The Jade Sinks Beneath the Empire

A political marriage brought Chen Bi to the Northern Border to wed Commander-in-Chief Ji Yao. Three years after their wedding, her husband died.

He died on the battlefield while facing off against the Western Regions. Spies from Eastern Chu leaked their intelligence, and Eastern Chu and the Western Regions joined forces to ambush him. Surrounded, he fell in battle.

Chen Bi could not accept it.

She had discovered that the spies from Eastern Chu were the maids and servants at her side.

Though she was a princess of Eastern Chu sent away in a political marriage, she was not of the imperial line, so Eastern Chu had used her as a pawn, caring nothing for her safety or circumstances.

Without her knowledge, this marriage had become a scheme.

Chen Bi was consumed by guilt. Since she had married into the Northern Border, Ji Yao had never once suspected her.

In fact, after spending so much time together, they had even developed feelings for each other.

In public, the commander-in-chief was solemn and steady. In private, he could corner her against a wall, press his rough fingers against her red lips, and lean close to whisper her name in a deep, pleasant voice.

Having seen the fickleness of human nature in the palace, Chen Bi knew all too well how harmful love could be. So she had always resisted Ji Yao, keeping her composure and refusing to open her heart.

Only after Ji Yao died and Chen Bi fell gravely ill upon hearing the news

and saw his familiar face again in a hazy dream

did she realize that some things had changed after all.

When she opened her eyes again, Chen Bi discovered that time had turned back. She had returned to the third year of her marriage to Ji Yao.

At this point, Ji Yao had spent two years stationed at the border and had just returned to his residence.

They had no connection to each other. Ji Yao treated her like a stranger, distant and indifferent. Everything from the past had vanished like smoke.

He no longer loved her.

But she had to save him.

*

Ji Yao had fought for more than ten years. From a clueless young man, he had become the commander-in-chief of the three armies, the ruler of the Northern Border, revered by all.

Over the years, the world had changed beyond recognition. Everything had changed except the person in his heart.

In his previous life, Ji Yao had done everything he could, pouring his life's efforts into finally bringing that person back to his side and making her his wife.

Even though she had long since forgotten her past, everything they had shared, and him.

But Ji Yao had never imagined that she would join forces with an outsider and leave him to die.

Reborn, Ji Yao swore he would not repeat the same mistakes. He would turn things around, protect the Northern Border, and safeguard his realm and people.

But one day, this woman came to him of her own accord, took his hand, and said she would protect him.

He must have been mad to want to trust her again.

Until she took the sharp blade meant for him.

- Both leads are virgins, happy ending

- Sweet and angsty, no stand-ins

- Both leads reborn x long-laid plans x restrained, devoted love

[Upcoming novel: Red Twins. Please add it to your favorites]

After transmigrating, Song Shi kept running into someone.

His name was Jing Lan.

He led tens of thousands of soldiers in overthrowing the previous dynasty, killed his master to seize the throne, and became the founding emperor of Great Sheng.

Yet he held an umbrella for her in the misty spring rain in the mountains,

pinned a phoenix crown into her hair in the palace of Great Sheng,

and even fought through bloodshed to shield her with his body.

He knew everything about Song Shi,

but Song Shi knew nothing about him.

*

Many years later,

Song Shi rescued a young man from a heap of corpses on the battlefield.

The boy was gravely wounded and barely alive.

His dark eyes were full of wariness toward her,

but his features were exactly like Jing Lan's.

*

They stood at opposite ends of the timeline,

each setting out to fulfill a promise that would never come true.

- Reverse time-travel

- Both leads are virgins, 1v1, happy ending (emphasis on the happy ending)

[Upcoming novel: Abyssless. Please add it to your favorites]

Lu Ning, son of Marquis Dingbei of Great Chu, had fought for years on the frontier, earning countless military honors and striking fear into the borderlands.

With the court in turmoil, Lu Ning, the emperor of Great Chu's own nephew, was summoned back to the capital. By imperial decree, he married the Fifth Miss of the Xu family, a scholarly clan.

The Xu family of Chenzhou was a distinguished clan. Before she married, Fifth Miss Xu, Xu Shuyu, was already renowned for her talent. Her poems were celebrated throughout the capital, and everyone knew her name.

After their wedding, the two treated each other with respect. With the support of the Xu family's connections, Lu Ning helped the emperor purge the court and reclaim imperial power.

Xu Shuyu, meanwhile, spent each day in the prince's residence, carefully managing its affairs and staying out of worldly matters.

Then one day, the emperor of Great Chu died. Lu Ning led troops to suppress a rebellion in the imperial city, and the treacherous ministers at court were executed.

A young boy ascended the throne, and Lu Ning became regent, taking control of the court and its affairs.

That very night, Lu Ning returned to the residence covered in blood. His young wife, who would normally have retired long ago, was sitting in his study. Her slender white hand held out a thin sheet of paper.

"Now that the matter we agreed on is settled, we should divorce."

*

In Chenzhou, alongside the Xu family's famous academy, stood a mysterious organization from the martial world: the Abyssless Pavilion.

The Abyssless Pavilion sold secrets from far and wide. Each piece of information was worth a fortune, and they turned away no one. The pavilion master had been in seclusion for years, so the young pavilion master now handled its affairs.

According to the martial world's rumors, the young pavilion master had inherited the master's teachings and possessed unfathomable martial arts. Their whereabouts were a closely guarded secret.

Whenever they appeared, they wore white robes and a white veil over their face, seeming as ethereal as an immortal. Few had ever seen their true face.

Several months passed. The young pavilion master, who had been away on business and missing for months, returned to the pavilion. For some reason, they were always sitting by the window, lost in thought, no longer their usual cheerful self.

When the wife of the Xu family next door heard the news, she grabbed a stick and chased the young pavilion master over two mountains before dragging them back to the Xu residence.

Not long afterward, the regent was invited by the Xu family to visit their academy in Chenzhou. The Xu family's old master personally hosted a banquet at the ancestral residence.

During the banquet, someone tried to sneak out. As she walked along the corridor, a hand suddenly caught her wrist.

A low, hoarse voice sounded by her ear. She turned around to see the regent in a dark robe embroidered with a python, his eyes fixed intently on her as he asked:

"Where do you think you're going, Shuyu?"

*

In Lu Ning's eyes, his new wife was always meek and compliant, doing whatever he said and never disagreeing.

Whenever she looked up at him and called his name with a faint smile, her almond-shaped eyes would shine.

Especially at certain moments, she seemed like a delicate flower just beginning to bloom, whispering softly in his ear and making him want to cherish and adore her.

But Lu Ning knew this was not the real Xu Shuyu.

He had known ever since that night, when she coldly handed him the divorce papers.

He just never expected that one day he would see Xu Shuyu in graceful white robes, holding a treasured sword, standing before him and killing countless assassins in black in the blink of an eye.

The cold night wind howled. Her face was frost-cold, and not a speck of blood stained her white robes. She simply said in a low voice, "Who dares lay a hand on him?"

- 1v1, both leads are virgins, happy ending

- Court politics and martial world, joining forces as equals

- Decisive regent x quirky young pavilion master

My profile has stories in all sorts of flavors for you to choose from:

Upcoming: Abyssless, Red Twins, The Inn of Returning Thoughts

Completed short story: Cold South Mountain

Theme: Love can overcome every hardship in the world