Seeking a Phoenix

Up next: "Kindhearted Miss, I Am the Wicked Servant"

With a young emperor on the throne and powerful ministers ruling the court, Princess Jingyang, Yuan Yuyi, plans to marry into the Xie family of Chen Commandery to secure an ally.

But her rushed plan only works halfway.

In her original plan, she was to spend a night of passion with the eldest legitimate son of the Xie family. Instead, the man turns out to be the little-known second son, Xie Xun.

After weighing her options, the princess ultimately chooses to marry the second son of the Xie family.

In Yuan Yuyi's eyes, her consort is distant and courteous, a frail and indifferent gentleman. He is so honest that even when people bully him to his face, he never shows the slightest reaction.

Feeling softhearted and guilty, she takes extra care of her husband.

After facing life and death together several times, they both fall in love.

But when the truth behind their marriage comes to light, their sincere feelings turn into conflicting interests, and the loving couple become enemies.

Faced with a marriage that should never have begun, Yuan Yuyi chooses to sign the divorce papers and wipe the slate clean.

Then, on a night when rain pours down like a waterfall, her former husband, who had coldly divorced her, arrives through the storm when she is nearly killed by an assassin's sword.

Yuan Yuyi asks softly, "You once asked me to set you free."

The young man lowers his eyes and holds her in his arms, gently brushing away the tears trembling on her lashes. "From beginning to end, there has only been you. You are the only one I want."

*

Xie Xun is the illegitimate son the Marquis of Xuanning's household keeps hidden from the world.

After accidentally drinking his legitimate elder brother's wine at a palace banquet, he ends up alone with Princess Jingyang by a twist of fate.

Once he sees an opportunity, Xie Xun decides to take advantage of the situation. He volunteers to marry the princess so that he can use the royal family's power to rise through the ranks and become a high minister.

Life is hard for the second young master Xie. He sees himself as a handful of scattered snow in this glittering world and has never believed in true love.

But after marriage, spending his days and nights with the infamous princess slowly changes his old prejudices.

Xie Xun finally understands what it means to love so deeply that it feels like being consumed by fire.

Reader's guide:

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

2. I'm not good at blurbs. Fictional setting with original worldbuilding.

----- Upcoming novel: "The Temptress Crown Princess" -----

Jiang Shiyue, the third daughter of the Marquis of Guangping's household, lost her mother when she was young and was raised in the countryside. Recently brought back to the capital, she says the husband she seeks must meet three conditions.

His family must not be too powerful, or there will be too many rules.

His looks must not be too poor, or seeing him will make her sick.

His temperament must not be cold, arrogant, or overbearing, or he will be hard to handle later.

The newly appointed crown prince, Xiao Mingzhan, has just come of age and entered the Eastern Palace. He is at the height of his youthful confidence and has three requirements for his future crown princess as well.

Her family must not be too powerful, or her relatives may form a faction.

She must not be too beautiful, as beautiful women tend to be domineering temptresses.

She must not be too spoiled, for women and petty people are hard to deal with.

But at a banquet held by the Chancellor's family, Jiang Shiyue spots Xiao Mingzhan, sitting alone in a corner drinking tea, and takes a liking to him first.

She doesn't know who he is. She only knows that he's handsome, looks kind, and is dressed in white, so he seems rather poor.

He's exactly the ideal husband candidate she's been looking for.

Crown Prince Xiao Mingzhan balances the court factions, keeps his brothers in check, and soothes the increasingly severe suspicions of the old emperor. Though he has to tread on thin ice, he handles it all with ease.

He never expected that a banquet would stain the otherwise satisfying first half of his life, as a strange woman he had never met before calculated against him from beginning to end.

*

Jiang Shiyue prides herself on her sharp eye, but she has misjudged people only twice.

First: the unfortunate man she carefully chose at the banquet turns out to be the crown prince.

Second: the crown prince seems mild-mannered, but he's very good at pretending (and is a little crazy)!

In Xiao Mingzhan's life, where every move is carefully calculated, he has made only two mistakes as well.

First: he thought the orphaned Sixth Miss Jiang was a timid crybaby who could only whimper and weep, like a parasitic vine.

Second: he thought he wouldn't fall for a beautiful temptress like her.

Theme: Cherish those you love.