refusal to surrender. She clearly no longer recognized him.

So he took out the sash the deceitful woman had left behind when she hurriedly abandoned him all those years ago, and calmly wrapped it around Xiao Luge's wrist. "Your Highness, you owe me. It's time to pay it back, with interest."

A dazzling, shamelessly carefree princess x a once-innocent boy who returns as a power-hungry tyrant

Younger man, heroine four years older

Set in a fictional Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties era

Theme: Love helps people grow