[Blurb]
The youngest daughter of the Duke's household was blessed with a beauty more alluring than flowers, and was betrothed to the Crown Prince, Pei Ji, at an early age.
But no one could have imagined that on her wedding day, instead of the bridal procession, news arrived that the Crown Prince had vanished without a trace.
In an instant, Zhaozhao became the biggest laughingstock in all of the capital.
To escape the humiliation, she went with her mother to Wuliang Abbey outside the city to observe vegetarian restrictions and stay for a few days.
There, however, a handsome young Taoist caught Zhaozhao's attention. With an otherworldly aura surrounding him, he stood atop the mountain, his graceful bearing and striking features like those of a pine and a crane standing alone between heaven and earth. Neither a fresh breeze nor snow on orchids could rival him.
That night, candlelight flickered through the main hall as incense drifted in the air. The young Taoist was pressed against the doorframe by the bewitching beauty. His eyes lowered, he clutched the fly whisk tightly in his palm and stammered, "Miss, please… don't do this…" Before he could finish, the beauty before him curled her red lips into a smile and leaned closer to his ear, her voice soft and coy. "Then tell me, Daoist, what should she do?"
The next day, an order from the Crown Prince's residence arrived, commanding the Duke's household to send their daughter to the Eastern Palace at once.
That very night, beneath moonlight like flowing silk, incense still drifting through the palace, Pei Ji stared at the lovely woman pinned firmly against the doorframe in his arms. He leaned close to her fragrant hair and spoke with a meaningful smile, his low voice magnetic. "So… can I take back what I said?"
But how could Pei Ji have known that on the day he was to formally marry her, just as his brush added the final stroke to her name on the marriage decree, his handsome eyes filled with satisfaction, a personal attendant would rush in and cry, "Your Highness! This is bad! The Crown Princess, she… she's run away!"
At that, the vermilion brush snapped in his fingers.
He sprang up. "Chase her!!!"
[Reading Guide]
1. A handsome, seemingly refined Crown Prince who is actually a deranged, sinister lunatic x a bewitching, cunning beauty
2. One-on-one romance, both leads are each other's first, happy ending
3. Written on May 25, 2023 / Revised on February 24, 2026
4. I'll add more if I think of anything. If you like it, dear readers, please add it to your favorites~
Theme: Cherish the person in front of you.
