[This is only a prologue. I'm still building up a stock of chapters!!]
The main story is available for advance reservation on my homepage!!!! The main story is available for advance reservation on my homepage!!!! The main story is available for advance reservation on my homepage!!!! I'll write it later, I promise. It's on my homepage!
[Synopsis]
"When you exhaust yourself trying to control a game of chess, perhaps you're the piece that's already been moved."
Long-planned scheming x willingly taking the bait
A sly fox who lies, cheats, and swindles x a seemingly innocent but secretly cunning imperial censor
In the eleventh year of Xunqing, General Shen'an died. The following month, his daughter Song Xixue disappeared.
Over the next five years, the court of the Cangji Kingdom underwent great upheavals and secret power struggles. Everyone believed the Song family's former glory was gone for good.
Crown Prince Rong Yunshi returned from a tour with a mysterious woman. Before half a day had passed since her arrival at the palace, she was appointed to a high-ranking position.
Song Xixue's name was suddenly brought before the court, causing an uproar.
To uncover the truth about her parents' deaths in the war and evade her pursuers, Song Xixue had spent years living in seclusion in Tongchuan Commandery, laying plans and building a secret network among the common folk.
When she learned that the crown prince was about to visit Tongchuan, naturally, she had to put on a good show. She'd heard the crown prince couldn't fight, so she would stage a heroic rescue.
She didn't expect to overdo it and actually knock the crown prince unconscious.
After that, she was hounded by this man, who had more schemes than a beehive has bees. He dragged her around the streets and alleys for fun every day, interfering with her investigation and leaving her no way to resist.
Faced with Rong Yunshi's advances, Song Xixue could only keep avoiding him. She told him she already had someone she loved, a woman from the Fox Clan.
The truth was... she'd only seen that beautiful fox woman once or twice, and didn't even know her name.
To her surprise, Rong Yunshi was even happier and stopped pestering her about romance.
But then her words came true. Why was the beautiful fox woman sitting on her roof?
And not only had she appeared, she'd kissed Song Xixue and then run off...
By chance, the beautiful fox woman finally agreed to tell Song Xixue her name. She said she was called Yinchen.
Yinchen? Song Xixue's smile stiffened further. That was the name of the Fox Clan's young lord.
She'd secretly been investigating the feud between the Fox Clan and Cangji, a matter neither side would discuss openly. No wonder such an important figure kept appearing.
This was bad. It seemed her appearances weren't coincidence. She was after Song Xixue...
As tensions flared along the border between the Fox Clan and Cangji, Crown Prince Rong Yunshi's true identity was exposed. The imperial capital issued an order to kill the foxes, and members of the Fox Clan fled back to their territory.
Song Xixue was occupied with dealing with rebellious officials at court and had no time to ask after Yinchen. When she finally returned, she learned that Yinchen had vanished without a trace.
Until one day, the beautiful fox appeared before Song Xixue, pointing Song Xixue's own sword at herself.
"If you don't trust me, then take my life and trade it for what you want."
"No. I trust you."
Balancing political scheming with romance. One-on-one pairing, happy ending.
No one is wholly good, and some are utterly evil.
About the setting and worldbuilding (please read before starting!!!):
1. The story is set in a fictional historical world!!! Entirely fictional!!! It includes extensive original worldbuilding. All imperial heirs, regardless of gender, are called crown princes.
2. Same-sex marriage is allowed, and Fox Clan magic can enable same-sex couples to have children. One of the heroines is a member of the Fox Clan, with a large fox tail she can summon and dismiss at will.
3. The secondary couple has a ten-year age gap: a general x an emperor. The general is younger, and both are important to the plot.
4. Political intrigue and a large ensemble cast. The early chapters will spend a lot of time setting things up.
Theme: Dare to stake everything, and you can find a way through desperate circumstances.
