Those Years I Spent Caring for a Treacherous Minister

I'll finish writing it, then post it all at once.

I deserve a beating, I deserve a beating... I repent...

Pre-release: Dare You Step on My Shoes Again (academy and imperial examinations). The blurb is at the very bottom.

(VIP notice: This will become a paid novel on Friday, December 15, starting with Chapter 21. Please support the official release.)

There's an ancient school story next door, Dare You Step on My Shoes Again. Give it a look if you like.

A ruthless, affection-starved marquis vs. a timid, stubborn maid

Wang Fu was obedient and well-behaved from childhood. At eight, she went up the mountain to chop firewood; at ten, she carried water and washed clothes. She helped her mother with the chores and earned money so her older brother could marry. That was all she was meant to do with her life.

Then, at fifteen, her mother sold her to the marquis's estate.

Wang Fu cried and tried to run away, but neither did her any good. She only ended up covered in more bruises. Wiping away her tears, she was led before the marquis's legitimate son and told that he would be her master from then on.

They said Chen Xu was refined and dignified, courteous and gentle, and the object of admiration for countless young ladies in the capital. At first, Wang Fu believed it too.

Until one night, Chen Xu gripped her by the throat. His fingers were as cold as a snake's, his veins bulged, and his eyes were wild with cruelty.

Later, she saw him wielding a blade, carving into people and killing them with bloodthirsty eyes, his face twisted with madness.

Only then did Wang Fu realize she had fallen into a den of wolves and tigers.

Chen Xu was a hypocrite through and through.

From then on, he showed her every facet of his madness. Stroking the back of her neck, he softly called her Fu Niang again and again, his tenderness endless.

Wang Fu accompanied him to school and through the imperial examinations, until he became a high-ranking court official. Just as Chen Xu thought she would stay by his side for the rest of her life, a coup erupted in the palace. Everyone turned against him, including his Fu Niang.

Chen Xu gave a cold laugh. Shackled and seated in his prison cell, he gazed at the will-o'-the-wisps outside, his expression unreadable.

What he didn't know was that this was all a play. The court's fortunes shifted, and he rose once more to power.

He slaughtered the traitors, bathed the capital in blood, and forced the king to take his own life.

Only one remained.

In the dim candlelight, Chen Xu looked down at Fu Niang, kneeling before him with her forehead to the ground. He was silent for a long while.

Reader's guide: You absolutely have to read this!

1. The heroine was brainwashed early on by her mother and older brother. They seriously emotionally manipulated her! Seriously! Seriously! It's really bad!

Also, the focus of this story is the heroine escaping their psychological control, not running away from the hero.

The hero's madness gradually softens and melts into the heroine's life day by day. This is a healing process.

2. This story devotes a lot of space to the heroine's growth. She will grow and break free of the psychological control her mother and brother have over her, eventually becoming independent. This takes up a substantial part of the story. To put it accurately, the hero heals, and the heroine grows.

3. There is a secret-identity plot involving a real and a fake heiress. The heroine has another identity, but it isn't particularly important and doesn't affect her growth or romance.

In the end, this is really just a story about two unfortunate people taking care of each other.

4. Finally, neither the hero nor the heroine is perfect, so please don't be too harsh on them. Thank you.

Dare You Step on My Shoes Again

Blurb

A rebellious, arrogant student vs. a levelheaded, rational teacher who keeps getting flustered by him

After graduating, passing her teaching certification exam, and receiving an appointment from a prestigious school, Yang Wei thought her life would be smooth sailing from then on. Then, out of nowhere, she transmigrated into a book.

As luck would have it, she transmigrated into a rundown academy as an orphan, saddled with a younger sister who was on the verge of dying from illness, a mountain of debt, and a group of students threatening to drop out.

To earn a living and survive, she had no choice but to roll up her sleeves, dress as a man, and return to her old profession as a teacher. Of course, her biggest headache was one particularly troublesome student.

Everyone in the capital knew Gu Zhao was a spoiled, incorrigible young master, all swagger and sharp, arrogant eyes. The first time he saw Yang Wei, he was amazed that a man could have such slender shoulders and waist, such pale skin, and look so frail that a breeze might knock him over.

But just as he was about to go to sleep, abiding by his belief that if no one bothered him, he wouldn't cause trouble, she woke him with a rap of her ruler. From then on, the two were at odds.

Gu Zhao played tricks on Yang Wei, taking her to brothels to drink with courtesans and swapping her books for tales of young ladies' private affairs. When she was teaching him the ritual of paying respects, he deliberately asked, "Teacher, are we getting married?"

Yang Wei: "Don't, don't be ridiculous!"

Gu Zhao cocked his brows arrogantly and folded his arms. Then he saw that the teacher's expression remained composed, though the tips of her ears had turned red.

He made no secret of his spoiled, despicable ways, but he was even more curious about why she always turned away and stepped back whenever he got close.

Later, while everyone at the other academies waited to laugh at Yang Wei finally being driven to her breaking point, Gu Zhao stood obediently before her, holding his book. He rubbed his bruised, swollen hand with an aggrieved expression, his eyes red as he pleaded, "Teacher... it hurts..."

Later still, he struggled to suppress the feelings in his heart, trapped in a prison of frustration and self-contradiction.

After drinking himself tipsy, he asked, "Teacher, is there someone you like?"

I think I can write a sweet romance!

Theme: Reject emotional manipulation! Grow independent!