On the run from an arranged marriage, Jasmine casually rescued a handsome young gentleman with skin like white jade and an elegant, charming air. He was said to be short on money, so he joined her on her journey to Chang'an.
As they talked late into the night, she began to think about making a bright future for herself.
With her superb dancing skills, Jasmine secured a place in the Imperial Music Bureau. Only when she danced before the emperor did she learn that he was Chu Di, the Second Prince.
On the Lantern Festival night, Jasmine was seized by her family and once again sent to the Capital Prefect as a concubine. To save her, Chu Di secretly mobilized the Imperial Guard, set up checkpoints, and ordered a thorough search. In the end, he gave the Capital Prefect a severe beating. Every one of these acts was a grave crime.
In the carriage on the way back to the palace, Jasmine said, "Big Brother, I'm cold."
Chu Di held her close, and they pledged their love to each other.
Later, the emperor intended to bestow her on Chu Di, as his concubine.
But Jasmine replied, "Your Majesty, this servant is unwilling."
From then on, she caught the emperor's eye and made a bargain: love in exchange for a bright future.
*
Chu Di was the second son of the emperor and empress. From a young age, he knew the court was treacherous and the inner palace lonely. While everyone else devoted themselves to fame, fortune, and power, he wanted none of it. He simply lived as he pleased, transparent as crystal inside and out.
After his coming-of-age ceremony, the emperor repeatedly tried to choose a noble-born wife for him, but Chu Di rejected every suggestion outright.
Later, while capturing a thief, he was injured and rescued by a woman passing by. His first impression of her was that she was fierce and unruly, yet exceptionally softhearted. Watching her along the road, he came to see her stubbornness, her inner turmoil, and her bewilderment. He did not know what injustice she had suffered, only that she had run away from home, steeling herself to climb straight to the top.
When they met again, she was dancing before the emperor. Only then did he realize she was an uncut gem, precious jade hidden away, plain and unadorned. Yet after a little carving and simple embellishment, she seemed transformed, ready to enter a world of romance and beauty.
He stared, spellbound. Before the first note sounded, music was already thundering in his heart.
From then on, he protected her as she rose, step by step, from an obscure palace entertainer to a renowned court lady official, entering the Tower of Peace and receiving the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households.
"In this life, to find a kindred spirit whose heart beats in time with mine, to walk hand in hand, encourage each other with words, lift each other up with power, treat each other with sincerity, and pledge ourselves to one another: this is my greatest blessing."
Little Jasmine, who is single-mindedly after fame and fortune x a clear-eyed, laid-back man who fights and scrambles for everything when it comes to her
He/slow burn/ensemble cast
The heroine has a romantic past; the hero does not.
The hero has little page time early on.
This novel is set in the same world as the completed historical romance Don't Remember the Years.
Completed Republican-era novels: A Lai and Half a Lifetime, You and Me.
Theme: Self-reliance and strength
