The Crown Princess Is Cherished

Airheaded, silly beauty x refined hypocrite with a wicked streak The Duke of Zhenguo commanded the army, and Song An'an was his only daughter. The emperor arranged for her to become the future crown princess, even though at the time she was still a little girl with her hair in toddler tufts. So, from the day the imperial decree arrived, she was raised in the palace, supposedly to help her and the crown prince develop feelings for each other. Song An'an knew nothing about the world, but her Crown Prince Brother looked so handsome when he did her hair! And her Crown Prince Brother, who secretly took her out of the palace to buy candied hawthorns, was the best person in the world! Song An'an thought her Crown Prince Brother had to be a good person, at least until she saw him personally take someone's life. Blood stained the steps beneath her feet. The glaring red made the person before her seem utterly unfamiliar. As crown prince, Gu Fei had no objection when the emperor assigned him a tiny girl who barely came up to his waist as his crown princess. He just had to bring along a child a little younger than himself and keep her safely in the palace as a hostage to control the Duke of Zhenguo. Even when Song An'an suddenly barged into the Eastern Palace and saw him dealing with a traitor, Gu Fei still thought he was doing a fine job as her Crown Prince Brother. From that day on, Song An'an stopped calling him Crown Prince Brother. She stopped clinging to him, too, and wouldn't even let him do her hair anymore. Gu Fei sensed something was wrong, but so what? She belonged to him, after all. Then the Duke of Zhenguo surrendered his military command and said he was taking Song An'an back to his hometown, where he had chosen another match for her. The emperor readily agreed. But when Gu Fei heard the news, he abandoned the crown prince's usual gentle demeanor and chased after the Duke of Zhenguo's carriage like a madman. Song An'an didn't even make it out of the capital before Gu Fei caught her and brought her back. Looking at the somewhat frightening Crown Prince Brother before her, she burst into tears. This wasn't the Crown Prince Brother she remembered. Gu Fei reached out with a hand rubbed raw and bloody by the reins and wiped away Song An'an's tears. "There, don't cry. Has Crown Prince Brother been unkind to An'an?" ######Reader's Guide####### *Content warning: The heroine is a little slow to catch on, but she's neither stupid nor foolish. The leads are devoted to each other in both mind and body. A sweet little romance! Three-year age gap Childhood sweetheart of an older brother in the early chapters; possessive, domineering crown prince later on One-on-one, both leads' first time, sweet romance Blurb screenshot dated 2023.3.22 Next book: "Cherished Beauty" Well-bred young lady * spoiled young master of the capital After her birth mother died young, Yun Shu became the least valued daughter in the Chancellor's household. She looked at her father, who didn't care about her at all, then thought of her stepmother, who brushed her off at every turn, and decided she would have to take charge of her own marriage. She wasn't after a prestigious match, only a peaceful and worry-free life. The boldest thing she ever did was drop a handkerchief embroidered with white magnolias along a path where only the young master of the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness's residence and the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo could see it. Whether it was the kind-hearted young master of the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness's residence, half a year younger than her, or the polite and gentle heir of the Duke of Zhenguo, either would have been a wonderful match. Yun Shu had observed carefully. Unless something went wrong, only those two would see the handkerchief. All she had to do was wait in the octagonal pavilion nearby and see which one picked it up and returned it to her. Despite generations of family prestige, Xie Wangshu had never been raised into a refined young gentleman. Instead, he relied on his family's influence to run wild in the capital, playing the spoiled young master. Xie Wangshu had always sneered at poetry gatherings. No one knew why he'd come to join the fun today. Xie Wangshu was unpopular, and people avoided him for fear of getting on his bad side. That included the young master of the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness's residence and the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo. So the handkerchief Yun Shu dropped ended up in Xie Wangshu's hands. When Yun Shu turned and saw Xie Wangshu, she panicked. But before she could say anything, the man in front of her walked off without a backward glance, her handkerchief still clutched in his hand. Yun Shu watched him go and gritted her teeth. At this point, even a spoiled young master like Xie Wangshu was more reliable than the people in the Chancellor's household who couldn't stand to see her doing well. So at the next poetry gathering, a few days later, she gathered her courage and blocked Xie Wangshu's way. She told him that he'd taken her handkerchief, ruining her reputation, and that now she had no choice but to marry him. Xie Wangshu had once glimpsed a young woman from afar at the palace banquet for the New Year. With just one look, he felt that no beautiful sight in the world could compare to her every smile and frown. Later, he found out she was Yun Shu, the Chancellor's legitimate daughter. Thinking of his reputation in the capital, he knew the Chancellor wouldn't agree to his proposal if he asked without warning. Besides, he hadn't even spoken to Yun Shu once. Then he heard she was going to a poetry gathering and hurried over. He picked up her fallen handkerchief, but when the moment came, he couldn't get a word out. Afraid she'd laugh at him, he turned and walked away, his face flushed red. He regretted every day that he hadn't managed to talk to her, constantly looking at her handkerchief. Then, to his astonishment, the person he'd longed for day and night came to him and said she wanted to marry him. Blurb archived on 2023.9.14 "When Spring Never Comes" Blurb: After her family fell into ruin, Xiao Ning had to hold on to her engagement with the Minister of Rites's household to protect her young siblings. Fortunately, Minister Zhuang didn't care that her family had been convicted. He welcomed her and arranged for her to marry his eldest son. Xiao Ning was deeply grateful, but just days after their wedding, her husband fell gravely ill and died suddenly a few days later. She became a doomed woman in the eyes of others, cursed to bring death to her family and husband. The Zhuang family could no longer tolerate her and planned to send her to a temple to spend the rest of her life. After learning of this, Xiao Ning knocked on the second young master's door before dawn. The door did not open again until dusk. Blurb archived: 2024.8.12 Theme: Perseverance means victory!