They Say He Has No Heart

[The cold beauty is the blade; the devoted young man is its sheath]

Zhu Qing, daughter of the Lord of Tingyuan, was the notorious demoness of Fushan Academy. A lovely, gifted young lady, she was cold and heartless, and wanted no idle hangers-on near her.

Who could have guessed that after leaving the academy, she wouldn't enter the court and make a name for herself? Within half a year, she married He Ru, the academy's best-known good-for-nothing.

None of the powerful families in Mindu had faith in the match. They laughed and waited for the wildly mismatched couple to divorce.

But two years passed, and the demoness seemed to have changed her ways. She dutifully stayed home, cooking for the He family, and even had a soft little bundle of joy.

Just as everyone thought the couple would carry on like this until they grew old together, Zhu Qing suddenly divorced He Ru for no apparent reason and returned to her family.

Soon after, the Lord of Tingyuan was imprisoned by the emperor and took his own life in the Hall of South Dipper.

While court remonstrators roundly criticized the emperor, Zhu Qing, silent for two years, submitted a memorial declaring that her father had brought his fate upon himself.

She won the emperor's favor and rose rapidly through the ranks. It was heartless beyond belief.

In the years that followed, Zhu Qing became the sharpest blade in the emperor's hand, striking without hesitation at the people behind the plot from years ago.

At last, the blade turned on the very person who had forged it.

Only then did everyone realize that the demoness was still the same demoness. It was just that, for a time, a foolish young man had enveloped her in the warmth of his devotion, concealing the evil in her heart.

No one knew that late at night, when Zhu Qing stood alone and heard a noise on the wall, she would look up and meet those bright, smiling eyes. In that moment, the daylight seemed to fade and the moonlight lose its magic.

The new emperor ascended the throne, and peace reigned throughout the land. Everyone assumed that this young ruler, famous for “lighting three fires upon taking office,” would dispose of the late emperor's most ruthless blade. No one knew that even the new emperor owed Zhu Qing a debt of gratitude.

Zhu Qing of the Linlang Office rose swiftly through the ranks, and her home was besieged by visitors.

The most shameless of them all was He Cheng, Minister of Revenue! He actually “married off” his own son to her!

Well, what could you do? They'd had a history together, after all.

Those hoping to curry favor with Zhu Qing could only sound her out indirectly to see whether she planned to “take a consort.”

But however many they sent in, He Ru, that “jealous husband,” drove them right back out.

That night, Zhu Qing let the doglike fellow have his way with her until the moon stood high in the sky. Half asleep, she heard someone whisper,

“Ah Qing, I've waited so long for you. You can't abandon me.”

She chuckled, wrapped her arms around the person beside her, and replied, “All right.”

1. The heroine is cold on the outside and warm on the inside. To some extent, she “takes her own side over what's right” and fiercely protects her own. The hero has no political instincts and is a stubborn outsider.

2. The political scheming is at a beginner's level, and the fictional dynasties are a mishmash.

3. The work can only be as good as its author. Please bear with me.

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[Upcoming: The Runaway Concubine, currently being drafted. Please add it to your collection!]

From the time she could remember, Dan Hong's mother had told her, “We're from a family of officials. Our clan was convicted of a crime and exiled to this bitter, war-torn place.”

Again and again, she reminded her daughter never to forget who she was. She must return to the imperial capital, to that land of endless music and dancing, and once more put on the fine silk robes that had always rightfully belonged to her.

Dan Hong trampled on one sincere heart after another, finally reaching the position she had dreamed of.

Then a large hand, covered in old and new scars, suddenly seized her in her wedding dress.

The fool from the borderlands, whom Dan Hong had deceived again and again, stared at her, his eyes full of resentment and sorrow.

In the harshest voice, he made the most humble plea: “I can give you everything you want now. Come with me.”

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The emperor had been having a terrible time lately.

Every day, someone reported that his personally appointed General Wei and the top scholar he had selected were brawling in the street.

Then one day in court, a remonstrator accused General Wei of breaking curfew by appearing near Yong'an Lane at midnight the night before.

The top scholar and General Wei actually came to blows right there in court.

Only later did His Majesty learn that the top scholar's fiancée lived in Yong'an Lane. By then, however, she was already the general's wife.

Theme: If you repay kindness with resentment, what will you repay kindness with?