[Capital City Courier x Commander of the Imperial Guard]
Also known as The Horse Keeper, Has the Little Courier Cleared Her Name Yet?, and The Imperial Guard Commander's Handbook for Keeping a Pet
(1)
How do you become the most hated person in the entire capital?
Xie Jisheng: "Learn from me."
(2)
Her father was the Great General Wu'an, who commanded the Six Garrisons and was granted the title Prince of Equal Standing. Her mother came from the scholarly Yu family, a clan with a century of history. Her uncle was the Minister of Rites, her eldest sister rose from Crown Princess to Empress, her cousin was an important official governing a region, and her younger brother was a once-in-a-century prodigy...
She should have been the most powerful and cherished young lady in all of the Eastern Dynasty. Instead, she was raised as a boy from childhood.
Indirectly murdering her father, leaking intelligence, colluding with the enemy and betraying her country... Xie Jisheng committed a thousand crimes punishable by execution and the extermination of her entire clan, yet somehow escaped disaster every time.
Even more astonishingly:
Two-thirds of the late emperor's edict was devoted to granting her leniency, while the Crown Prince's succession decree barely mentioned her.
After the new emperor ascended the throne, Xie Jisheng grew even more brazen, relying on her elder sister the Empress. She feasted on fresh lychees and lived a life of rakish indulgence. The people were outraged, and officials impeached her. With no other choice, the emperor punished her by assigning her the lowly job of courier, feeding horses and delivering messages. Thus silenced, she vanished from the capital, abandoned by everyone and despised by man and beast.
Until one day, a woman in full armor led an army to force her way into the palace.
The whole realm cried out in shock: "That cursed Horse Keeper is a woman!"
Xie Jisheng leveled her spear at the imperial palace and sneered. "You damn emperor, keep singing if you've got the guts! I'm here to clear my name and expose your lies!"
Unexpectedly, the palace gates slowly swung open by themselves.
Commander of the Imperial Guard Lü Che came striding out, dragging a saber meant for horseback combat. A bone-chilling aura rose from him.
The killing intent in his eyes had yet to fade, but his face was as warm as spring sunshine. "My lady, there's no point trying to persuade that scoundrel to surrender. I'll hand over the city to you myself."
(4)
Raised as a boy for seventeen years, Xie Jisheng bore humiliation and hardship, vowing to tear away the emperor's mask, uncover the truth behind her parents' deaths, and win justice for herself and the Xie family.
Wait, but can someone explain where this suddenly appeared informant came from?
Who told him to clear my name? Who told him to help me wash away my bad reputation? Who told him to push my plans so far forward in one fell swoop?!
He infiltrated the enemy camp and, without hesitation, planted himself beside the emperor as the ultimate weapon.
Like a silent war mastiff, he protected his master without revealing who that master was.
He drew a circle around her and guarded her like a treasured pet. Anyone who touched her got bitten!
(5)
One day, Xie Jisheng finally remembered that she'd once robbed someone of a pitch-black fire poker, then threatened a simple-minded villager and told him not to enlist. Through a twist of fate, she'd ended up sending him straight into the army's kitchen corps.
Trapped in his arms, her hands trembling, she held out a lychee with a pitiful, ingratiating smile. "Commander, would you like a lychee? It's been chilled."
The cold-faced man gave a quiet assent, then lowered his head and glanced at someone's fingertips. "My lady, wipe the blood off first, then feed it to me."
Reader's Guide:
(1) This is a wholly fictional setting with many original liberties. Please don't try to compare it with or fact-check it against real history.
(2) A strong female lead who puts on a show in public and risks her life behind the scenes. Everyone hates her at first, then she clears her name and gets revenge. The male lead is a loyal dog type, a little love-struck but not stupid.
(3) Everyone is a good actor. The romance and career plots progress side by side.
P.S. This is a writing exercise. Updates will be irregular, but I absolutely won't abandon it!
Theme: Where there's a will, there's a way
Come on, has the author run away?