The Joyful Years

"Lord Shen, the mortal world is a web that ensnares the lovesick. The day a young man sees through it is the day he becomes a Buddha."

"Abbess Miaohui has never set foot in the mortal world, so how can she claim to see through it? If you have never tasted love, how do you know it won't be so delightful that you never want to leave?"

*

At Da Ci'en Temple, Shen Xi gazed at the group of young ladies standing in the courtyard and felt a headache coming on. They were supposed to be selecting a Buddhist maiden for the Empress Dowager's eightieth birthday, yet every one of them was dressed to the nines, as if auditioning to become his wife.

One young woman was especially outrageous! While the others wore official-style ruqun dresses, she alone was dressed in a simple monk's robe. Relying on her good looks, she went bare-faced and stood aloof and apart, acting the part of someone free from worldly concerns to perfection. But to Shen Xi, she seemed far too calculating.

"Eunuch Wang, that young lady certainly has a clever scheme!" He pointed at her from afar with the handle of his fan and said to the eunuch beside him, "Too bad she made me the target of it. That wasn't very clever! I refuse to let her have her way! I don't care whose daughter she is. Go tell her to head home!"

"Er... Lord Shen, that young lady isn't an official's daughter taking part in the selection. She... she's the abbess of Da Ci'en Temple, the nun Miaohui!"

*

On the day of the Empress Dowager's birthday, with only an hour to go before the Buddhist ceremony, the two people of the hour were nowhere to be found.

The royal relatives and court officials had all taken their seats. Only then did Miaohui hurry into the hall, looking flustered. Her face was flushed, her lips swollen, and she was still catching her breath. A few strands of her hair had slipped loose from beneath her nun's hat, and there was a red mark behind her ear.

Lord Shen followed behind her, his gaze seemingly glued to her. His collar was open and his jade crown sat askew. Most astonishing of all, he was wearing the prayer beads that Abbess Miaohui never took off...

Male lead: Shen Xi, Vice Minister of Rites, with the looks of an immortal and a flirtatious nature.

Female lead: Cheng Wanning, Abbess Miaohui of Da Ci'en Temple, daughter of a treacherous minister, with a cool and aloof air.

P.S.:

1. One-on-one romance, both leads have no prior partners, happy ending.

2. Lighthearted, sweet romance, no schemes, nothing to puzzle over, perfect to read over a meal.

3. The whole novel is complete. Feel free to bookmark it.

Blurb posted on 2023.01.08; screenshot shared on my social feed.

***Coming soon: historical romance The Marquis's Guide to Winning Hearts. Please add it to your reading list!***

"Have you heard? Old Marquis Yuchi, who just married a beautiful young bride yesterday, died in his bridal chamber in the middle of the night. They say that when he breathed his last, the two of them were... Oh, you know what I mean..."

"You can't expect anything good to come out of that mouth! What beautiful bride? Isn't she just Hongdou, the famous courtesan from Drunken Joy House? Don't flatter her! A sixteen-year-old marrying a sixty-year-old, everyone knows what she's after!"

"It's strange, though! The old marquis's wife has been dead for over thirty years. He took so many concubines, but never once thought of taking a second wife. Why insist on formally marrying a prostitute this time?"

"What else could it be? Miss Hongdou must have some special skills in certain areas, enough to make the old marquis forget even his own life!"

"They say Hongdou was a pheasant who turned into a phoenix. And look how that turned out! Hmph! A pheasant is still a pheasant! A phoenix crown and red wedding robes can't change her lowly fate!"

"Keep your voice down! Stop calling her a pheasant. She's the marquis's widow now! Technically, even the old marquis's only son, General Yuchi Jing, has to call her 'Mother'!"

"Bullshit! If that jade-faced demon could call a prostitute 'Mother,' I'll take your surname! I heard he doesn't even acknowledge the marriage. He locked her in the dungeon that very night! No matter how beautiful Hongdou was, she's turned into a mung bean now!"

Three years later.

"What? Who did you say General Yuchi Jing, the young Marquis of Guang'an, is marrying? His father's second wife?!"

"Could you open your mouth any... any wider? You could fit a steamed bun in there! What second wife? Aren't you afraid someone will cut... cut your tongue out?"

"I'm talking about Hongdou, the famous courtesan! Didn't everyone say she died ages ago? Besides, wasn't the old marquis's death because of her? That devil Yuchi Jing would marry her?"

"You really don't know, do you? Do you think someone becomes a famous courtesan for nothing? You couldn't learn her seductive tricks in several lifetimes! Devil or demon, once they meet Miss Hongdou, don't they all obediently call her 'wife'!"

"Well, well, well... So she has both generations of marquises wrapped around her finger, and neither one escaped her grasp! I've been wondering, how does she do it?"

Male lead: Yuchi Jing, the only son of Yuchi Jing, Marquis of Guang'an, and a general of the Dayi Kingdom.

Female lead: Hongdou, the famous courtesan of Drunken Joy House.

Q.S.:

1. One-on-one romance, both leads have no prior partners, happy ending.

2. A sweet story that's perfect to read over a meal.

Theme: Those who ensnare others will eventually be ensnared.